Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-11
BY TEX RICHARD.

n HAVE letter from the editor o
q prominent Western newspape
asking me to explain in thes'
memoirs what, in my opinion. ac'
counted for the famous Shelb,
fight between Dempsey and Gibbon:
Goldfieid, also a small place, was big
success. Often have been asked that
AS matter Of fact there was nc
similarity between the events. The
failure was no reflection on the town
of Shelby. Nobody could have made
that fight financial success under the
circumstances.
To begin with the promoters did not
select the right attraction, one that
people throughout the country were
eager to see Evidently the officials Of
the American Legion as well as the
townspeople figured on the drawing
ability of Dempsey without regard to
his opponent. At that particular mo-
ment Gibbons was not in the limelight.
To illustrate-the thousands who went
to the Carpenter Dempsey battle were
Just as eager to see Carpenter as
Dempsey. The psychology of the Shell
by affair was wrong.
It is not fair to the Shelby people
70 compare their match with the Cans
Nelson fight at Goldfield. Their fight
had to be 10 times as good to get an
even break.
q. Those who have made fun of the
Shelby scrap apparently did not con-
Selby event offered $500, 900, as against
$4,000 at Goldfield. The $270,000
makes quite a difference. The pro-
moters showed more gameness than
Judgment.
Never Figured a. Success.
In brief, the Shelby people didn't
have a good card, the town didn't have
enough population and the promoters
offered entirely too much money. 1t
did not figure to be success from the
start.
Nelson fight primarily to attract atten-
ton to the town Of Goldf1eld. thought
we had overstepped the bound in offer
ing $4,000. Now these people figured
on making some money, as well as get
ting publicity. They offered $500, 600.
The answer should be obvious.
Always have thought the criticism
Of Jack Kearns in insisting on the terms
Of the contract being carried out little
unfair. Kearns did not seek this fight.
He acted for Dempsey In signing the
contract. Naturally, he felt 1t his duty
to act for Dempsey. in seeing that all
OBLIGATIONS were met. That fight, how
ever. was none Of my affair. Perhaps
It does not become ME to discuss it
s ASsti,er reader ii these memoir. has
asked me to give my candid opinion re-
earding the toughest fight Jack Demp-
sey ever had among his early title bat
ties.
"There has been considerable dis
c,lssion." he says. whether Firpo or
Carpenter gave him the most dim
Guilty"
Only one man can answer this ques-
son authoritatively Jack Dempsey.
The champion answers 1t for me IN
his own words: ~.
Strange as it may seem. Jess Willard
hit me the harest punch / ever re-
eeived. In the second round OF our hight
at Toledo, in 1919. 1t must be remem-
bered that Il had knocked him down
seven times and he was practically
out in the first round. Everybody, in
GLIDING myself, thought the big fellow
was gone and that It was merely a
question OF fiattening him with a punch
Or two in the second round. ft
I'm my eagerness to put over knock
out I rushed at Willard wide open in
the second round. Willard was desper-
ate. He put everything he had on
right uppercut that caught me flush
on the chin. I thought somebody had
walloped me with q policeman's club.
I saw million lights and then every
thing went dark. It was only for an
instant. felt pretty shaky for min
ute, but my head soon cleared and
was all right before the round ended.
II willard could have followed up his
advantage with another punch like
that while was shaky he might have
won that fight
"a funny thing about that punch is
that Jack Kearns and the other seconds
in my corner didn't thing the punch
had hurt me. I don't think anybody
else at the ringside saw the effect Of
that uppercut. I know, though. VIII
lard. has big. heavy arms and they
felt ike logs when they dropped on you.
He was a better fighter than he gener-
very active for a big fellow. He boxed
well and was straight and accurate
puncher. Nobody knows better than me
what terrific power he packed in those
blows. know because stopped some
Of them.
Carpenter didn't have me in any
serious trouble in the second round Of
our fight in Jersey City. He tipped my
head back with couple of rights and
knew had been hit all right-make
no mistake about that-but wasn't
really groggy. They didn't even make
me hesitate. was able to keep right
on boring in. trying to put over fin-
ishing punch"
what about Miske?" Dempsey was
asked.
Miske Troublesome.
"Say," he replied, smiling, "do you
know that Billy Miske gave me plenty
Of trouble in our first fight In st. Paul
back In 1918? Miske was at his best
then. having beaten Fred Fulton, Jack
Dillon, Carl Morris, Gunboat Smith,
Harry Greb, Kid Norfolk and Battling
Levinsky Most Of my fighting up to
that time had been with second and
third raterS.
II wasn't the finished fighter that
Miske was. Billy was aggressive, and
he swarmed over me like a flock Of
bees In the early rounds. Luckily for
me he wasn't Knockout puncher, but
his blows cut and bruised. He certainly
could take it. I Socked him on the chin
with everything had in the third and
seventh rounds, but he shook it of and
came back at me like tiger.
"a fellow named Jack Downey, from
the Pacific Coast, also gave me plenty
OF grief during my early career as a
fighter. We fought three times. He got
the decision over me in two Of these
battles, but I knocked him in the
third"
In another chapter will tell of an
other blow-one that Dempsey will long
remember. I must reserve it, though
for my discussion of the famous Firpo
fight