The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-09-29

NEW YORK, Sept. 20. = We
IN fought that famous seventh
round over again Monday-Mr.
Gene Tunney and myself.
But this time we fought It over a mile
high in the air--more or less-in the grill
81 tho Cloud Club. a distinctive metropoli-
tan birds nest located on the 567th floor.
or so It seems. Of Mrs chrYslers ornate
suire
Down below the big town. drenched in
o bright September sun. reached out TO the
sra and the two rivers with giant arms
sheathed in a Fantastic panoplv Of stone
and iron with a precise criss-crossing OF
thin gray stitcnes that pedestrians .now
as the CITY streets
1t was swell sight and lust a bit diff
ferent. / imagine than Emporia. Kas
Mr. Tunnev has iust finished a ten-dav
task Of debating $4,000 words. long short
and medium. which are in the process OF
being woven into his autobiography already
sold to one OF the better magazines for the
highest price ever paid for this tvpe OF
literature.
About that seventh round" I asked
''How do YOU handle that in your story?'
Il tell the facts" answered Mr. Tunney.
dressed in modest brown. wearing soft
shirt and looking at YOU with those stern.
vet placid ewes. that helped to make him
en- unusual fighting picture in the ring.
Il claim it isn't important how l5ng 1
was down. ] was up at nine. That was
when I was supposed to be UP"
Mr. Tunney points out that the late Leo
p Flvnn. then acting as Dempsev's man
ager. was responsible for the rule which
trail corner following a knockdown.
1T was Dempsevs stupidity-or over
7ealousness. If YOU will-that provoked the
protracted count. and nothing else. Had
he gone immediately to neutral corner
would have had to be up at the end o.
ten actual seconds or else be counted
out"
But Mr.. Tunnev continues to maintain
that he could have gotten UP at any time
after the count OF FIVE and that in stay
ing down he was merely exercising sound
Judgment and at the same time ATTEMPT
ing to reassemDle his wits and formulate
a plan Of strategy.
HXTH1LE I sat there on the
wv foor-and I will admit it
was not an altogether pleasant SEN
sation-I decided that when 1 got
up l would make Dempsey follow
me, rather than go to him.
ION the face Of things this was an OBJ
1lous decision. I mean ] had been hit
ard knocked down. But there was more
to the decision than Just caution. Earlier
in the fight had noted that when l
backed away Dempsey had difficulty in
following me. that he was slow and that
he stumbled in his gait.
Il knew nv legs we're better than his.
] knew. too that it was futile for me to
get up and Immediately start punching. 1
fought Dempsey twenty rounds and l
haven't vet hit him a solid punch on the
chin. Nobody ever hit him a solid punch
on the chin It's impossible. His chin is
always buried in his chest, it's an in
stinctive mannerism with him.
Il also realized that If I got up and
fell into a clinch I probably would be
knocked out. Your friend Dempsey this
is Mr.. Tunney's sly way of reminding me
from time TO time that I didn't concede
him a Wall Street brokers' chance against
the old man maulerl had gay wav OF
banging YOU back Of the head with rah-
bit punch. / wanted none of that"
At this point the waiter rolled cart
over TO our table heaped with tempting
pastries
Mr. Tunnev took a look at his waist
line. the appearance of which evidently
was reassuring Give me that" he said,
pointing to a connection that looked like
a bavarian wedding cake. II can afford to
dissipate a little" he apologized. MY
weight is still lust about what it was
when I was fighting"
II have been criticised for getting up
and backing away from DEMPSEY. Some OF
you writer's refer 10 IL. bit cynicaly. l
suspect as my aggressive retreat. But as
I have attempted to point out it was sound
ring generalsnip l knew l couldn't hit
Dempsey on the chin. I knew if went
into a clinch I would be banged back of
the head And what was much more i'm
portant I knew that If he tried to fol-
low me he would founder. and that when
I felt it expedient to start swinging again
1t would be easy to hit him. AS YOU know
that's exactly how it worked out"
The fact is that before the round erded
Mr. Tunnev hit Dempsev-by Dempsey's
own admission--the most Furnishing Iunch
he ever received. a right handler under
the heart which landed a few seconds be-
fore the bell Dempsey couldn't talk when
he went back to his corner. and his
handlers devoted almost the full minutes
rest to masseging away the congestion.
This one punch probably was the rea-
son Dempsey refused to fight Mr. Tunnev
a third time Dempsey frankly told Tex
Rickard that he wanted no more of him.
and when he told the promoter that
there was a $500. 600 guarantee dangling in
front of his ewes. all his. win. lose or
draw.