The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1934-01-20
BY JIMMY DONAHUE
NEA Service Sports Writer

Chicago-There never has been
any doubt in the mind of King
Levinsky as to the identity of the
heavyweight champion of the
world. The champion, the Kingfsh
will tell you without any bribing,
is Kingfish Levinsky.
Shortly after the king defeated
Jack Dempsey in 1882. the king
fish, who was christened Harry
Krakow in New York, and who
earned the nickname of kid the
Dropper' when growing up in his
fathers fish market In Chicago, he
felt that he was kingpin of the
ponderous ones.
When he defeated Jack Sharkey
in 1888, that feeling developed into
an obsession. SO he set out to tell
the world about it in no uncertain
terms-and the funny part of it is,
the fellow who was the rings prize
clown two years ago has developed
into a foremost challenger.
There hasn't been q guy like him
in the heavy 'ranks-with the posi-
BILE exception of Max Baer-sifce
Jack Dempsey brought glamour
to the game. His mistreatment of
the Kings English is notorious, his
effrontery Is amazing, his ego
knows no bounds.
He went into the ring against
Tommy Loughran as the underdog
at to ] odds. He plastered tho
Philadelphia dancing master to
the floor, calmly crawled to the
top of the ropes and waved to the
audience, saying: Look at the
old four-to-one on the floor"
Then, before the Sharkey fight.
the king implied that the Cob
should conflne his fighting to his
fists and leave his mouth out of it,
and that he, the Kingfsh, would
see to 1t that perhaps Mister
Sharkeys teeth would chatter in
the ring-from fright, not from
talking.
Just before his recent tangle
with Don McCOrkindaIc, the South
African import, the king made his
classic statement that "all Eng
lish fighters is buns" He went ON
to prove IL by knocking McCOrlxin-
dale to the canvas seven times.
Levinsky resembles the old -tim-
ers in his willingness to battle. Had
he lived In the days of John L..
Sullivan, Bob Fitzsimmons, Joe
Choynski and the rest of them, ne
would have been right at home in
those brawls that started before
breakfast and finished after the
evening meal.
Like the old-timers he has
fought for nearly nothing time
after time for the chance to swing
that roundhouse right hand. His
battle with Sharkey was one in
stance. Jack got $4,000, and the
King received about tenth Of
that-which was divided among
the Krakow family of IL, headed
by his sister, Lena.
Lena is his guiding influence.
She makes his matches, handles his
money and helps him to prepare
elegant statements for the press,
praising the prowess of the King
fish.
Levinsky has fought all the top
notch heavyweights of the day ex-
cept Max Schmeling. He has de-
feated Tommy Loughran, Pauline
Uzcudun, Sharkey, McCorkindale
and bunch of other boys, and
has dropped the nod to Max Baer
twice, Primo Camera an equal
number of times (although the de-
cisions were unpopuiar). Johnny
Risko twice and Mickey Walker.
The King seems to have found
himself since his brawl with Shar-
key. While he has acquired no
scientific maneuyers, that right
hand has developed into dynamite.
His system is to take q few belts,
wade In close enough and let his
mystery punch" hy. Sometimes
this walIOp can be seen enroute
as far back as the 0O-cent balcony
seats.
Outside OF Baer, he probbaly IL
the biggest drawing card in the
game. In six fights during 1891
and 1882, he helped to bring more
than $275.000 into the gate at Chi
cago.
He has an important date with
Max Schmeling: February 16--
Hitler or no Hitler. It would be
no surprise in this corner to sec
him finish the career of Der Moxie
and find himself right IN the hair
or the man who wins the LOugh-
ran Camera championship thing.
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