San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-18


Among great old-time heayyweights
who fought great fights against the
champions of their day were many
who were no better than Tunney, ply
sically. and who were no better box
ers. There was Joe Choynski, who
fought Corbett and Fitzsimmons and
drew with Jeffries in twenty rounds.
Joe's best weight was 165 pounds.
Peter Maher, who could hit fully rs
hard as Fitzsimmors, never went over
$50 in form. Tom Sharkey's best
fighting weight was 49,. Kid Mccoy
was only 165 when he fought Maher,
Rubin, Sharfey and many other great
heayyweights. Jack Root never went
over 40.
Gene Tunney is likely 10 be the
best light-heayyweight champion the
sport has known since Bob FitZsim-
mons won the title from George Gard
! ner. He has "class" in many ways.
, His intelligence is above the average
in ring circles. No athlete ever took
better care of himself.
l was walking in New York with
Tunney one night before the Greb
match was made. Tunney told me his
plans. -......-
Made Matches First Time.
"Tve been trying for long time
to get Greb into another match" he
said. when we fought before was
puzzled by his erratic rushes and his
mauling style and made the mistake of
standing off and trying to box with
him. You can't box with a buzz saw.
The only way to stop a buzz saw is
to throw hunk of iron into it. That's
what I'll do il / meet Greb again.
I've studied him carefully. and
know just how to go at him. I'll meet
every rush squarely-meet him coming
in, and / know l can hit as fast and
hit straighter and harder than he can.
I'll wear him down with body blows
and he'll lose some of his speed and
not look so aggressive. You know. its
Harry's continual plunging and swing
ing and cutting that inpresses the
judges and the crowd-not the effect
iveness of his attack. His blows didn't
hurt me, but / imagine it looked as il
they did. 1t won't even look that way
next time. I'll surely beat him, and
then L want a chance at Dempsey.
think L can match Dempsey in
strength and speed, and i feel conf
dent i can at least hold him even in
boxing. That gives me fighting
chance"
1t didn't sound as convincing then
as it might now. Tunney has made
good the first parst of his prediction.
And it would surely be better TO put
first-class boxer who knows how
to take care Of himself, against Demp-
sey than TO give Jack some strong,
awkward, slow mauler to fight. Demp-
sey has shown that be can eat that
kind up. He can handle a clever fellow
like Carpenter without much trouble,
too. But Tunney is better man then
Carpenter by far, for he's taller and
much better built, being six feet one
inch in his bare feet, close to Demp-
sey's height, and perfectly proper
toned. He is also better than Car
pentier because he's an American ath-
lete Of the highest type, and knows
nothing whatver about the dissipa-
tons that arose common in Europe.
Hands Too Fragile for Punch.
Gene Tunney has shown that he's
fighter. 11e enlisted in the Marines
at the beginning of the war, wanting
to see action and take chances in a
most desperate branch of the service.
As buck private among the "Devil
Dogs" he first learned how to use the
gloves, part of his training to fight.
In the A. Z. +. championships he
won q decision over Bob Martin and
later won the light-heavyweight title.
Gene was born in Greenwich Village,
New York City, but wasn't brought UP
in that gay section. He's no studio
hound. His real name is James ],
Tunney. The family called him
Gene" which was a baby sisters
way Of saying Jim"
Tunney has beaten a lot of good
men. At the start he was a tremen-
dous hitter, and was troubled with
breaking his hands. He spent a winter
in the northern woods, using an axe
learned how to control his punches
and has had no troublE with his hands
since then. Gene doesn't care for city
life. He spends most of his time on
| the country estate of close friend
Harry Mccormick of Red Bank. n
| j., where he has q gymnasium fitted
up for training and good roads 70
run on. He visits New York only
when there's boxing match in sight
Nearly alls Of his time is spent in
outdoor training. No boxer ever kept
in better condition.
Now that Gene has done what Ton
Gibbons and many other men in his
class failed to do in beating Greb, he's
likely to begin showing up among the
heavyweight headliners.
Battling Sikh. who won the worlds
| Interchangeable title by knocking
out Carpenter, cables that he's COINS
10 visit America and show what kind
of champion he is. If he runs NJ
against this boy Tunney he'll take tn,
next boat back.
(COpyright, 1923, by The Bell Syndi