, 1923-09-07
DEMPSEY HAS EDGE
In MEETING FIRPO,
DECLARES

a sure defeat If he fought Dempsey
before another years training.
Crowds surrounding the average
fighter, even among second raters,
as a rule, sound nothing but his
praises. When Dempsey was train
ing for Carpenter. he heard moth
ing but: Hes a setup for you. One
round.Y
Dempsey became SO aggravated
with the rosy prospects painted for
him that he asked to have Carpen-
tiers name left out Of his conversa-
ton.
On the other hand. Ffrpo's friends
and advisers have not missed an OPP
portunity to hold up. with all it's
hazards, the prospects of his fight
with Dempsey. II is but natural that
confidence in an athlete cannot be
increased by having It constantly
called to mind that he has a great
task ahead of him. A keenrbrained
fighter is not in danger of over-con-
fidence by hearing others express
faith in him. but a smart fighter is
injured when ven his best friends
hesitate to assure him that he is a
surf winner.
In their training camps. the diff
ference n the mental edge of the
two fighters is very apparent.
In every word and action Demp-
sey displays the utmost confidence
that he will come out of the fight
as the champion. He Is a very sen.
sibie young man. and he is in no
danger OF falling a victim of OVER
confidence.
fight with Carpenter at Atlantic
City he told those who kept insist
ing that the Frenchman was a sec.
ond.rater:
He can't be with that record Of
his"
Dempsey trained hard for that
fight and he is training Just as hard
for this fight. He is in much bet.
ter spirits than he was not so long
ago. when he was getting ready in
Great Falls for the Gibbons fight.
The champion was not himself at
Great Falls. He most obviously was
worried. and all his friends noticed
the tremendous change in him. No
doubt he questioned that he was stlll
there as a great fighter. He had
been out of tho ring for a long time
and he could not be sure that he
hadn't lost much OF his power
Where he once was almost boy-like
in his actions around the camp, he
was taciturn and seemed to have
no thought or desire for levity. It
was taken as a very bad omen by
his, friends.
His fight against Gibbons appar.
emily convinced the champion that
while he had lost some of the accur-
acy of his punching that no was
still there physically because no was
to go fifteen rounds at top
speed and pull UP without blowing.
Now he is the same old Dempsey
again. He wresties around with his
friends and campmates, INDUCES in
all kinds OF practical jokes and is
the life Of the party at Saratoga.
Firpo. on the other hand, shows in
every move tho seriousness with
which he looks upon the fight. He is
naturally genial and affable to Wis
itors and newspapermen. but he
SHOWS plainly that he is working UNI
der the same kind of a strain that
Dempsey had imposed upon him be-
forc his last fight
Firpo feels that he is there. but
he has some doubts about IL. and
those doubts Will dull that mental
edge. He insists that he has no lear
OF the champion. and no doubt he
hasn't but he lacks tho confidence
that he has 1t within him to win the
championship.
There is no doubt that the South
American must feel often: 1T would
have been better in another year"
If he concerns himself about what
could have been and does not con
fine himself to what Is about to be,
he will have n tremendous load to
carry when he goes into the ring for
the biggest fight OF his career.