The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-07-06

those loose tights pulled away up
high.
Il couldn't rip and tear as 1
might have for fear I'd get dis
qualified for hitting low. AS it was,
the crowd razzed me some for a
few punches that were fair. Glib
hons is no sap. He's mighty cagey,
and he can cover up and hang on
in more ways than anyone i've ever
met"
But Kearns announced that
you would be able to knock down
any defense that Gibbons made
and weary his arms from a con-
slant pounding so that they would
DROP
Sure. Doc said that. But he
didn't know until I got into the
ring what I knew all along. and
what some of you newspaper fell
lows limited at every once in a
while. l wasn't myself.
81 was in good. physical condi-
ton. I proved that by going along
at a good pace from start to finish.
had to do all the leading. If l
wasn't in good physical condition
I'd have tired myself out
"One of the boys said to me after
the fight: Well. you're still cham
pion. but you're no longer Demp-
sey.'
81 asked him what he meant. and
he replied that Dempsey was a rip
snorting. punching fool, but that 1
was just a powder-puff boxer. who
either didn't want 20 or couldn't
knock the hat off Gibbons heal.
Ia Ian hat LIZ
bons out, and / Euess he was sore.
But. save the fact that he said
did not want to knock Gibbons out.
he came mighty close to the truth.
"I did want to stop Gibbons and
tried my darndest, but always
with that lack of confidence i'm
my fighting condition that pre-
vented me from tearing in.
Kearns discovered that very soon
and cautioned me to GO along
and try for just the one shot al
Tommy. He was afraid, too, that
/ would blow up"
why did Kearns insist before
the match that you were in better
shape than ever before?"
Because, as far as 1 know, he
was not aware of the true state of
affairs. You fellows said that
was good one day and bad the
next. You never knew why. I'll
try as I might, / couldn't get into
my wind was good. and / was
punching hard as ever, but 1 felt
more like fighting before left Los
Angeles than I did after l had
completed my training here.
II couldn't satisfy myself that
was what that fellow who lost the
bet called Dempsey went on
the road and worked harder than l
ever did in my life to get into
fighting shape. But it was no use
Sometimes I did so much work in
the morning that 1 was tired out
in the afternoon.
II felt all the while that the
fighting condition would come to
me of sudden. 1t didn't, and
that. / guess. is the story"
Did Gibbons punches bother
you?"
"Not at all. This bump under
the eye was the worst thing I got
IN the fifteen rounds. If he
slugged me on the jaw / don't re-
member it. So. 1 guess, he didn't
bother me.
He took some good wallops,
though, didn't he? 1 socked him a
few in the body and he grunted a
funny way. But ne kept going
I'd like to know where those guys
got the dope that Tommy wasn't
game. / always thought he was
Now / know it. And more than
that, he's a mighty smart worker.
He kept me busy trying to ou.-
figure him
How do you feel about future
ring engagements
"Oh. I'm all right now. These
fifteen rounds were just what
needed. I'll be ready any time the
Doc gives me the word. Wen
never keep out of the ring for two
years any more. We're going 10
Keep busy for the rest of this wear.
Doc is going into New York right
away to smoke up the Wills match
Then, there's one with Willard or
Firpo. and | guess we'll have Ia
fight Gibbons again. | ONT care
which one comes first"
did the mix-up over the finan
cial matters bother you at ALP"
I'm way it did. There was
some late talk about the people OF
Shelby going to get kearns anC
me. One of the newspaper bows al
the ringside told me he heard one
follow suggest that they organize >
mob and go out and string Kearn,
up. ! didn't think the boys would
get rough, but ! took no chances
] figured that Shelby would no
offer us any police protection, so
organized my own bodyguard 70,
fellows who saw me come into tn,
arena remarked that it looked lik
parade. l was surrounded by al
my sparring partners and fou
strangers.
I'll tell you who those stranger
were. They were four detective
from Chicago, friends of mine. Their
was also Bud Chafin.s sheriff q
Logan county. West Virginia. an
there was Bad Bill Lines. O
Montrose, Colo. This Lines differ
from my pal, Senator Wild Bi
Lyons. in more ways than the spell
ing Of his name. This Bad Bill