Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-25
GREAT BATTLE DUE
IF HE IS UNDER PAR
Champion Always Has Been
Poison to a Fighter Who
Comes Straight at Him.
RY WALTER TRUMBuLL.

and the physical condition.
r The only question now is his
fighting condition. totally
different thing. That oueS-
ton will be answered tomorrow night.
II Tlnney is as good as he was at
Philadelphia. doubt whether this bout
viii 60 the limit If he is as good as
ias was at Chicago he should come
in on the bit. IF he has lost as much
efficiency SIS some supposedly good
Judges Of boxers insist he has. this is
going to be whale Of battle.
Gene himself thinks that he is
stronger than he ever was that he is
boxing better and that he is hitting
harder He told me so last week. as /
sat in his dressing room while Lou
Fink rubbed him down.
Charley Harvey, on the other hand,
insists that Gene cannot be as good.
Harvey maintains that no champion is
as good after ne has held the title for
couple of years. 1t is probable that
Charley is bit prejudiced, but he be-
leves what he says.
Harvey and others point out that
Gene has been in the ring 90 rounds in
two and half years and that he fought
those % rounds against the same man.
They say that within a year and half
Eeeney has fought Pauline 25 rounds.
Delaney IS rounds. Sharkey i2 rounds
and Risko 10 rounds-R total of So
rounds Of real battling.
Long Idleness Cited.
They direct attention to the fact that
while Tunnev trained seven years for his
first bout with Dempsey. he didn't pull
on . glove for six months after the
Chicago battle and has trained COM
Insist that il you took Tilden some
where for six months and got him in the
best physical condition possible, but
didn't let him touch a racket, that he
probably would be beaten by an inferior
PLAYER on his next appearance.
These appear good argument, but
there are other things to be considered.
Tunney looks to me as if he had grown
bigger and stronger. His chest and
shoulders are more powerful. His ex-
perience and skill certainly are no less.
Against Dempsey, Gene knew that he
was facing a man capable Of ending
fiRht with one punch. He had to adopt
his style Of fighting to that knowledge.
Heeney can hit, but he is no such
seeker as Dempsey. The result win be
that Tunney can afford TO take more
chances
There Is another thing: Tunney al
ways has been poison to q fighter who
would come straight to him. At Chi
cage, Dempsey was instructed to step
around Gene. TO stay away from his
right hand, and to give him as dificult
q target as possible. While he followed
these instructions. Tunney missed lot
Of rights. In the fourth round Dempsey
started to walk straight into him and
TsInney almost knocked him out. In
most Of his bouts Heeney has walked
straight In.
I always have held that Tunney Is
d great and much moderated champion.
Three times I have seen him perform
as no man except one with the heart
Of 3 champion could. The first time was
WHEN Harry Greb, in their first fight,
hutted him and broke his nose. With |
the blood filing his throat and ehock-
ing him. Tunney fought savagely until
the final bell rang.
Philadelphia and Chicago.
The second time was when Tunney
started TO beat Dempsey to right hand
punch IN Philadelphia and Jack crossed
him and hurled q left 20 his throat.
That blow nearly tore TunneyS head
Of. but he weathered the storm. The
third time was In the last three rounds
OF the Chicago battle. Tunney took
punches TO the jaw that would have
put most boxers out for half an hour,
got I'D and stalled Dempsey on. and
then in the three final rounds fought
like . wildcat.
s0rne say that those are the only
three ROUNDS in which they ever saw
Gene cut loose, but you may be sure
that If the battle at the Yankee Stadium
starts going against him, If ne is badly
sturg. the spectators are going 70 see
what Tunney can do when he chooses
70 stand and slug. II he loses. ne VIII
l0se IN q wI1irl Of smashing fists.
Scratch the training and veneer and
you viii nnd that underneath - night
tas IrIgEnan. have been told that
Gene Ttanney's father was, In his day,
one Of the toughest rough-and- tumble
scrappegs Of . none too peaceful neigh
borf0od.
one Of Heeney's chief dangers Is that
Tslnney wiz cut him TO pieces and that,
even IL Tom Is not badly hurt, he may
look 80 CORY that the bout will be
st0pped. Talnney's left has the cutting
quality Of bowie knife. Gene'e pride
win urge him 20 do his best in this
bout Things might shape themselves
20 that this would be his last profess
Eionsl appearance and he naturally,
sneneVer he may decide to retire, wishes
10 paint on the memories Of fight fans
. celorful picture Of champion OF
champions.
Copyright. 1873 By North American News
paper AliiRnce.t
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