Evening star., 1925-05-22

II Spalla shows anything when he
arrives he will be the only foreign
attraction in the country. The others.
brought here with band music have
nivvered almost without a wiggle.
Mascart was first shown up by
Young Corbett of Cleveland, then
Harry Felix lambasted Jean Borde, of
whom much was hoped.
Sikh Has Disappeared.
nnal seal was placed upon the failure
of the Chilean. Battling sikh has dis
appeared and so have the rest of the
Spaniards, Frenchmen, Englishmen
and South Americans who flowed into
the country this Winter.
One Englishman, however, remains
tfe is Bermondsey Billy Wells. Here
is a first-class welter who some day
wants to meet Mickey Walker.
Wells has been in this country for
Several years and. in fact, was one of
Jack Dempsey's sparrinG partners at
Great Falls, Mont.
Billy told the writer that he in
tended to stay here until he had COM
pleted the problem of merging the
best points of English boxing with the
best Of the American system. He has
already done this pretty effectively,
and in his starts in the past year he
has done all that his guide, Charley
Harvey, could have hoped for him.
Wells is an intelligent. clean-cut
chap and when he begins to take on
engagements in and about New York
he should make a whole lot of friends.
He is clever and is by no means
light hitter. It was the hitting part
of the American boxing game that he
has been studying most.
Gibbons-Tunney Grudge.
1t develops that deep down under
meath the Gibbons Tunney affair early
next month lies more or less OF a
grudge between the two men.
Often when the old grudge story
shows it's head, 1t can be put down
to the publicity skill of manager, a
promoter or a press agent.
The Gibbons-Tunney feud has no
such origin. 1t is real. 1t is so real
that neither man talks about it, and
you can't get better grudge than
that.
First, the rivalry between the two
men does not relate exclusively to
boxing 1t boils down to which is
more of a gentleman. Funny thing to
have a grudge about. isn't it?
You see, long before Gene Tunney
was a figure in the heavyweight stu
alton Gibbons was looked upon as the
model of all that a man should be,
irrespective VI lllo piOISoSAOi' lis
home life was perfect, his manners
attractive and all in all he held all
honors as the toff of Kingdom.
Jack Dempsey, who first sprang
into fame as the model OF rough and
ready, wild and woolly toughness. soon
came to envy Gibbons and adopted
spats and an iron hat and then had
his fighters nose remodeled.
Along came Tunney, as handsome
nd renflV annarp6 col
iege athlete who ever won both a
varsity letter and a Phi Beta Kappa
key.
Makes Snooty Remark.
When he began to climb up the lad
der he attracted Gibbons attention
and the report was that when some
pne asked Tommy concerning the eX-
marines ability Tommy smiled and
shrugged.
"Tunney uses good English" he is
said to have replied.
All things concerned that was a
pretty snooty remark, and one of the
results, of course, has been to fill
Gene with a strong determination to
convince the st. Paul boxer that he
can do something besides talk good
English. He is all set to show that he
can say it with fists
The battle will be held but if both
men live up to their regulations and
carry out the dictates of their natures
il will be the best hammered bout that
was ever staged. Then, again, it may
not.
Neither man is a killer in the ac-
cepted sense of the Vord That is.
neither has shown any great pleasure
in plastering opponents all over the
ring. But, curiously enough, when the
two meet they may in their effort to
show superior manners, forget all
about manners and go into each other
like couple of longshoremen.
So long as both men are gentlemen
IT is possible to do this without sacri-
ticing their prestige as the toffs of the
ring world