The Washington times., 1930-03-06
7 OOk
ALL JACK
GAVE
By JACK DEMPSEY


Lots Of the boys smacked me
IN the days gone by-Willard,
with a 12-ton uppercut, Gunboat
Smith, Luis Firpo-and others.
Plenty gave me some tough fights.
And the folks who touch upon
them in their chats and their
writings.
But, rather oddly, they seem to
have missed the mix-up with Bill
Brennan-the first one-in Mil
waukee a dozen years ago. Bill
then was the knockout king
among the heavies. He was the
super-hitter. Usually when he
1anded-and when didn't he
land?-the circus was over for
the night. I was just coming
along. And what a fight. Bill
and I split $4,000 or so for the
nights work.
Figured I was good enough to
get past Bill and that, by so
doing, I'd get rating with Fred
Fulton for a smack at Jess Viii,
lard. Still bit green, but young
and tough. So when the chance
was offered to take on Brennan
1grabbed at it.
Nothing wild. happened in
the first round. That was a
critical fight In my career.
To lose meant / was Swabbed
mp. To win-that was big
stuff. So I just fiddled around
sizing up Bill, trying to spot
his defensive weakness so
that, when was ready to
tear loose, would know what
TO do to be fairly sure of
landing.
Second round-still cautious.
But all the time Bill was charg-
ing in, trying to find an opening.
Pulled a lot of tricks. But 1
wasn't fooled-for a while. And
then Bill performed a feint.
saw what looked like a sure
shot. Started to. let go-and
bang!
Bills right hand hit me on the
chin. Two hundred pounds of
whirling weight behind it. The
punch shot me six feet back
ward-slammed me against the
ropes. Head spinning. I didn't
see a million stars like folks
claim they see when they are
hit. I didn't see any.
Everything was a fog. And
then something-I'1l always be-
Heve 1t was two tons of explod.
ing dynamite-hit me again. But
am told it vas only a right
hand follow-up by Bill.
That first punch had me
gOOfy. The second-a harder
One-actually cleared my
brain.
Punches have a way of do
ing that.
BY all the rules and regulations
Of what's supposed to happen
after a man is hit a couple of
pile driver shots, I should have
gone down in crumpled heap.
But the second smack - that
brought me back to earth. And
] was what you might call mad.
I started to fight. Caution and
all that was tossed aside. had
been hit and hurt. Forgot all
about that fearful wallop in Bills
right hand; forgot about what it
meant to lose the fight by taking
Wild chances. I owed Bill some
thmg-and decided to pay him in
full-and with interest.
Those who saw rounds 3, 4,
s., and the final sixth, claim I
put more action into them than
in any other fight in my entire
career. They may be exagger-
sting a bit. But I know that I
never stopped punching from one
bell to the next. At the end of
each round I found it tough to
wait a full minute before I could
tear into Bill again.
= When there's talk about game
guys my vote ever will go to Bill
Brennan. He took more in three
and one-half rounds than I handed
out in so other rounds during my
fighting days. I blasted him with
every punch I knew-and there
was ring murder in each one that
] threw.
But Bill stayed up.
In the sixth I went racing
at him. Groggy and Stagger.
ing then was Bill.
I set for a Northumberland