The Washington times., 1927-03-11


at him.
When Bob Fitssimmons tri.
umphed over Corbett, the boxing
enthusiasts called II ''the nuklest
victory in prize ring history" They
called Fitz ''the luckiest man that
ever drew on the gloves.r They
never would concedo that Bob won
because he tricked Jim and then
had enough power to knock out
Jim with 8 terrific left to the body.
While F1t1 was champion, the
best he got aVas TO be termed "a
lucky stiff" and % be hooted and
ieered at because he wouldn't give
Corbett return match.
Everybody laughed when Jim
Jeffries was matched with F1tI.
The amusement was created By
the "fOIly' Of Jeffries In think
ing he could best the Cornish.
man. They saw no chance Tor
the California novice" against
the slugging champion Of the
world.
But jeff knocked out Fitz.
And then-but only then-did
they all discover that Fitz hadn't
trained for the fight; that he was
under the influence Of liquor
when he climbed into the ring"
That he was q pukilistIc derelict,
and that jeff proved that he was
q "haTn" because Il took him all
Of IL rounds to put away "a man
in such woeful condition that he
almost collapsed from his own wild
swings"
Then there was Jack johnson.
Before the Jeffries fight In 1910,
| few conceded Johnson q chance.
| Those who had watched JEFF In
| his Comeback" efforts were GER
| tain he would win. Expert opinion
elected Jeffries a. q sure victor.
The betting odds favored the white
man. Stories were written about
him, how the "3rizzly" had 70.
gained his old form, was in mar.
velous condition and would knock.
out Johnson.
But when It happened the
other way-When 10 hns SON
knocked out JeeE-welI, every.
body then was informed that jeff
had been nothing but . wreck
and that 3 good middleweight
could have whipped him quicker
and in far more decisive fashion
than did johnson.
Johnson's reward for beating jeff
was the famous "razz"-and plenty
Of 1t.
When Jess willard finished up
johnson, did Jess get any credit
He did not! For even those who
had picked johnson to win, and
those who bet 8 to / that johnson
would retain title, scoffed az VII.
! lard's victory and said: ''He beat
q fat, broken down, diesipated
negro. nearing his dotage."
All Of us from SuIIivan's time
have heard ourselves called
''bums,' but ! guess willard
was accorded bigger "oration"
than all the rest Of Ms, perhaps
because jess was the biggest
man that ever held the title.
/ In Toledo, when Jack Dempsey
battered Willard into q pulp the
folks took the attitude that Jack
should have done It In one round
not taken three for the Job. For
wasn't Willard q Eabby, WORKOUT
old man, 50 feeble that he hardly
could stand up?
During his championship days
Jack wasn't any Of those hero of
heroes'' people-not by q hundred
and fifty jumps. He, too, was "just
. bun." he heard It said that
Dempsey never whipped q good
man in his nfe." And he was often
''the lucky stiff" especially after
his fight with Luis Firpo.
Some weeks before I met up with
Dempsey in Philadelphia, Jack con.
tributed TO literature q remark
along these lines:
Every championship fight proves
that one or the other fellow Is a
bum. II Gene beats me, then I'm
the bum; IL I whip Gene that
proves that was always q bum.
No matter how the fight ends, one
or the other IL sure to be q bum. ]"
Dempsey was wrong-wrong In
that part where he said lone or
the other will be q bum" For
after the last blow had been
struck that night in Philadelphia.
It developed that BOTH OF US
were bumsl
Jacks . bum because he
didn't knock me loose from my
UNDERMINING, as 8 few million
persons had predicted. And
I'm . bum because / failed TO
fIatten shat old Worn-out Jack
Dempsey"
But I'm not worrying about it,
nor il Jack. Being ''bums" we
have ilIustrious fistic company.
stretching back through more than
40 years, and we Join hands in
the "F'raternal Order Of FIstic
Buns" with such innrnortals a.
John L., Jim Corbett, Bob Fits-'
simmons and Jim Jeffrtes,
Gene Tunney win ten Times
readers Of Harry Greb, fighter
unique and wonderful, IN these
columns on Monday,
Copyright. 1897. By King Features
Syndicate Incl
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