San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-25
OLD
| HEAVY CHAMPS
i WITH MODERN
Edgren's Comparison Isn't
Very Favorable to
Today's Crop.
SAW THEM ALL FIGHT
Dempsey Only One Of Lot
Who Could Give Old
timers Trouble.
BY ROBERT EDGREN.

Wouldn't IL be a grand and glor-
ious feeling if we could count on a
card for the summer that would read
something like this:
John L. Sullivan VS.. Jess Willard,
May 1, Madison Square Garden.
Jim Corbett vs.. Tom Gibbons, June
l. Benton Harbor.
Bob FitzSimmons VS.. Floyd John
son, July 4, Jersey City.
Jim Jeffries VS.. Jack Dempsey, Au-
gust 3, San Francisco.
Tommy Burns VS.. Harry Greb,
Yankee ball park, October i.
That is, imagining all Of these, old
time champions back in their chain
pionship form.
some year Of fighting! And, at the
end of it, how many of the present
crop would still be worth space on
sporting page?
| can see some Of the old time
fight fans beginning to chuckle right
here. / can see arguments coming
up, Just as they come up every time
the names of these great ancients OF
the ring are mentioned in print.
Are the old champions better than
our fighters today-or aren't they !
Wen figure on it.
Doping 1t Out.
Take the first match, John l.. sui
Ivan in his prime VS.. Jess Willard, as
jess was when he licked Johnson at
Havana. When John L. was -
there wasn't a man in the world who
could stand before him. He was a
plunging fighter, fast as. a streak
on his light legs and feriously sud
den in attack.
John had a thick neck, sloping
shoulders. heavy arms and huge fists,
as well as a jaw that stuck out like
PROV.
not boxer. Bare fists suited him
better than gloves. He never lost th'
London Prize Ring Championship o.
the World.
Willard at Havana was huge, {
skilful boxer, but inclined to wal
and take no chances. He always like
TO win by firing his man out. ID
tool: twenty-six rounds to make John
son whip himself, where a Sulligal
or A Dempsey would have knocke
Johnson out in four or five rounds
figuring johnson in his Havana condi
ton.
Didn't Stay in Shape.
You may say that Sullivan mad
some poor fights in his day, the dra1
with Charlie Mitchell in France, tn
four rounds when he failed to sto
Tug Wilson, the six rounds whe
Dominick McCaffrey lost the decisio
but should have been declared wiz
ner. the seventy-ffve rounds it too
John to whip Jack Kilrain, a sic
man, at Richburg. and his last figh
with Corbett at New Orleans.
But Sullivan never took care q
himself He was a heavy drinkel
He was at his best at TWENTY-FIVE, an
from that time on went down rapid!
until, a dissipated wreck at thirty-foU
he lost his Championship. For sewers
years Sullivan won fights mainl
through the terror inspired by b
reputation.
The chances are that Sullivan, fro,
twenty-five TO twenty-five, and trail
ed as. modern fighters train, woul
have beaten Willard at his best. II
natural fighting spirit would hay
more than overcome Wizards grei
physical advantages. ..
The one great fight of Willard
life was at Havana. Then he ce
tainly rose TO the sccagion, but h
battles with Gunboat Smith, Bo
Rodel, Arthur Pelkey, Carl Morr
and Frank Moran were not good. Al
when Willard, worlds champion, m
young Jack Dempsey he showed a
solutely no class at all. Sullivan, evt
as a dissipated wreck, would at lea
have made a fight Of it. q.
Corbett 20 Beat Gibbons.
Jim Corbett can figure only wi
Tom Gibbons or Floyd johnson in I
modern bunch. He had no pun
that would worry Willard any mo
than a mosquito bite. sHe could oil
box Floyd johnson without risk
Floyd is today. He could run arou
the ring with wills, but. couldr
worry him any more than he cou