Imperial Valley press., 1927-08-17
BY HENRY L. FARRELL
UNITED Press Sports Editor)

NEW YORK, Aug 17.-Ever
since. Jack Sharkey disappointed
those who had picked him to beat
Jack Dempsey and those who had
bet on him as the winner, stories
have been circulated that he can't
take it and that he is yellow.
II is true that Re cant take it
but no other fighter with the stout
est heart in. the world could have
taken the body punishmen he took
from Dempsey and stand up under
it. The inference that he is yellow
is unwarranted and grossly unfair.
The records do show that Sharkey
claimed fouls in number of fights
but it is no trait of cowardice and
it is no crime to claim anything if
you can get away from it.
1t did appear in his fight with
Dempsey that he curled up and
stepped back but he couldn' t do
anything else under the punishment
he was forced to take.
Sharkcy is not yellow and he does
not lack a fighting heart.
He couldn't have been yellow
when he went after Harry Wills.
The big negro heavyweight had
been lodged bv every heavyweight
in the division for years. The i'm
preston always will remain that
Dempsey was afraid of him but
that also is untrue. Dempsey never
fought Wills because the match
couldn Z be staged for some reason
that can only be guessed at.
Beat Wills
After the Tunncy- Dempsey fight,
sharkey decided that his time had
come and he told his manager, John
ny Buckley to get match with
Wills. Nearly everyone thought
that il was a sucker match for him
But Sharkey, showing the courage
of a fighter carried the fight to
Wills and beat him up so badly that
he sneaked out on n foul.
Sharkev also fought and beat
George Godfrey when he was con-
sidcred bad news by all the other
fighters. \ good many smart man
ayers regard Godfrey now as one of
the best heavyweights in the di-
vision.
Sharkey didn't have to fight
Dempsey. 1t is well to consider
that.
After he had won a decisive vic
tory of Jim Maloncy, Tex Rickard
decided that he was ready for a
big shot but he had doubts about
his drawing power against Tunney.
He was willing to match them re-
gardless, and Sharkey was willing.
when Dempsey decided to return
TO the ring, Rickard suggested the
match TO Sharkcy. He didn t have
to take it but he did and the result
gave him setback and much less
money than he might have secured
in Il championship match.
Muldoon Defends Boxer
One of the stoutest defenders of
Sharkey against the charge that he
lacks courage is William \. Mul-
doom. veteran member of the New
York Boxing Commission.
Muldoon, although n great ad
mirer of Sharkey, would not let his
opinion be influenced by sentiment
He thinks too much of his judg
ment.
.'It is unfair and almost damna-
BILE to call Sharkcy yellow, y he
said. 81 would like To see some OF
those who are accusing him of cow
ardicc enter the ring and stand NJ
under just one of the dozens ol
punches Sharkcy took to. the body
The blow to the solar pleXus that
Dempsey landed would have stop
ped any man alive. know OF
what | am speaking. Sharkey'S a
game fighter or he could not hav,
gone as long as he did.
It's impossible to show lot OF
fighting spirit when you re badl,
hurt and dog tired. The spirit IL
there but the flesh will not respond
II NAV be that despair did over
come him in the first round wher
he hit Dempsey with everything h'
had and failed to drop him bu
there was certainly nothing to indi
cate that it put fear in his heart
II is more reasonable to assume
that Sharkcv was the victim of hi'
own inordinate vanity instead OF
yellow heart. He had enough cour
age to- ignore the instructions of hi
corner to box Dempsey and sta
away from him. He knew that III
might win that way as Tunncy wo'
hut he feared that he would b.
charged with bicycle riding.
He had enough courage to 60 on
and swap punches with Dempsey II
the hope that he. could prove M
ela,s and his heart by winning witt