San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-30
MYSTERY WHY ]
ENGLAND HAS
N0CHAMP|0NS
Tradition, Perhaps, Keeps
Heavyweight Boxing
3 Field Sterile.
WERE ONCE DULLES
Probably People Can't See
Them Except as Ale
house Bouncers.
WERE ONCE DULLES
BY ROBERT EDGREN.

When Carpenter came to the
United State to fight Dempsey l met
many of the English sportsmen wac
crossed to see the battle. They were
all betting wildly on Carpenter. One
who had put up $4,000 on Carpeu
tier, taking two to one for his money
asked me what thought of the wager
You're throwing away your
money" / said.
Carpenter will knock Dempsey
out in a round or two" said the Eng
lishman.
did you ever see Dempsey
asked. :,
"Oh no." he said, "but that isn'i
necessary. l have seen Carpenter
fight several times. He is absolutely
unbeatable. He's the cleverest boxer II
the world and the quickest and hard
est hitter. Any man he hits is knocked
out. He will hit Dempsey. You have
no idea in America Of the way Car
pentier can fight when he wants to
In England We know. Dempsey will
be fortunate if he lasts through the
first round"
You'd better go to Atlantic City
and see Dempsey. suggested.
Il may, just for days outing,
said the Englishman, but it isn't
necessary. No matter what Dempsey
is, Carpenter will knock HIM out"
Couldn't Take Punching.
The English sportsman saw Carpen-
tier knockout Bombardier Wells
twice. At the time of the first figh,
Wells was a splendid boxer, with a
hard punch, and likely to beat anyone
if he could avoid being hit. He
couldn't take punishment. He knocke,
Georges down and Georges got up and
knocked him out.
The second time they met Carpen-
tier ran across the ring at Wells ana
knocked IN out with the first punch
He knocked Beckett out in the same
way. Wells and Beckett were Englisi
heavyweight champions. For century
or so England was the one great box,
ing country of the world. and Englisf
champions were supposed to be invinc
ible. When Frenchman could go &c
England and knock out the. English
champions IN a few seconds each it,
no wonder the English thought hli1
invincible.
I've often wondered why England
cart produce good heavyweight.
There are at least 20 heavyweights IL
this country who could go to England
and beat any English heavyweight Of
the last quarter century.
England isn't country where men
lack gameness. There were no grittieI
soldiers in the world war than the
English. English armies were ann.
hilated, but they never were whipped
So it isn't a matter Of courage. As
for athletic ability. the English this
year are developing Olympic materia
that will make a better showing in
the coming Olympic games than any
British team has made since the meCt
at Athens in 1896. England alwayi
has splendid distance runners. Good
men are showing up in the weights
and other field events. The athletic
material is there.
Little Ones 0. X.
In Wilde, Driscoll, Welsh, Moran
Bowker and a lot of others England
developed world-beating little boxers
But there hasn't been fairly good
middleweight or heavyweight in Eng
land since Charlie Mitchell's time
The big. strong fellows had no fight
ing brains. and the men with fighting
brains had no endurance. They've al
WAYS lacked something. Yet there ar
plenty of good, tall, strong fellows il
England, especially among the thoI
sands of football teams. Some of then
should make good boxers.
Perhaps the trouble is that fol
many years in England a heavyweight
boxer has been looked upon as sons
what of a bully, following the ancient
traditions of Figg and Broughton anC
Slack and all the rest who were slug
gers and hangers-on for noblemen am
wealthy men who wanted to carry
around DULLES to do the fighting whe;
they got into mischief. Small boxer
are Of a different class The big men
looked upon as DULLES, didn't have thf
same incentive to work and study am
train. Most of them hang out at ale
houses. fight in cheap clubs, and taxi
no care of themselves between bouts
In America. today. boxers who ge'
into the championship class live like
the athletes of ancient Greece, whf
were barred from competition for life
if they broke training during prep
aration for an Olympic meet. Being q
champion is big money profession
and a champion is a successful MAJ
of affairs, not bully or n hanger-of
for anyone. When that idea peneratct
England they'll begin to turn out
champions instead of men whose am
bition is TO leave the ring with enougr
coin and reputation to run an a.
house in some country town.
America Holds All Titles.
just now England hasn't a boxinf
champion. Every ring title belongs &c
America: flyweight. Villa of Manila
bantamweight. Joe Lynch: feather
weight. Johnny Dundee; lightweight
Benny Leonard; welterweight, Micke!
Walker; middleweight, Harry Greh