Evening star., 1928-03-09
JOHNNY IS HOPING
JACK WILL BATTLE
Give-and- Take Contest Next
Monday Night Would Be
to His Liking.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, March e-The tougher
and more often they come the better
Johnny RiSko likes il.
That's why the former Cleveland
Baker boy, now the rough-and- d-tumble
man of the heavyweight brigade. isn't
worried much about his l5-round tuSSle
with Jack Sharkey at Madison Square
Garden next Monday night.
All hope is he comes in and fights, -"
says Johnny. Take a sock and give
two, That's nsr game. like to fight"
Sharkey may not choose TO meet
RiSSo at the latter'S own game. how
ever. The Boston tar has fought john
ny before, and. like all the other top
notchers who have battled him, Sharkey
probably has a healthy respect for
Risko's left hooks and swings.
Johnny is always swinging. He may
miss more times than not. but the one
that connects is likely to leave a jarring
impression. There is nothing gentle
about RiSko's methods. The baker boy
Is club fighter" throw-back to the
old Slam-bang days of the ring when
the crowds came out chiefly in the hope
that the boys would punch each other
goofy.
There is no doubt that Johnny likes
to fight. His record bears him out.
He has fought all of the leading heavy
weights Of the last few years except
Jack Dempsey. II is one of Johnny's
few regrets that he has never had a
chance to battle the ManaSsa Mauler.
Dempsey is my style of fighter" says
Johnny. He likes TO punch and so
do T.
From a man who has otherwise
fought them all-Tunney. Heeney. De-
Ianey, Sharkey. Pauline. Stribling. Ber-
1eneach and Maloney-it would seem a
weight talent could be obtained The
question draws short, but pointed
answer from the bounding one.
'-Tunney hits oftener"
II has been just one fight after an
other for Johnny, but he retains the
distinct impression that nearly three
years ago the present heavyweight
champion, Of the world tossed enough
leather at him TO make the then in
experienced baker boy dizzy.
Nevertheless it was this fight that
established Risko's reputation. 1t oc-
CURED in Cleveland in 1925. little more
than year after Johnny turned pro-
Yessional and less than a year before
Gentleman Gene took the heavyweight
title from Jack Dempsey. There has
always been some dispute about it and
some claims have persisted, despite
denial, that Risko had Tunney down.
Here's the version of Danny Dunn,
Johnry's manager:
"It was tough fight. a lot tougher
than Tunney expected. Gene was picked
70 win By a knockout. but he found
Rlsko could take everything he had and
still keep coming in In one round
Johnny caught Tunney of balance up
against the ropes and Jared him, but
there was no knockdown. The fight
went the limit. but Tunney won BY a
good margin on points. He was too
smart and fast for Johnny, that was
all"
RiSko was out Of a job. knocking
around with the amateur fighters, when
Dunn took hold OF him about five
years ago.
He was the roundest, fattest heavy
weight ever saw" Dunn recalls. Il,
didn't want TO bother with him, but
one Of my boys kept insisting / give
him a chance. He quickly showed he
could hit and take 1t.
Il kept him with the amateurs for
about year. during which he scored
80 mockouts In So fights. He thought
nothing Of knocking out two or three
IN one evening. He would sit around,
waiting for me TO dig up some one TO
box him. Got any more ne would
say after each bout. He would go home
only when the talent was exhausted.
He hasn't changed much since II
] told him he was 70 fight Dempsey
next week and Tunney the week after
that be might blink a little, but doubt
II he would even ask where it was 10 be. :"