The Washington times., 1928-12-01
BY Jack Dempsey
Fcrmer Heavywelsht Champion y the
world

/ After nearly ID years OF ex-
perience in the ring I'd like
to offer this advice to every
youngster who hopes to get to
the top without encountering
the misfortune that comes
i from overconfidence, careless
ness or Understanding any
sort Of foeman:
Never regard man AZ
| soft until he is On the floor in
front Of you and the referee
has yelled out ten
AS an illustration:
In 1918 when / was heading For
& 4 crack at less Willard, q chance
I came for me to box Terry Kellar
IN DAYTON. Ohio. Jack Kearns fig
ured ii would be the softest thing
in the world for me and a way
of picking up q little easy money.
i So he accepted and we went along
to Dayton.
For week before had
heen sick with cold and
grinDe. had Lost weight
WasIl't aba 10 eat anything
Il I1OurisIling- nor Was ! able ~
Il 10 any training. so climbed
into the ring against Terry
hundred jumps or 50 removed
from top notch shape.
But Kearns thought It soft
i fight. "A few punches and mat
would be- all. He reminded me that
wears before / had fought Terry
and whipped him, and that Terry
i had been slipping ever since, ana
| was all washed up.
i Maybe Terry was washed ;. DuL
an that night he was what might
hn called dirty" He had trained
i for the fight, was at razor edge ana
took much Of the play away ron
4 me in the first round by hlz danG
| ing and rushing and q lot q fancy
stuff.
i wa sn't feeling 80 chipper -
i tbe second round started 1.-The lack
~ condition was beginning to tell.
4 I knew I'd blow up IL had 70 SO
very far, 80 sailed right into
Terry, blazing away with poln
| hands Each time landed q
hoped Terry would 20 down. But
he didn't.
In the third Terry came out
little cut up from my second round
i cannonading. I went into MIN
again. knocking his complexion AZ
out OF focus and rattling puncnes
4 off his chin and body. But Terry
| didn't 20 down for was getting
! weaker and weaker and my wal-
Il lops lacked dynamite.
It was the same story In the
! fourth--with one vital variation.
/ went back to my corner without
Z mark on me, while Terry was
| nuite 4 mess. But his legs were
fairly strong. his arms weren't
| weary, whereas. could hardly
walk and my arms were like SLABS
of lead hanging at my SIDES.
/ The fifth bell rang and out
i pranced Terry. did mot
i nrance. The plight for me was
i serious. Although had won
4 each Of the first four rounds
by = mile, and Terry was
sorry looking spectacle, knew
that n didn't flatten him m
that ruund I'd probably taH
down from exhaustion going
back to my corner.
There was only one thing to Do
and did il / cornered Terry
and let him have half dozen ~
I kept HIM trapped there He
| again and with all the energy tnat
was left within me I sent sheet:
| chopping punches into his face ana
| against his chin. Terry began to
sag-but / was sagging more than
he was.
Terry keller had grown weak
from the pounding but / Vas
weaker from delivering it. had
three more pounches left-three
and no more.
Summoning the last bit OF power
/ had, l sent those three into
Terry's mid section. Then stepped
away, faced the referee, faxed 3
look OF disgust and capped, Say,
| what do you want me to do--murdeR
this guy?'
II that referee had snapped some
thing about "G'wan. fight" / don't
know what / would have done, for
hadn't a punch left in me, no
longer could raise my arms, my
legs were buckling, my head was
dizzy and y sort of nausea had
come over me. I was through-my
last shot had been fired.
But my remark seemed to awaken
the referee to the fact that the
SoHHS IetEy hSHGc ndu taken duVuS
all man could without danger 10
his life. So he motioned me to my
corner. and helped Terry to his. He
should have helped me; / needed II
more, and then he awarded me tne
fight on a technical kayo.
The next day saw Terry, as
fine and clean fellow as the game
ever knew; courageous. lion-hearted
Terryl One arm was In a sling,
both eyes were almost completely
closed; his face was sad to look
upon. And this Is what he said
to me:
Thanks, Jack--thanlSs an awful
lot--for letting me 20 along as far
as Won did,
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