The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-01-27
DEMPSEY NINTH.
 |ON HUMP PHREY'S
 LIST OF GREATS
Mc0overn Best Fighter of ' Past 50 Years Regard.
 less of Size, Weight
(Thls ls Che last of six or. tlCles on Joe Hum phreys, daddy Of sports announcers.)
Bx HARRY CRIMSON Shorts Editor, NEA Service


 DY HARRY CRIMSON
 Sports Editor, NEA Service
 New York, Jan. 27.--Joseph I'd. ward Humphreys ranks the first 10 | lighters of the past SO years, 70. gardless of weight, In this order:
 Terry Mcoovern. Bob ritzsim. mons, James J. Corbett, Jack John. son, Jack McAullffe, George Kid Lavigne, Joe Cans, Tommy Ryan, Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney.
 "ItS tough to leave out fellows l like Young driffo, George Dixon, lem Driscoll, Kid Carter, Joe Vol. colt, Kid Mccoy, Stanley Ketchell, Jim Jeffries, Sam Langford and some more," says Humphreys, "but | my Big 10 would stand Q lot of beat. | Ing"
 There is no sense in arguing with | Humphreys about tho choice of Mo. Govern aS No. man. To Joe the | Beaut and many other old.ttmers, fighting started and finished with Terrible Terry. Mcdovern's long string of knockouts speak for him, and the fact that any Of the bet. ter i40.pounders would not have | been considered c match for him 1 when he weighed i22 Is something | In the way of Q recommendation. FitzsitnfnonS' selection will not Do | disputed. Ruby Robert probably | would pull more votes than any | other in any contest to determine | the greatest gladiator ct oil weights. No warrior could have accomplished moro than this lanky middloWeight | who won the iight-heavy and heavyweight crowns as well. Corbett ksvolutlonlsed Game
 1T take more than his ring ability | Into consideration in placing Cor | bott third" explains Humphreys. | "Corbett not only revolutioniSed tho sport with his footwork and feinting, | but did more for 1t than any other | performer. Tho man who left the | San Francisco bank to make his fortune in boxing wasn't called Gentleman Jim for nothing. Ho took tho sport out of saloons and put it in drawing rooms.
 T don't have to apologize for Corbett's ability, either. Jim was an unusual figure when they fought | with driving gloves under London priyo ring rules and remained such | for II years under the Queensberry codo. To fought i8 years In oil.
 "Corbott was the fastest and most skiliful big man of them all. His 0i-round draw with tho renowned Peter Jackson, 20.round victory over Joe Choynskl on tho barge, 2i. round upset of the ono and only John l.. Sullivan, and 23.round knockedout by Jeffr!es proved his durability.
 "Corbctts performance against Jefsries at Coney Island, May il, 1900, was ono of tho most remark. able ever turned in by Q boxer. Al- though ho was crowding 34 years of age ct the time, Corbett had had things all his own way until he re. bounded from tho ropes directly in the path of Jefiries' left swing.
 No heavyweight champion ever came so close to coming back, un. less 1t was Dempsey tho night he wag the victim of the long count in Chicago. Corbett only had to dance through two and Q fraction more rounds to beat Jeff ct Coney Island"
 Many competent critics place Johnson in first place. Humphreys considers the Galveston negro the most accomplished defensive boxer of them ell, irrespective of pound. age. McAulifRe, Lavlgne Top Cans
 Humphreys names two light- weights, McAuliRe and Lavignc, ahead of the immortal Cans, rated | by c vast majority of judges the peer of all l35-pound fighters.
 "But McAuliffe was Q rare com- bination of fghter-boxer," asserts Humphreys. "Jack won the anna teur championship, and quickly es- abolished himself as Q worthy pro- fessional title holder when the original Jack Dempsey, the Non. pareil. designated him as such in vacating the throne. McAuliffe fought and whoipped them all from 1885 to 1893, when he retired un. defeated. That's good enough.
 "Biddy Bishop, who trained La- vigne, considers him the greatest of all. The Saginaw Kid never scaled | more than l28 pounds, and often | lighter, yet he defended the light- 1 weight title against all the stars of his time.
 Tn their first battle, Walcott agreed to stop Lavigne in IS rounds, but at the finish the Kid had the Barbadoes Demon hanging on. In the second, Lavigne knocked Wall colt out in the 18th round. Any box CT scaling from 125 to 128 pounds who could stop a battler of the Wall colt type who outweighed him 10 pounds, was indeed marvel" Tommy Ryan was a tricky welter and middleweight with all the in- gradients of @ champion. Tunney Termed Devastating
 Humphreys' ranking Dempsey ninth will cause plenty of comment. The old Man Mauler was tops in the eyes of Q large share of ring worms.
 Tunney being placed 10th, with Jeffries. Langford and other formid- able heavyweights omitted from the first 10, bears out what the keener observers said would happen when