The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-02-04

WY W way you take him
and the best way to
Williams take him is in his
normal, natural blow-hardy moods.
He lost his gaudy conceits and
triple-plated arrogance after his
July fight with Dempsey. To many
people these were and still are dis
tasteful. But they formed a vital
part of the strange Sharkey make
up, and without them he dropped
to the level of a ham and egger. He
found himself stripped Of fight
ing stimulus and mental balm that
had made him stand out against fell
lows like Godfrey, Wills and Ma
loney.
Sharkey always feared Demp-
Sey. Those fiambOyant utter
anceS to the contrary in early
summer were designed to blind
himself to his real feelings.
Dempsey was the champion when
Sharkey first started to fight. He
never believed he could be called
on to meet him. His rooms were
cluttered with pictures of Demp-
sey. The Old Man Mauler was
his idol.
MORE surprised possibly than
4VAany one else was Sharkey when
he hit Dempsey with two right
hands in the first round and all but
dropped him. Only Sharkey's sur
prise was mixed with skepticism. He
couldn't quite believe what he saw,
and though he might have won han
Oily enough had he fought more
guardedly I am told his tinidity
continued to grow as the fight
wore on.
This may explain his undue haste
in going down and staying there
when Dempsey began to hit low.
Not that this wasn't a natural re-
action under the circumstances, but
when a fighter goes against an OPP
ponent anticipating defeat, he is
likely to accept any sort of storm
as the inevitable. Such was Shar-
keys mood that night He wasn't
looking for what the boys call an
out" but he momentarily was fear
fur that one was going to develop.
After the fight there was spec
ulation as to whether Dempsey had
ruined Sharkey. 1t was pointed out
by the experts that no man stopped
by Dempsey had ever managed to
come back. From what I have
learned of Sharkey recently, I am
sure the Boston man could never
have come back against Dempsey,
that no matter how many more
times they fought he never would
have come close to winning.
Against other fighters it might
have been different. He might
have gone along whipping others
more formidable even than the
fading Dempsey, but as long as
Dempsey remained around as an
active performer and potential
challenger, barrier necessary to
hurdle on the way to the cham
pi0nship, Sharkey was through.
a SSURED now that Dempsey is
4 n cut of the picture and that
Mr.. Richards promotional cards
hardly can be juggled in a way
which might compel another match
with the old champion, Sharkey, I
am told, has taken a new interest
in the business of fighting.
He is again the bonbastic, swag-
gering, knock EN- dead individual
who bounded into Brooklyn ring
two years ago and announced over
the radio that he was "just getting
ready to knock hell out Of Harry
Wills"
If Dempsey ruined him last July
it may develop that the "Manassa
Mauler" has made him over again
by deciding to quit. Dempsey was
the only contemporary Sharkey had
any genuine respect for. He has
sponsored many statements to the
contrary, but always he cherished
the notion that life would be much
sweeter and probably longer if he
stayed away from him. Tunney to
him always has been a bum.
OF course, Sharkey's estimate of
fighters IS not important, and it
may be anybody can beat him to-
day. The interest I find in him
now Is that Dempsey's retirement
has had a startling effect on him.
It doesn't seem to matter that
there are others around who, for all
their mediocrity, are much more
dangerous.
With an unmistakable sigh of
relief he as much as admits,
well, now that / don't have to
worry about that egg any more
1 can fight
Il remains to be seen If he can.
TODAY'S SELECTIONS
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