Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-28

last, Is the sort of antagonist I want.
An ordinary boxer would be frightened
out Of his wits. Joe the Sensible did not
concern himself either way. Carpen-
tiers second lead was like the kick of a
thoroughbred horse IN the face. Beckett
shook his head violently to convince
himself 1t was still on his shoulders and
not halfway down Holburn. II the
fourth blow, a straight right, had not
got on the fatal spot, anything might
have happened, for 1t looked as if Beck
EFT could simply wear out Carpenters
fists with his head and then pummel his
way to the end, or even bring off a
knockout on his own account. AS 1t
was, Beckett as a boxer did not exist.
He might as well have been punching
ball"
CARPENTER evidently revived
~ Shaw's interest in boxing, for he
careers Of Dempsey and Tunney. The
latter visited him at his town house
when In London quite recently, and the
pair had long talk together. Shortly
afterward happened to meet Shaw in
the street, and he described to me how
favorably Tunney had impressed him,
and also gave his opinion of him as
boxer. It occurred to me that this
would make an excellent addition to my
interview, so I wrote it up as well as
l could remember 1t and sent 1t to Shaw
with request that might be allowed
to publish it.
But Shaw apparently insists on pro-
tecting his guests from any nice things
he says about them, and he will not on
any account have words put into his
mouth, even when in broad effect they
represent what he said In due course
there came the following letter
Whitehall Court,
London. S. w. l.,
21st February, 1929.
Dear Norman Clark:
1t Is quite out of the question for me
to give to the press anything that passes
between me and my private guests, or
TO criticize them in public in any way
Besides, you have not got the hang of
Tunney at all. On the evidence of the
films I should say that he is an
extraordinarily difficult man to hit.
Carpenters rights looked as fatal as
ever. but as they produced absolutely
no effect they cannot have got home.
never crouches, always has his
head as far baSk as it will go, and has
a peculiar biff that stalls off every
attempt to rush him. He Systematically
gets away and makes his opponent miss
until disappointment and exhaustion
have brought him down to a condition
Of definite inferiority. When Dempsey
after three getaways had him against
the ropes and managed to get his arms
around him for his terrible rabbit !
punch, Tunney simply held him until !
the referee interposed, in spite of every !
arm-breaking trick that Dempsey knew. !
His confidence in himself and his sys- !
tenn amounts to something like con-
tempt for his most famous adverSaries. |
cannot brighten him; per-
sonalitieS cannot hypnotic him; he |
toes not need to be a brilliant boxer |
like Carpenter or a terror like Demp-
sey. He wins by mental and moral |
combined with plenty of |
strength, an inaccessible head, and that |
very disheartening biff that sickened
Dempsey when he rushed for an appar-
entity certain victory after the count in
the seventh round. With Tunney's
character Carpenter could have beaten
Dempsey. Carpenter never looked like
baby in Dempseys hands, though he
vas smashed in the first 10 seconds.
But Dempsey in the first fight with
runney. after the first two rounds. did
ook like a schoolboy larking with an
instructor. I never said to you that
runney was the only big man who can
box. I don't know that he can box
better than you cara.., In an exhibition
'rar with soft gloves carpsntier could