Evening star., 1927-09-22
BY BENNY LEONARD,
Undefeated Lightweight Champion of
World.


~HICAGO, H.. September 22.-T
pick Gene Tunney to outlook
Jack Dempsey and win.
~ My reason for arriving at
this decision is because, in
my opinion, Gene Tunney has trained
strictly along hcxing lines and there.
fore he will do nothing else but box.
think that he will be able to out
0peed' Dempsey enough in the early
sounds to tire the challenger and slow
him up so that Tunney will be out in
3ront when the fight gets into the
later rounds.
I believe that Tunney may even get
~ far ahead by the time the, ninth
pound arrives that he will have a
chance of scoring a knockout before
the final bell. if he elects to cut loose
and take a chance.
do not believe Dempsey retains
enough of his old vitality to enable
him to carry on the vicious attack
that characterized his fighting in the
old days. because he will be lacking
in this manner and because Tunney
is fast enough and clever enough to
keep away from him, to hold him off.
and even TO tie him m in the clincheS.
Dempsey will be unable to get TunneY
with a vital punch that would end the
fight within the short distance of 10
rounds
would like Tunney's chances a
great deal better if he had had some
real hard fights in his training ring.
He has not had as much tough work
as I would like to see him have in
order to season him for a rip-slam
onslaught in which he could exchange
punches with Dempsey if necessary.
Battle of Wits.
Never before in the history of box
ing has there come to the surface
from both sides such q battle of wits
10 try to win the fight before it COM
mences. After a boxing commission
meeting yesterday held in the open,
the chairman of the commission, John
e. Righeimer; George Whiteside, an
attorney representing Tex Rickard
and Gene Tunney; Tex himself, Billy
Gibson and Jimmy Bronson. repre-
senting Tunney; Leo P. Flynn. repre-
senting Dempsey, went into secret seS-
sion with Edward GetZ, promoter of
the battle, which lasted until very
late last night and was adjourned
until ] o'clock today. They are still
wrangling while / write this.
Flynn, for Dempsey, is combating
every point or suggestion made by
anybody. according to the reports that
are supposed to leak" from the star
chamber.
Today hear that Rickard is hold
ing out to have the gloves put on the
lighters in the dressing rooms; where
as Mr.. GetZ wants to have them put
on in the ring in order to assure the
public that everything is on the up
aHd-up. Rickard merely wants to ia
cilitate matters by saving time.
The fact that the ring will be lit
tie bit more than 20 feet square inside
the ropes will be of advantage to Tun-
ney. This fight may hinge on the size
of the ring. 1t became known as
result of this long, wrangling, secret
session the Dempsey Board of Strategy
had arranged to fight to have the ring
16 feet square.
Flynn Seeking Edge.
This was divulged when Leo p
flynn, the master mind of Dempsey's
Board of Strategy, admitted that it was
one of the bones of contention, but
that the ring was already up and,
therefore, there was no chance to
bring up this question. However,
this present size is the regulation size
under the rules of the Boxing Com
mission.
The reason Flynn wanted the ring
as small as possible under fight rules
is because the smaller the ring the
better for a fighter of Dempseys type,
because the ropes are near the fight
ers' backs in the case Of heavyweights
the size of Dempsey and Tunney when
they are squared off in the ring.
II the Dempsey board Of strategy
had been able to make the ring IL
feet it would have been a great point
in their favor, for no one realizes
what a great advantage this would be
TO a man like Dempsey. who contin-
ually bores in, making his opponent
back up He. therefore, would have
Tunney at all times on the ropes.
Tunney is a boxer, and he depends
on his footwOrk, circling around and
backing away in order to make his
opponent miss. In this way his style
would have been cramped, the same
as any boxers style is cramped, by
smaller ring.
The situation existing so far as the
secret meeting is concerned bears out
what / said in my article yesterday.
il proves they are trying here in Chi
Cago to assure themselves and the
public that this fight will be fought
TN the level 1t also shows that Leo
Flynn is doing everything he can in
order to gain any advantage that will
favor DapnSay