New Britain herald., 1928-02-04
|BRI7T0N ENTERS
 CAMP Of TUNNEY
lndic,ts That Denpsg VIII Not Bs Champs Next Opponent
BY HENRY L. FARRELL NEA Service Sports Writer

BY HENRY L. FARRELL NEA Service Sports Writer 1t appeared recently In the public prints that . freight train had deliv. cred to Miami Beach . crate of box. ing gloves, some biz bagA little bags. several sets of shoes, some pull leys and some other thingA
 Also that . more fashionable model of common carrier had de- posted in the vicinity of Gene Tun. ney >one Lou Fink. his trainer and ono Jack Britton, a boxer and | for- mer champion of national repute. The two items were all . part of the days news and no editor would become aroused over a fighter Set- ting a lot of fighting equipment. . trainer and skilled sparring part ner. 20 no reader would call up his neighbor to sive him the news about it.
 But that reference to Jack Britton was significant. when you come to think of it. If Britton Is going to work with Tunney. and he says he has been retained in the capacity of an adviser and sparrinE partner. it must mean that Tunney is going to meet boxer in the first of his sum- mer fights and the world knows l that Jack Dempsey is no boxer. Tex Rickard has been enjoying tho Florida sunshine for some time and he has been talking to Tunney about the summer program and there must be two fights on that program if Tunney has his way.
 Before Rickard left New York he intimated he intended to wheel Dempsey into one of the corners in June for the first Tunney engage ment of the season and that the sec ond opponent could be taken care of during the summer. Rickard had discussed the situation with Demp- sey and Dempsey replied he would go in June or September.
 The angle brought up by Rritton's presence around the Tunney winter estate. therefore. creates rather broad hunch that Tunney wants to brush up on his boxing and, as has been pointed out before. he wouldn't be starting practice with a welter- weight boxing master If he intended to fight a sluggcr in his first eu- gagement.
 As matters now stand in that elim- ination thing Rickard has been pro- noting, Jack Delaney. Johnny Risko or Jack Sharkey may come through for the honor of eating Tunney's left hand in the first bout.
 Delaney and Sharkey are boxers. Risko isn't scientific work of art, but even Mir. Tunney might not make much of dent in his rubber and would have to outbox him.
 Perhaps it Is tiresome to see 50 much written about Jack Britton by this writer. but he likes him 70 in- tensely that he quotes him from habit. Not only that. When Britton says something he says . mouthful. He knows what he Is talking about and he Is the best analyst of any fighter we know. ~' Two or three years ago Tunney and I were spending the winter in Miami," Britton said some time ago. ''Tunney at that time was signed to fight Young stribling and he wasn't considered such hot prospect for the heavyweight championship. Tun- ] ney asked me to come over and work with him. Whether I am fight ing or not, go to the gymnasium almost every day and I was glad to accept the invitation.
 "I always liked Tunney and con- sidered hin, a good fighter but thought all the more of him when he said-Jack. I want you to show me some things. If you see any bad faults in my work point them out and help me correct them.'
 That is the kind of talk that any one likes to hear and I was glad to oblige. The first fine thing I noticed about Tunney was that he could TO back better and faster than any big man ever saw before and that in ooAttS UACh Ilc W dS uINutS OH Dula0Ce and in position to hit.
 "I don't want to be misunderstood. In talking about going back I don't mean getting on the bicycle. Every fighter has to go back lot of times in fight and not one of the heavy- weights today can do 1t skiilfully. sharkey falls all over himself when he has to go back. Dempsey opens himself when he has to 90 back and not one of them, with the exception of Tunncy, can cOunter-punch ef- fectively when they are going back.
 That ability to punch effectively while going back saved Tunney in the seventh round of the last Demp- sey fight. l don't say he ran away. He didn't. He fought at every step and he fought Dempsey off him until he had Dempsey stepping back. It's pretty smart. you know. for a fight CT to have skill and grace enough to make a tired man follow him around the ring and give him past ing while he is trying 10 catch up.
 Well. as I said. noticed his fine footwork first and thought there wasn't much more fault in his style.