Imperial Valley press., 1923-07-05
DEMPSEY STILL
WEARS LAURELS
OF FIGHT RING
Given Decision After
Is Rounds Terrific
Mauling
Gibbons Gains Nothing
But Ovation as His
Share
BY HENRY L. FARRELL
U. ?. Staff Correspondent

Dempsey has his heavyweight title
and about $250,000. Tommy Glib
bons has no title and no more money
than yesterday, but he has the
heartfelt admiration of some 10000
spectators who saw him stand up
yesterday under the tigerlike rushes
of the champion for The full fifteen
rounds.
As for Shelby, Mont, sinking
again into the oblivion of the
northwestern plains, it has whatever
fame there be in niche in the
sporting annals-and a cash deficit
of something like $150,000.
Dempsey won the decision on
points. The only knockout of the
latest world s heavyweight battle
was to the grand old dope.
They said Gibbons could not stay
but he did.
With puffed face, split lip, sore
ribs that -glared an angry red, but
covered with a heart full of salts
faction, Tommy Gibbons of st. Paul
came out ofhis fight with Jack
Dempsey with whatever glory was
won beneath the broiIing sun that
beat upon the big pine bowl yester-
day afternoon.
Gibbons Good Sport
Gibbons lost the decision without
kick after some rather strange
work on the part of Jim Daugherty,
third man inthe ring. But he had
rindicated himself beyond q doubt
as a rightful challenger for Demp-
sey s crown and established himself
a game sportsman.
~ held on lot in the last three
rounds, don blame me for it, -
Gibbons said. Il tried to fight alb
solutelv clean and l believe | did.
I felt fine until the ninth round
when I was hit in the groin and |
could not use my left leg good after
that
Dcmpseys form was decidedly
disappointing, but he showed he
could go Is rounds and win.
Before the fight odds varied from
three to one to five to one that
Tompsev. would win; some gave as
high as two to one that Gibbons
would not come up for the eighth
round; many predicted the cham
pion, peevcd Mt financial failure and
troubles, would finish Tommy off in
= round or two. IT was also said
that if the fight lasted ten rounds
or so Dempsey would wilt and Glib
bons would cut him to ribbons.
Nothing happened as predicted.
No Animosit7 Shown
The men fought for the most part
without too great a display of ami
mostly.
"The only time | was mad was
when Dempsey pinched me when !
had slipped under the top strand of
the ropes Gibbons said. But ]
thought then that | might have done
the same thing under the circum-
stances, and / decided not to say a
word.
"Don t get me wrong. Dempsey
is a great fighter and | do not want
TO take anything away from him
since | did not get his title.
While strangers and the natives
of Shelby and ad joining towns were
| engaging last night inthe widest
dissipation the town could afford
| Gibbons was shooting off skyrock
cts and fireworks at home with hi,
wife and three kiddies.
The fight itself was a good one
as fights go. Dempsey, outweighing
Gibbons by 13 pounds, was always
the aggressor. He, fought in his Gus.
tomary style, shoulders hunehed
arms poised to strike from any
angle, pushingthe slightcr challenger
about the 2l-foot ring.
Dempsey Hit Too Low
Four Or five times during the
fight it seemed to many spectators
that Dempsey hit too low. But Ref
cree Daugherty saw it otherwise--ol
did not see it.
Men marveled as Gibbons
swapped punches with the champion
in the early stages and came NJ
round after round for more. ILL.,
At the end he had maintained his
record of nearly 90 fights without
having been knocked down. 1t was
a tired, puffed, bleeding boxer that
hung ON sometimes, during the last
five or six rounds, but when he haC
to fight, Gibbons was alwavs able
to take and give back hard blows to
\ the final gong.