Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-11-11
British Boxers
Not Up To
DempSey's Mark

London. Oct. - CA. +. by niain-
Jack Dempsey has let it be nolsed
about that he wouldn't mind coming
over TO England to take a punch or
two at some Of the British heavy
weights. All of which has caused
the sophisticated sportsmen Of this
! land to smile, and the unsophisticat
Ell to foresee even darker days ahead
for British prestige in the boxing
business.
There isn't boxer in all of Bril-
tain who gives any promise Of stand
ing up against Dempsey for even n
few rounds. unless the champion ha d
mind to be playful. And the Brit
ish know this. In fact they poke
just as much of their quiet fun at
their boxing predicament as do the
more boisterous humorists overseas.
After all. who might be matched
with Dempsey in London ring?
There is Frank Goddard. the cham
pion who got his title on a foul. And
just the other day he crossed the
channel to do a little fighting in the
Basque country with man named
Paolini. Nobody in the boxing game
in Britain except Goddard had ever
! heard Of Paolini, for his main bus
mess in life had previously been
chopping down trees. He gave God
dard Il sound thrashing.
Then there is Joe Beckett. who has
long record of cold knockouts reg
lstered against him. Not long ago
Beckett retired, married, and settled
! down TO quiet life OF watching the
boats come and go at Southampton
he sent a little piece to the papers
the other day saying he would like
to try "come-Dack Nobody else.
seemingly. cares to see him try, and
he has had no encouragement
. After chuckling over the Beckett
ambitions, one turns one thoughts.
| perhaps to Jack Bloomfield, the
cruiser weight champion who had
, dreams earlier this year of retrieving
British prestige in the pugilistic pro-
! fession. Tommy Gibbons came over
| to England from the States and dis
illusioned Bloomfield. quickly and
( forcibly. So he too got married and
settled down. and even the caption
! writer's in the topical movies made
. fun of his feeble stand against the
American, who gave him an un-
merciful thrashins, while the best
Bloomfield could do before being put
TO steep In the thifu round was 10
! land four blows. hardly mere than
loye-taps. on the energetic epidermis
of his condueror.
That just about ends the list. There
are. OF course, promising youngsters
doing their stuff in small-time box
! ing circles over here just as there are
; plenty Of ambitious heavyweights
active in America. But none Of them
/ are first-raters by any stretch OF the
/ imagination.
/ Still the British would be glad to
see Dempsey, although It is doubtful
| If he could fatten his already fat
wallet 10 any great extent in Eng
! land. especially IL he keeps up his
| bit OF thinking in nothing less than
six figures. Both Of the two princi
pal British boxing promoters. Major
Wilson and c. e. Cochran. have
recently had bankruptcy proceedings
| brought against them. Even Glib
bons had to go To court 10 get his
pay of about $4,000 for the fight
with Bloomfield. over here it is as
suned that Dempsey would turn up
his recently turned-down nose at the
mere mention Of such skinny sum
rs fifty thousand dollars.