The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-09-09
By JOE WILLIAMS

BY JOE WILLIAMS
There have been very few cheers il
Jack Dcmpscy's life as a fighter. Th.
one time he was checred he cam,
within Il fluttering fraction Of losing
the championship.
This was the night he squared of
70 battle Luis Firpo in the most meIo
dramatic fight between heavyweight
this country or the Island Of Yal
ever saw.
The cheers came from the throat.
Of an assembled mob that was no!
SO much for Dempsey as il was
against the hairy invader from South
America.
Those cheers upset me-" Dempsc.
admitted. II had become hardened ia
tho angry roar Of the man pack. Here
was new sensation, something en-
tirely new for me. My first reaction
was surprise, then JOY.
said to myself, They are for y0,
at last. Step out and give EN- all you
got. Stop this bird with Il punch ii
you can So | sailed in on the wings
Of tingling adventure, completely
discarding all my prcarrangcd plan.
had.
sssDW Evs0WV JAIN bStAzy
II shot the old undertaker's punch
at his jaws and i'm my cagerncss to
land ] missed. Tha: miss almost
proved fatal. Firpo countcrcd with a
right that caught me close to the
button. Not many Of the ringsiders
saw it. ! didn't either, but l felt it.
"That blow made me dizzy. re-
manned dizzy throughout the round.
] was dizzy before FirpO half hit and
half showed me over the ropes. Ii it
hadn't been for those cheers l would
have fought a different fight and the
chances are ! wouldn't have been hit
by that right hand"
Dempsey has had two humiliating
experiences in the ring-experiences
which he doesn't like to remember,
hardened and world-worn us he is.
One, Of course, was that day at
Boyle's Thirty Acres when the crowd
OF 10000 rose as man and called on
Carpenter, the Frcnchman, to beat
him, the American defender.
Don't let anybody tell you that
didn't cut through the saddle brown
hide Of Dempsey, and that the sting
isn't there yet.
The other was in old Madison
Square Garden. Like the CARPENTER
incident it had war Tone Dempsey
had agreed to fight Joe Bonds, Il
th:rd-ratc heavyweight, for nothing
at a war benefit.
But dumb DAN Morgan framed
him. dumb Dan" had nothing in par
ticular against Dempsey hut he was
boiling mad at Jack kcarns. Some
months earlier Kearns and Morgan
had got together on a fight. Morgan
was handling Battling Lcvinsky, re-
membered vaguely as the American
light heavyweight champion.
III send him against Dempsey"
agreed Dumb Dan," but there must
he no knockout"
but it Was Jcannettc
kearns assured him there would be
no rough stuff. BY that he must
have meant Dempsey wouldn't knock
the Battler out with the first punch.
What he did do was to wait until the
third round.
dumb Dan" had pull around the
old Garden SO he chose the night. Of
the war benefit for his revenge.
Jack Dempsey will now b0x six
rounds with Joe Bonds" clarioned
the announcer.
Dempsey erawled through the
ropes. But instead of Joe Bonds, Joe
Jeanette. giant negro, trained to
the minute, was there ready for ac-
ton.
kearns waved Dempsey from the
ring and announced it must be Bonds
on nObdy.
The Garden became bedlam.
Cries Of Stacker. cur and coward were
rained down on Dempscy's head and
he was all but mobbcd ~ he walked
back with bowed head to his dressing
room.
Copyright. 1926. NEA Service. Inc. }