San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-27
American in Prime While
Frenchman Has Slipped
Back Fast.
THE LIMIT PROBABLE
Tunney Not Knockout
King, and Georges
Has Bum Hands.
By ROBERT EDGREN.

can still deliver the goods he may rur
off with couple of good purses thi:
summer.
Very likely Georges will get only
one. His fight with Gene Tunney in
June seems TO be in the bag, unless
something happens to Georges before
the date arrives.
Tunney is likely TO beat Carpenter
When this statement reaches England
it will arouse much amusement. In
England, Carp" is still regarded as
a world beaten. chiefly because of his
trick of slapping English champions
out with the first punch. Some of
our English visitors were utterly I'M
able to understand how Carpenter
lost to Dempsey, even after seeing the
fight three years ago.
The chief reason for Tunney's COM
ing victory is that Georges isn't quite
as good as he used to be, and when
fighters once begin TO slip they 60 in
hurry.
Carpenter, as he was early in 1921,
would have very good chance to
win. Things have happened since
them He was veteran of thirteen
years professional boxing when he
met Dempsey, but he had been beating
European boxers easily and fully ex-
pected to out-speed the champion and
put over a one-punch knockout with
his right hand as soon as he found a
clear opening.
Right Didn't Work.
he discovered that Dempsey could
Outlook and outpunch him, even in the
first round. In the second he cracked
Jack perfectly with that lightning
right hand on the chin, and. although
Jack wobbled a bit, he didn't fall
didn't weaken, and didn't step back
1t was the first time Carpenter ever
landed that right without results.
Some of his stored-up confidence
oozed away right there.
More of it slipped away when
Dempsey crowded him and knocked
him out.
Two days afterward Carpenter said
to me:
''They told me Dempsey was slow
and not good boxer. He was fully
as fast as l am, and the best boxer /
ever saw. / had no chance to beat
him. 1t would be useless TO fight him
again. He is too strong for me-"
The break in Carpenters fighting
confidence wasn't responsible for his
defeat by Sikh. But it may have made
him reckless. He fought Sikh abso-
lutely without training or prepara-
ton, crossing from England where he
had been working in moving pictures
until couple of days before the fight.
He told the picture people that Sikh
was 'nothing-a mere dub" and that
the trip would be little more than a
pleasure jaunt. To-day we cross the
Channel" said Descamps, Carpen-
tiers manager. Tomorrow Georges
knocks Sikh out, very easily. The
next day we are back. Pouf! 1t is
nothing"
Ruined a Good Picture.
Carpenter had just finished a very
fine picture, and the promoters didn't
want him to risk being beaten, as
they knew he wasn't training. But
he went-and he was knocked out.
In that fight Carpenter, laughing
and nodding to his friends was pleas.
antly engaged in making Sikh look
foolish. when one of Skis wild swings
connected with his jaw and dropped
him for nine seconds, nearly out. The
rest of the story is that Carpenter
rose, dazed and desperate. Fought
like blind man, swinging furious
blows at a target he couldn't see
broke his hands on Skis hard head
and after several knockdowns was
knocked out.
He has had trouble with his hands
since then. But his right was good
enough last year to pancake Joe Beck.
EnUlo rI'c Nttp,h1snr oh
again in the first round. and to fin.
ish Marcel Miles in the eighth.
Still. man like Carpenter never
is beaten until the referee finishes
his count. He has won AZ fights with
knockouts. He has been knocked out
three times and Descamps has hoped
in couple more to save him. The
percentage table doesn't promise an
easy job for Tunney.
Tunney's best chance will be to win
fifteen-round decision. He was a
knockout artist when novice
cracked his hands on few. hard
heads, and then devoted his time to
close study of the art of making the
other fellow miss and picking him to
pieces with swiftly-delivered punches
He usually wins his fights on deci.
slOns. anu HIS MINUS are i'll peter
shape.
Tunney Has Youth and All.
Tunney has been boxing five years
IS little under 30. and is improving
steadily. He is tall, very well built
quick, graceful and good boxer. He
is aggressive but not reckless. He
plans his battles and { lcks to his
plans. He lives in the'obuntry and
never breaks training, 1ys keeping
in perfect condition.
In every way Tunney is a model
man. He is quick, keen. intelligent
well educated, and a student of bcx.
ing because he likes the game.
Billy Gibson is manager of Tunney
and. Gibson never takes an interest
b. a clumsy slugger. His string con.
6sts Of Benny Leonard, Gene Tun
ley and Carl Duane. Having Gibson
M his corner is no drawback-that's
sure.
Mike McTigue couldn't see a match
with Tunney il they let him look
through the Lick Observatory tele.