The Washington herald., 1922-12-20
~ SAYS DAMON
.K.ui!n|yOn: z q
Black Shadow Menaces.
They Seek Publicity. (
TAD Sends Clipping.
Never Heard of Munro.

across his path.
Cribb had Molineaux, Sulli-
van had jackson, Jeffries and
Burns had johnson, Dempsey
has Wills. The next white
champion will have George
Godfrey.
: Recall this prediction three or
four years from now.
Godfrey, now young, green,
bat powerful and improving, q
giant, will be in his prime. The
tradition of great 'prowess will
have been built up about him
through his defeats Of other
eolored men:
Z Godfrey lacking white COM
petition, may never be able to
prove that he is a great fighter.
But the idea will be gradual
~ formed in the minds of
many that he is a great fight
or. The fistic followers of
three or four years hence will
be clamoring for a meeting be-
tween the white champion of
the day and Godfrey.
See if this does not come
true.
Who is Godfrey? He is an
enormous negro, of startling
boxfno skill. a ghost of old
Jack johnson, who taught him
many tricks.
He is also "a pupil of Sam
Langford, one of the greatest
heavyweight fighters. that ever
lived. Godfrey was managed
for a time by johnson. He Is
now managed by Jim Dough-
erty, of Philadelphia.
Godfrey is a pugilistic liabil-
ity, not an asset, 10 a manager.
1t is difficult to secure matches
for him on account of his color,
and. ability. Fighters of his size
can eat in a year more food
than his purses pay for.
The writer does not know
where Godfrey comes from. His
origin and early history are at
this time of no interest. Three
or four years from now it will
be quite familiar to ring fol-
lowers.
THERE is nothing new under
L the pugilistic sun.
Many years ago there was as
much bother over matching
Tom Molineaux. the negro, with
Cribb, the English champion, as
there was over matching john
son Eand Jeffries; as there ha7
been over matching Dempsey
and Wills.
There will be as much bother
when it comes to talk of match
ing Godfrey with Floyd john
son or with Luis Firpo, or who
ever may be Dempsey's sue
cessor.
Jack Kearns speaks the truth
when he tells Jim Corbett most
of the offers he has received for
fights involving the champion
have come from publicity seek
ers.
This has always been so.
Corbett knows as well as
Kearns. Corbett once held the
championship.
There is a strange kink in
some mems brains that causes
them to glibly offer enormous
sums for prize fights which they
have no chance of landing, and
which they would have no chance
of carrying out if their bids were
accepted.
Promoting big prize fights is a
business in itself. 1t involves
tremendous detail, the capacity
for taking large risks, sometimes
the lack of scruple that does not
prevent gambling with the pub
hes money.
The human body is more deli
cateIy constructed than a high
grade watch.
You would not take your fine
watch and pound it with a NAL
let, unless you are crazy.
Yet, that is what many prize
fighters permit to be done to
their bodies, to their heads, the
case enclosing the mechanism Of
the brain.
They do not use their heads to
learn enough about boxing to
protect themselves. Perhaps that
is the reason some of these prize
fighters are little bit crazy.
%AD," the great cartoonist,
i sends US clipping from an
Australian paper, evidently a
fragment of an account of
speech delivered by one Jack
Munro.
This Munro is alleged to be a
fight promoter in Australia. Do
not confuse him with Jack Mum
roe, former heavyweight boxer,
and one Of the heroes of the
Princess Pats.
The clipping was:
"A New York writer, Damon
Runyon, announced that he
(Munro) was at the Benny