The Washington times., 1931-03-13
ASKS
FOR ACTION
|NR|NG
By JACK DEMPSEY

Ilc udyS Oh LIllIllOIl uOAldL BdOGo
are supposed to be gone. The ex.
perts in statistical matters insist
that the hysterta over boxing has
disappeared and that, even when
money again becomes plentiful,
folks won't pay $25, $50, $40 and
$50 for choice seats. cannot
agree with that idea.
It is my belief that if fighter
Cor a pair of them) comes along
with color, with the punch and a
wild eagerneSS to win-boys who
will take chances-that the pub
lie will jam any stadium and
pay up to $50 for closeup seat.
A fan is loyal in the matter
Of patronage at big prices only
If he Is sure he will get a run
for his money. There are some
who say that fancy boxing ex-
hibitiOns are lure for many.
But I don't believe that.
What the public wants, when
big men are in there, is plenty
of action and furious slugging
bees. Match up two heavy hit
ters, who Scorn clinching and
who will dare anything to land
a staggering wallop, and you'll
always draw in the boys.
The public has little admira-
tion for safety first" ringmen
and the trouble with the game to-
day in that we have entirely too
many heavies who are fighting
mainly with the thought of being
on their feet at the end of the
battle. They won't take desperate
chances; they won't go tearing in
with reckless daring. They
"coVer" more than they fight.
Young Boxers Unframed
My Job as referee during the
past year has carried me into the
ring with a great number of
young fighters and has given me
a good chance to look over the
crop.
Some boys are good pros
poets; others never will get any
where. All in all, the new
corners seem poorly trained,
poorly taught and far more in
clined to clinch and hold than
to stand up and fight it out.
What the sport seems to need
now is a chain store system
of boxing schools where boys can
be taught the art of defense and
attack. Boys, ambitious to be-
come great in the profession,
should get at least a year of con-
centrated tutoring before they are
permitted to go into battle.
They should be forced to do
road work-road work-and more
road work. That is the great
fault with the ringman of this
era. What training they do
usually is in gymnasium
Rarely do they get, out on the
road for short sprints, long runs
and fast walks.
Sturdy Legs Vital
Legs are the foundation upon
which a boxers fame and fortune
must be built. If the legs are
good and strong, if the muscles
are durable, then the boy has
the speed to leap in for attack,
leap out of danger and make a
pace so fast that he can tire a
warrior who is less conditioned.
On the other hand, if a boy
does no road work and thus
achieves little or nothing in
the development of the power
and speed of his legs, he is
slow on offensive, he is too
slow to duck or SideStep
punches and, after a few
rounds Of battling his legs be-
gin to buckle under him and
he must resort to grabbing and
holding.
We have so much clinching
these days simply because boys
go into action with under-trained
legs, they tire soon and then
proceed to coast" the rest of
the way by embracing each other
with almost every punch that is
swung.
The fights of today, as a gen.
eral thing, are not so fast nor
as exciting as they were in othLr
years because the bulk of the
contestants have but little ring
schooling and wander around on
legs that are minus stamina and
sWiftneSS.
Copyright. 1891. King Features
Syndicate InCl
49, HAURRR aRA-4