Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-09-29
LACK OF FIGHTING SPIRIT, JACK
SAYSISALL that MAY STOP HIM

fighting spirit-the flaming urge to
crash and batter through every OBJ
stacle in the way of regaining the
heavyweight championship all
Jack Dempsey believes can keep him
from punching his way back to the
title.
Brimming over with good spirits,
playful and anxious to consider his
fruitless thurst at Gene Tunney's
crown 'sjust one of the breaks Of
the game" Jack closed the door to-
day to further echoes of the six
shots he slammed into the champions
head in the seventh round at the
Soldier Field warfare, shots that
have reverberated round the fistic
world ever since in the heat OF the
long count" controversy.
The former ruler of the fiStic
sphere, still bearing scars of Tunney's
victory, made it plain that he was
mo Squawker never had been
squawker" and would end his fight
ing career giving full credit every
time to any man who can lick me-. y
Jack also spiked reports that trou-
BILE had arisen between him aud ,NLeo
p Flynn, his manager, over vocifer-
GUS protests of Tunney's victory that
have come from the Dempsey camp
since the $2,658,60 battle on Sol
diers' Field last Thursday night.
LEO is my pal" Jack said, "and
shall stand back of him. The work
he did in bringing me back through
victory over Jack Sharkey to the
fight with Tunney was more a mat
ter of friendship than business, and
can't ever go back on friend"
Having definitely established his
position in the campaign to reverse
Tunney's victory on the ground that
the champion was on the floor at
least IA seconds in the seventh round,
Dempsey was eager to tell his plans
for the future and his desire to de-
termine whether the vital fighting
spirit" is still a part of the splen-
did ring equipment he has rebuilt
in seven months of strenuous train
ing.
"A few weeks of rest and recre-
ation," he said, "and then back .C
the Colorado mountains, to hike and
rough, and wait for the urge to
climb back into the ring Right there
I'll find out whether I want to fight
again. That's all I need now for
I'm in great shape, strong and con-
fident that only. a bad break kept
me from winning back my old til
tie.
''If I'm ever to try again now is
the time to capitalize the hard work
did getting back in prime condi-
ton after only one fight in three
years.
IF I do come back-and I be-
lieve I will want to fight at
least four times to prove my fitness
for another shot at Tunney. I'll take |
the Englishman, Pauline, the Span
iard this fellow Heeney or Shark
ey again. want these fights through |
the winter season and into the |
spring. Then bring Tunney again and
you can count fifty. it won't matter ?
Two scars showed over Dempseys
left eye, one thin line about two
inches long above the eyebrow, the
other a vertical cash an inch long
reaching up toward the, forehead. |
The first, Jack said, was an old in
jury which always reopens in battle,
the other came from a butt in the
tenth.
Referring briefly to the fight Jack
said he was dazed only in the eighth
round when Tunney caught him off
balance and dumped him into the
canvas with right to the chin. He
said he was not told the referee
would wait until he entered neu-
trail corner before counting in case
of a knockdown. Jack added that if
he had thought Tunney would dis
play such marvellous recuperative
power after the knockdoWn in the
seventh, he would have. fought diff
ferently. Smashing in the moment
Gene got to his feet rather than to
wait for an opening and a single
finishing punch.
Jack took special delight in telling
of his homecoming after the fight
to the hotel apartment Of his wife,
Estelle Taylor.
Mrs. Dempsey was listening in on
the radio" Jack said, land when
the knockdown occurred, she heard
the count of nine and then thought
the announcer said out instead of
up Then she turned off the set.
when I came in, .Estelle said
wasn't it wonderful and you won
by a knockout, too Then I had to
tell her 1 lost the decision"
Just then Jack smiled at an i'm
aginary person over the reporters
shoulder, waved, and as the scribe
turned to look, playfully bounced
soft right off his chin.
start the COUNT he laughed as
he wobbled after his notes. "And
make it only ten.'