Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-09-18

CHICAGO Sept. II P)-Te posi-
bility that Walter Eckersall, Chicago
neWspaperman, former ali-American
,gridiron official, will referee the
Dempsey -Tunney heavyweight cham
pionshi plight developed today out of
an atmosphere of hectic preparation
for the "battle of the three Millions %
While no official authority was CIV
en- to the suggestion that Eckersall
be the third man in the ring next
Thursday night at Soldiers field, it
was learned definitely that his name
is under consideration. 1t came as q
surprise to most of the experts, who
accepted the view that "Eckie," if
chosen, would be a compromise can
didate.
EckerSall is eligible for the role but
his connection with professional box
ing, officially has been chiefly as a
time-keeper other than a ring arbiter.
However, he also has had considerable
experience as referee. His selection,
it is understood, would be satisfactory
to both the Dempsey and Tunney
camps.
In some quarters, it was suggested
that Eckersall probably would be a
compromise choice to avert the diff
culties or jealousies that might be in
volved in picking a referee from the
regular ranks.
With the championship battle for
ten roundS-or leSS-only five days off,
opinion of the assembled army of ex-
'perts in Chicago appears more sharp
ly divided than has ever been the case
before heavyweight title match. In
This the critics, a record breaking ar
ray, undoubtedly reflect the popular
diversity of opinion throughout the
country.
1t has been the usual thing to make
the champion heavy favorite, large
ly because he rules the realm Demp-
sey was a 3 to l favorite over Tunney
at Philadelphia a year ago, just as he
was pronounced favorite over all
other opponents after dethroning Jess
Willard in 1919.
Tunney, too, is the favorite, but not
by as convincing a margin as most
have been. In spite of his
youth, his superior boxing ability and
the fact that he outpointed Dempsey
by wide margin last September, b,
Tunney is being backed generally at
odds that appear no higher than to
5. Some profess to see a downward |
trend due to reaction in Dempsey'S
favor, and mention odds of only to
5, but this merely is a sample of the
variance Of opinion.
Tunney, on form, is generally picked |
to win, especially if the fight goes the !
limit, but Dempsey is the sentimental
choice and the favorite to land q |
if one is to occur. That
seems to sum up the prevailing atti-
ture.
Two successive injuries in training |
bouts to Tunney'S right eye, the last |
serious enough to result in hasty calls !
for specialist, have added their quota /
of uncertainty to the situation The |
to belittle the injury, on
the part of Tunney's handlers as we'll
as attending physicians, is not gcner-
ally shared by observers who point
out that the second injury to the
champions optic, nine days after the |
first, increased the likelihood of the |
wound being subject to reopening by
one of Denlpsey's left hooks.
There has been considerable lifting
of eyebrows among the experts over
the lack of day-by-day intensity to
the training of the two gladiators.
Grey haired eterans of the fight |
game regard as unprecedented the ease /
with which Dempsey and Tunney have
taken their conditioning. The heat
may have had something to do with
it, but the fact is. that the workouts |