The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-02-27
Boston Bone Crusher Given
Edge Over ,StribIing in
Miami Melee.
STADIUM TO BE FILLED
Jack viii Outweigh Rival;
Confident He'll Smear
Dixie's Pride.
BY JOE WILLIAMS


whether young Willie stribling of
Macon, Ga, is a better man than
Jack Sharkey of Boston, will be
decided here tonight in wooden
bowl pitched within earshot of the
booming surf of the Atlantic.
The distance is to be ten rounds
or less, to a referees decision, de-
pending upon the amount of vio-
lence the young business men insinu-
ate into their maneuverS. The odds
favor the Boston sailor at to 5 and
| Z to 5.
When the firing begins, the big
gest assemblage ever gathered for a
professional sports event of any sort
south of the Mason and Dixon line
will have spread itself over the
arena built by William F. Carey, a
Wall Street man of influence and
a Grade A sportsman. The capa-
city is $4,000.
Early today every indication was
that this would be absorbed. Both
Stribling and Sharkey matriculated
from their training schools physi-
cally intact, though there have been
disturbing rurnors that the south
erner still is suffering from an in
jury in the left shoulder, which
cramped his technique a week ago.
Sharkey Is Heavier
The weights give an edge to
Sharkey. Officially the difference
is less than ten pounds, but to
gentlemen accustomed to studying
these important matters at close
range, Stribling appears to be much
lighter than his handlers say. This
detail has helped to keep the odds
in favor of the easterner.
Stribling, however, has many
supporters. He is thought to be
harder hitter, faster and, because of
his, s,curious ring mannerisms, more
difficult problem to solve There is
no rougher or more violent battler
in the ring today than th' 24-year-
old Georgian, who fought well
enough as a high school youth to
beat the holder of the worlds light
heavyweight championship.
His style is not unlike that Of a
mountain goat suddenly gone loco,
and in this respect he is reminiscent
of the late Harry Greb, whose con-
ception of the manly art consisted
of ye-gouging, butting, heeling,
| back-handing and milder forms Of
mayhem. There were times, indeed,
when he was a rather crude and
vulgar person. Young Willie is
something like that.
Point to Christner Battle
Those who like, Stribling also
point to the difficulty Sharkey had
in winning from old Kayo Christ
ner, the baldpate of Akron, a one
handed battler, with only a years
experience. To them this is proof
that he, like the good DR.. Munyon,
is not the man he used to be.
But Sharkey tells you plausible
story about that. He never has
seen the old kayo fellow work. He
new that he had stout right hand.
1t took a stout right hand to fatten
Knute Hansen the way the old
kayo fellow had. And, besides, he
had been guaranteed 100000 for
this engagement down here.
IT would have been sucker not
to have gone along cautiously with
that bun," explains Sharkey, who
is addicted to such elegancies of
speech. "It wasn't until he started
punching me around that l decided
that would have to fight to win.
And when I had to win, I won,
didn't II"
Sharkey doesn't believe Stribling
can hurt him with his right hand
a right hand which is not delivered
to the jaw, but back of the ear,
where the effect on the nerve force
is just as paralyZing as, if not more
so, than when the punch reaches
what technically is called the but
ton.
Sharkey Is Frank
| Dempsey hit me with his best
shots, and stood up under them"
ne argues. II never heard anybody
compare Stribling's punches to
DempSey's until you fellows started
ballyhooing this fight"
You can see that Mr.. Sharkey is
| frank, outspoken young man.
| 1t is hardly necessary to write that.
Sharkey expects to win by knock
out, in spite OF the records, which
show he has scored only an occa-
sional finishing punch, whereas the
pride of Dixie has ia more or less
legitimate ones to his credit, or dis
credit, as the gender may be.
Talking to your correspondent this
morning over a self-sprinkling
grape fruit that looked like a golden
ball cut in two, he conhded:
Go out AID make yourself little
oct that ] fold him up"