The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1927-12-08
By Jack Dempsey

by JACK dempsey
NEW YORK. Dec. Sin all the
years I have been part of the ring
game, I've never been given q
worse deal throughout, than was
accorded to me by Dave Barry. the
referee in Chicago.
The world knows that Barry &C.
corded Tunney long count and
thus probably saved Tunney his
title as champion OF the world.
But other things happened during
that fight which were helpful to
Tunney-with Barry as the helper
which the. public did not see or &C.
fually understand.
All through that fight. Barry
kept kissing warnings at me. al
most always without provocation.
Almost every time 1 landed a body
blow, no matter if it was six inches
above the belt, or IL or Is inches,
Barry would get close to me and
smart:
Keep your punches up or I'll
0isqualify you"
Tunney and ] got i'm close and
attempted to put my head
against his chest so that | could
Barry promptly would break us,
although we were not in
clinch and generally would
warn me stop butting. or ri
disqualify YOU"
During the fight, l cuffed Tun.
hey on the back of the head. Barry
classified that as a rabbit punch"
and constantly warned me that
he'd disdualify me if didn't stop
using the punch.
The blows I landed on Tunneys
neck and the back of his head, were
NOT rabbit punches" They mere
y we're cutting blows dealt with the
hat part of the fist THAT is the
part in the region of the thumb and
the clenched index finger).
For Barry's benefit-and also for
Tunney's, who speaks Of my use Of
the rabbit punch'-1'd like to ex.
plain what is rabbit punch" and
why 1t is so called.
In the rabbit industry the ami.
mails are killed by men who stick
their fingers straight out, make the
hand rigid and then chop down on
the neck of rabbit. using the hand
as Ratchet is used. The part they
strike with is the BOTTOM of the
hand-meaning the part that ex-
tends from the tip of the little
finger in straight line to the
wrist.
A real rabbit punch." there.
fore. is a blow delivered with q
DOWNWARD CHOPPING
STROKE. and with the bottom
OF the hand-or fist-as the
striking weapon.
Ny blows to Tunney's neck were
cutting punches, delivered with the
Inside of my fist--the thumb and
index finger region. They were
NOT RABBIT Punches and it
was only Barry's misunderstanding
as to the difference between CUFF.
ING and CHOPPING punches that
caused him to label every punch TO
the neck "a rabbit punch
Barry never gave me square
deal when he broke US from the
clinches. If anyone doubts this,
such persons can take look at the
moving pictures of the fight.
In the eighth round, when Tun.
ney clipped me on the chin with q
right hand punch, it was while
Barry was breaking us. Before I
could recover balance and get out
OF range. Tunney hit me on the
chin with his right hand.
When / went down in the eighth,
what did Barry do?
~ - A.
corner before he started a count as
ne had done In my case2 The world
knows he did not!
1t knows that even as I was
Hopping TO the floor Barry, SEEM
ingly fearful that I might. get
the advantage of even so much
as one extra second, fairly
leaped to get over me and start
the count.
Tunney was almost alongside him
land no more than an arms
length or so away from me. But
Barry. who stalled his count over
Tunney while he was escorting
me around the corners, let Tunney
stay where he was and raised his
arm to count over me-
Was Barry In there to enforce
one sort OF rule upoon me--and
not to enforce 1t upon Tunney?
Early in the fight. some persons
IN the Tunney corner set up howl
that my seconds were putting grease
on my face. No such thing was
happening. All Barry needed to do
was to come over and take 9. good
look at my face and reassure him.
self that 1t was not being creased. i.
Barry should then have gone to
Tunney's corner and ordered them
70 stop yelling at my corner.
Tomorrow Jack Dempsey tells
s why he didn't tear into Tunney In
that famous seventh round, once the
champion regained his feet. II IL 4
secFy Of the Tunney 'hierele ride"