The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-09-20
RING CHAMPION
STILL GROWING
ANDIMPR0VING
Is Proving Exception to Rule
That Titleholders Cannot
Stay at Physical Peak
HITTING POWER GREAT
Did Not Come Into His Own
Until He Was 28-He's Still
Good For Several Years
HITTING POWER GREAT
BY JOE WILLIAMS

chicago, Sept. 2O.-Mr. Gene Tun-
ney may not be the greatest heavy
weight ever to massage a hostile
snout, but in many ways he's a dis
tlnct curiosity, even apart from his
literary and social touches.
1t is the history of the ring that
ENTHUSIASTICALLY a heavyweight
fighter-attains perfection in fight
ing form only once, and, having at
tanned it, begins to recede by grad
ual or swift degrees, depending on
how he lives thereafter.
This, history shows, was true Of
John L. It was true of James j.
Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, Jim JEFF
fries, Jack Johnson, Jess Willard and
Jack Dempsey.
Are No Exceptions
To date this phase Of the craft has
been devoid even Of the inevitable
exception that proves the rule.
True, Corbett came back with q
great fight for % rounds against
Jeffries eight years after he had
whipped Sullivan, only to be knocked
out in the twenty-third.
Willard came back after five years
to score clean-cut knockout against
Floyd Johnson when that youngster
looked as if he might have the pros
poets Of formidable fighter, but,
in his next start, Willard was flat
tened by the numbering Firpo.
Dempsey came back ten months
after his worst fight to score q body
punching knockout over Jack Shar-
key, conceded by experts before the
fight to be the best young heavy in
the trade.
But these performances were not
"peak" performances. Corbett was
far from the Corbett who stopped
Sullivan; Willard was we'll condi-
toned, but slower than ever; Demp-
sey had only his flaming courage
and punching power left. Here and
there were flashes of the original
fighting men-flashes Of sufficient
intensity to offset the many flaws
that passing time and inactivity al
ways breed.
Tunney at Top Form
Tunney was "peak" fighter the
night he whipped Dempsey for the
title in the rain at Philadelphia.
Never before had the Greenwich viii
lager scared to such heights as box
er and battler. It was his greatest
fight and he was mentally and
spiritually keyed for the ordeal as
he had never been before.
All this being true, the boys are
saying that he can't possibly be as
good when he squares off against
his boy friend here on the lake front
the night of Sept. %. He has known
his "peak," they say, and he'll never
know it again. No fighter ever has.
/ am inclined to dissent. AS | say,
Tunney is a ring curiosity. He did
not come into his own until he was
% years old-an age at which most
fighters are retiring to their estates
or to institutions where the practice
of cutting out paper dolls forms the
chief routine Of the day.
He's Bigger, Better
Today he is year older, brief
twelve-month this side Of 80. Instead
| Of showing signs-even minute signs
of slipping-he looks bigger, better
and stronger than ever. As a matter
of fact he is. He is bigger across
the shoulders and chest where the
hitting power comes from and he is
three pounds heavier.
Irish athletes Enthusiastically
mature late in life. Tunney is Of
old Irish stock. He is still filling
out. The tape measure proves that.
He was "peak" fighter year ago.
He will be q "peak" fighter again
this month, and he will probably con-
tinue as peak" fighter for sew
eral years.
By this l mean he is going to be
Just as good in every essential re-
spect until he is 81 or 80 years OF
age as he was on the night he won
the championship. He is due for .
long peak"
Of immediate interest in this con.
nection is that Dempsey will find
Tunney just as much of fighting
man-and possibly more OF fight
ing man-than he did q year ago
when the Man Mauler lost no less
than ten rounds out Of the first ten.
and would have been stopped had
the fight lasted another round.