Evening star., 1926-09-23

If Tunney will make a fight of it
II he will show aggresSiTeneSs and
Willingness to swap punches and LEI
it be the survival of the better punch
er-then the golden and glorious
chance for him TO win is before him
I've never gone on defense in any
fight in my carer, and l will not dc
ii tonight. If Tunney can take what
! give and hit harder than / can. then
he's the next heavyweight champion
of the world.
Will BE Aggressive.
III promise him that / won't stall
and that | won't Clinch. I'll promise
him now that If he will stand UP and
trade punches with me he'll se'
ali the chances he may want to try
out his punches on my chin or my
stomach. l won my title fighting for
It; I've retained 1t by fighting. And
] repeat now that which l have said
before every battle I've fought since
! whipped Jess Willard at Toledo:
I'd rather lose my title while fight
ing than retain it by any lodging or
sidestepping or stalling and clinching
In all the years l have been cham
pion I've felt that the crowd paid to
see me fight. to see me risk the old
crown in a wild effort to win, and
feel that way now ! want to make 1t
n fight tonight. I'm willing to risk
the title and all that goes with it just
for the privilege of having Tunney
fight me and give me the chance to
knock him out. My battle plans are
not secret. l won't fight in any diff
ferent way than l have through the
other years. am going to keep after
my man with the gang of the bell.
TF.@1~ y htva, NTH
l either knock him out-or get
bumped off in failure.
Is Not Worried.
But | don't think that Tunney can
bump me off. ] don't think he can hit
as hard as some Of the other fellows
who banged my jaw He thinks he
can. He'll have plenty Of chances to
demonstrate 1t tonight. If he's a bet
ter puncher than / am and If he can
take it better than l can, then he de-
serves to win the title.
[ am going into the ring in better
condition than I knew In the Firpo
fight and better equipped to fight a
winning battle than l was in Toledo.
] am not going in stale or drawn.
I'm entering the ring at the peak of
my career If | lose I shall certainly
have no alibieS to offer because of
lack of condition.
Nor shall ! make any excuses that
have to do with mental worry that
might have come to me because of the
dozen and one different law suits. I've
taken those like punches, and rode
along with them until they glanced
off. I've had threats chased at me
by some wild folks who talk about
shooting my hat off when l get in
the ring. Other things have hap
pened in these training days that
aren't any part of a musical comedy
Has Live Purpose.
But when that bell rings-well,
they'll all belong TO something like a
forgotten past. I'll have but one
thought then--to knock Tunney out
Of my pathway Two perfect legs,
two rather powerful fists and a body
conditioned to a point where 1t can
carry me so rounds, il I have to 60
that far. so much will be among my
main assets ] have within me the
confidence that perfect condition
brings, and when a fellow knows he's
that he is right. then that's half the
battle.
I'm not making any predictions as
to how I think III win--that is, the
exact method-but just about now l
cannot help but ask Gene this Ques-
tion: whats going to happen when
I drive a right hand under your heart
and then put everything l have in a
left hook for your chin?"
(Copyright. 19261