Evening star., 1931-12-09
CHAMP WILL FIGHT
HAND-p|CKED FOES
Ready to Defend His Title
Twice in Year, but Max
Would Play Safe.
-,,. BY SPARROW MeGANN.
NJEW YORK, December g.
M Max Schmeling is willing
| to set q precedent for

to set q precedent for
heavyweight boxing cham
pions by defending his title twice
within a year.
Max is all set to answer the
gong against Mickey Walker in
the Spring and Jack Dempsey in
Midsummer or Fall.
Officially speaking, the matches
are not made, but one can be safe
in preparing to spend some money
if he cares to see the Toy Bulldog
and the Manassa Mauler in there
trying to knock the crown off the
imposing brow of the German.
Joe Jacobs, Schmeling's manager, has
a good eye to business. His main object
is to secure remunerative and sale bouts.
Joe makes no bones about the fact tL<
he will come to terms for WaiktS
match, and gives the jersey terror little
chance to beat Sehnneling. He figures
the big boy will stop Walker in about
six rounds.
And as for Dempsey, II one cares for
Joe,s opinion, there Is nothing TO fear,
because Jacks underpinning viii, not be
any better than on the night he ran
himself ragge5 trying to catch up with
Gene Tunney in their memorable bout
at Chicago in 1927.
No Logic In Choices.
just why walker and Dempsey should
get the call over Ernie Schaaf, Tommy
Loughran, Jack Sharkey, or even Tuffy
Griffith, is not clear. 1t is agreed that
a world champion has the right to
select his opponent, but the final word
rests with the fans.
7roor matches have never attracted the
fans in paying numbers, rs the Madison
Square Garden Corporation learned to
its sorrow when 1t permitted Gene Tun-
ney to select Tom Heeney.
The champion may do as he pleases,
but If he wants to make money--and
that is all he Is interested in--he must
cater to the people who make the game
what 1t is-a wild scramble for the
shekels.
sharkey, schaaf ana Loughraf, have
by far better records than Mickey
Walker. The latter fought draw with
Sharkey. Schaaf has two victories over
Loughran, who in turns boasts q VIC
tory over walker. This would seem to
give Sharkey the call, If only for the
reason that he knocked out Loughran
and decisively beat Primo Carnera,
whom Schmeling could not or would not
fight because of an injury to his eye.
The logical thing to do would be for
Schmeling to fight Camera first and
then Sharkey But as logic has no place
IN the thinking apparatus Of a fight
manager, this win never came to pass
Jack Kearns has been spending hun
dxeas of dollars since last year adver-
tising the fact that Walker will fight
Schmeiing for the title. The astute
Kearns has been buinng uplto this
match. and 1t seems his dream will be
realized.
Dempsey is still transforming and
making new .high-water marks for at
tendance and receipts in the cities on
his tour. The popularity of the old
IDOL has not decreassd to any appre-
cfable extent. He has outdrawn the
present title holder more than two to
one. This Is all the more reason why
Joe JACOBS hopes Dempsey will decide
70 take another fling at the title.
Dempsey Is quoted as saying the ex-
hibitions are doing him more good than
all the gym work he ever did. This, of
course, must be taken with a grain of
salt. If Jack wants the fans to believe
the light exercise and several rounds Of
boxing against crude fighters are more
beneficfal than the hard work he did
at Ojai, Calf. and the rigorous siege
\ OF training at Saratoga Springs for his
fight with Jack Sharkey, then Dempsey
indeed must look back and regret the
years he wasted" In the gym as he
assembled the highest peak in pugilism
How Jack must groan as he thinks of
the hard work he did under the broil-
ing sun for his fight with Jess Willard,
which many believe was the greatest
masterpiece Dempsey ever turned out.
Would Train Again.
No, Jack must be kidding. The tour
Is doing him lot of good, no doubt
about that. II and when he comes out
pointblank and says he will sign to
fight Schmeling, the training camp will
be prepared and Jack will go through
the old grind again. He knows that is
the only way he can ever hope to re-
gain some of his lost form, and possibly
the punch that made him famous,
Dempsey's admirers are not united in
urging him TO come back Much con-
Germ is manifest among his intimates
as TO whether Jack can reverse the old
saying. They never come back"
1t would be pity to see Dempsey
Wondering around the ring, even as
Jim Jefries did against Jack johnson
Knocked out, Jack Dempsey would be
Just another d1sillusioned fighter who
thought he had enough in him to turn
back the hands of time.
Dempsey knows that, and it probably
accounts for the 100000 price he sets