The Washington times., 1929-10-16
.JA(;kP|CKED
!. F FIELDS
To WIN
By Jack Dempsey
Former Heavyweight Champion OF
the World

the World
Jack Fields is a champion
at last. That gladdens me. l
began touting that boy a few
seasons ago as a prospective
titleholder. But whenever he
got the big chances in the
smaller divisions, he "blew"
them. And | got the razz.
But Jackie finally made good
for me when he whipped Joe
Dundee, and became boss of
the welters.
Jake Finklestein was his name In
bovhood When he decided TO do
some amateur boxing it struck him
that the "Finklestein" was too diff
ficult for ordinary folks to luGGle
with. So he made it Fields and
Jake" became Jackie" by the
simple addition of the letter &C.
The Finklestein's weren't at all
keen about Jackie taking up box
ing. But Jackie explain ed that it
was all amateur stuff ! and that
"amateurs don't get hurt" That
was true-with Jackie. AS an anna
teur he never did get hurt. But
the California woods are still full
of boys that were nearly slaugh'
tered by Jackie on his upward climb
from an unknown amateur to one
of its champions.
Jackie was little heavier than
flyweight when he started
swinging mittens. Month by
month he added pOundage. seal
ing upward through the years to
a point where he was bantam.
feather, junior lightweight. rug
uIar lightweight and then weiter'
weight.
Fields took up boxing because OF
the fun in it. Eventually he dem
onstrated so much skill that his
friends insisted to try the pro
game. Jackie was easy to persuade
on that point and in 1925 he MADE
his debut as a professional
But he made an early mistake
or, his handlers did. In his second
or third mix-up as a pro" he went
IN against the experienced and hard
hitting Jimmy McLarnin, who knew
entirely too much about the ring
business for Jackie Fields and VIII"
socked him here and there and thcn
knocked him out in round two, just
"a I was telling everybody this KID
Fields Is a champion in the max
ing" 49,
Undaunted, as they say in the
select circles. Fields kept right on.
Through 1925 he rolled up sue.
cessiou Of decision victories ana
looked like the hotsy totsT boy
Again, And then-yes. sir, theh'
while T was saying something about
"I told YOU so" Jackie took on
Louis Kaplan in 1927 and was given
q good shellacking.
Jackie tried it again. He beat up
plenty of athletes and did it SO
well that he was finally given a
shot at Sammy Mardell and Sam.
ny's lightweight title. But JACKIE
good as he was just wasn't COCOA
enough at the time to whip Sammy.
That ended JaCkie's ambition to De-
come 135-pound king, for he was
growing all the time and 1t was
certainty that before he could get
another fight with Mandell he
would be too heavy to fight as
lightweight.
All this time Jackie was doing
the boxing stuff. He seemed
content to win on points. To
win by any fair means, is, OF
course, an tomplishment. But
it's the kayo stuff that gets
fellows name and picture into
the paper.
l knew Jackie could punch with
knockout force, if he could be per-
guaded to tear loose, instead of play.
ing the coy and safe game. And
began to coax that boy into trying
for the kill
Jackie promptly uncovered his big
Suns-and how that boy has doomed
along since Knocked out Don
Frazer, Jack Civic, Joe Vergas, Pete
Meyers and Sergeant Sammy Baker
and a few others, whipped young
Jack Thompson and the next thing
was the shot at Dundee.
He's the champ now-and the josh
ing the boys gave me when l picked
that kid to be a fistic monarch has
lapsed into perpetual silence.
Copyright. 1929. King Features
syndicate, Inc.)