The Washington times., 1929-02-21
JACK TELLS
Of. GRUDCE
FIGHT
BY Jack Dempsey
Former Heavyweight Champion Of the
World

Former Heavyweight Champion Of the
World
MIAMI Feb. 21.-Every so
often during the years since
1918 ! hear the same old story
told that | double-crossed
Battling Levinsky in our fight
and knocked the Jewish boy
lopsided when he wasn't ex-
pecting it.
The "double-cross'' story is-and
always was-hokum.
The real truth is that the fight
was one of the real grudge battles
of my career and that got plenty
of zip out Of pushing over Levin
sky. who was one of the toughest
of the tough in those days and
wasn't being jolted much by any
body at all.
Levinsky, or, rather his handlers.
invited the licking | handed out
to the Battler.
Some time prior to the fight l
had agreed to put on an exhibition
with Clay Turner, who then was
my sparring partner.
At that point the Levinsky
crowd put up a yell and asked:
"Why don't you do your eX-
hibiting with somebody worth
while; why not box with Levin
sky?" They made quite a com
motion out Of it and they made
papers-that / was afraid Oi
LeVinsky.
went through with the Clay
Turner sparring exhibition and all
the while the Levinsky people were
razzing me more and more. They
challenged me to fight and the
upshot of it all was a match be-
tween LevinSky and myself. 1t
was billed for Philadelphia, the Bat
tiers home town.
Dan Morgan, who was managing
Levinsky then. didn't think much
of my abIity-especially as
puncher. The Battler thought less.
Both had tried to show me up in
the newspapers, and here was the
Battlers chance to do it in the
ring. A fast fellow then, with
great left hand and fine defense -
that was Levinsky.
And out he came, prancing and
poking that left at me and stepping
away and grinning at me. l found
quickly that l couldn't reach him
with any long punches, and so my
job was to corner him and nail him
with short jolts.
But that wasn't easy--nOt in
the early part of the first round.
and, whenever I would fail 10
close in on the Battler he would
sneer or grin and make me just
a little wilder to hammer him.
finally reached him with a
short left hook. 1t took away the
Battler's smile. He stopped Imi-
tatine this dancing Pavlowa. In
stead he looked around, grabbed
bicycle and proceeded to pedal. After
which l got busy.
Repeatedly / had him in cor
ners--might have jamm"d him in
and slugged him to the floor. But
| wasn't in a mood by that time
where the landing of one good sock
was going to satisfy me. l didn't
want him to pull any lucky
punch" alibi. So l just chopped
him down, little by little, until at
last | had the Battler begging:
"Oh Chack-Cha ok. let us take
It easy a little while"
BY the time the third round had
arrived l figured l had squared
things with the Battler. With the
bell | stopped trying to plug him
with short jolts and jabs and went
out to finish him. And I did. 1t
didn't take long. For the Battler
bv that time wasn't in shape where
he could stand up under a good
| solid smash.
let one go-and that was the
end.
All that happened over 10 years
ago, but old Dan Morgan. who was
nursing championship hopes for the
Battler up to that time, hasn't for.
given me. even though, long years
ago he quit managing him. And in
all the time since, whenever / think
of the Battler, l always remember
those moments when he, groggy and
almost out on his feet, kept plead
ing:
"Oh. Chack-Chack let Us take
it easy"
| Copyright, 1929 King Features
| Syndicate, Inc,)