New Britain herald., 1926-11-13
BY JOE WILLIAMS

New York, Nov. 13.--Mr. Gene Tunney, the new heavyweight cham pion. speaks glibly of the will to win" and the powerful psychology attached thereto.
 This reminds me of Mir. Jack Sharkey, the loquacious Lithuanian of Kovo on the one side, and Boston on the other.
 Mir. Sharkey. whose real name happens to be Josef Paul Cucoskey, has this will to win" quality devel- oped to the highest possible degree.
 In the old days when the fight racket was in the hands of vulgari- ans, you might have said that MT, Sharkcy was nothing more nor less than a conCeited mugg, but those days apparently are gone forever.
 Before he stepped into the ring for his fight with Harry Wills MT. Sharkey announced to all and sun dry that he intended to knock the Senegambian for a TOW of revolving butter tubs.
 Hes just a tramp" thundered Mr. Sharkey.
 These words were uttered in the office of Billy Gibson, who is known to the trade as the business man. ager of Mr. Tunney.
 Now don't say that. Sharkey," pleaded Gibson. T don't think Wills is great fighter, but he Is not that bad. I'd like to see you win this fight, but you never will win it with that kind of attitude"
 q still maintain he's a tramp" repeated Mir. Sharkey.
 It is a matter of comparatively recent history that Mr. Sharkey sue ceeded in verifying his estimate of Wills 10 the complete satisfaction and astonishment of the world at large, handing the veteran negro the worst messing around he ever has endured.
 After the fight MT. Sharkey turn ed to the gentlemen of the press and said: Now bring on that leather neck. There never was a sailor that couldn't whip a marine
 If these incidents fail to give an insight into the melancholy rcticence of the 24year-old battler, l need only mention that in q subsequent discussion of old champions, Mir. Sharliey. on hearing veteran glow over the abilities of Jim Jcffrics. cut in with this
 "Who ever told you that guy could fight? He was a tramp, too"
 l don't know whether this atti- tude fits accurately under the head ing of MT. Tunney's celebrated Twill l never saw anybody in the fight racket, or out of it. for that matter who possessed such a sublime faith in his own prowess as this eY-sailor.
 Watching him against Wills l was impressed more by his enthusiasm for throwing fists than the skill or power with which he threw them I thought he looked good largely be- cause Wills looked terrible.
 came away from the fight with the notion that MT. Sharkcy would be easy for Tunney and also for Jack Delaney, It didn't strike me that he hits hard enough to keep a formidable foeman away for any great length of time. Against such fighters Messrs. Tmncy and Delaney are sure shots.
 MT Sharkey is product of the navy. His first glove fight was on the battleship North Carolina. Sngulary enough it was against q negro-a 200-pounder who had roughed him around on deck. In accordance with the ancient navy custom q duel with the mitts fol- lowed and sharkey, weighing around l60, won.
 IrOm that time on he was a fight CT. He WIS beaten only once in the navy, Biff Crowley, heavyweight champion of the Atlantic fleet out pointing him. One of his first pro- frssional fights was against Eddie Record who beat him. Sharkcy weighed 212 pounds. was hog fat. and ont of shape. Record hit him in the stomach and knocked him down.
 This incident led to the belief Sharkey cYould not take 1t in the