The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-02-28

Dut IN announcer way 1 nau an
even tougher scrap. 1 know this
was the hardest fight I ever lost.
1t was against a fellow known as
Mexican Pete-a tough guy. The
referee was even tougher. He was
Horse Johnson. Around the middle
of the first round I got set and
nailed Mexican Pete ON the chin
with full left hand. The back Of
his head hit the floor and Mexican
Pete was colder than a mackerel
ON ice. But Horse johnson leaned
down and lifted Mexican Pete's
right hand. Here's the winner
Johnson said.
81 was ready to kill him. ] rushed
at the referee and said, You're Ell
Their crazy or crooked. That was a
clean knockout
"T say Mexican Pete won,'
Horse johnson said. "And as he
said it he pulled out forty-five and
stuck it in the pit of my stomach.
1 didn't even think twice, for we
were fighting in tough town where
everyone had backed Mexican Pete.
You're right / said. Mexican
1 Pete wins
"Those were tough days in the
fight game" Sharkey recalled. 'We
fought in rain and sleet and snow,
and no champion ever aspired to
be gent. We fought with a bunch
of guns around the ring, looking for
trouble. They were hard days-very
hard days.
The Jefries Fight
81 still think / beat the greatest
heavyweight Of all time" Sharkey
said, "when I fought Jim Jeffries at
Coney Island. ! know JEFF cracked
three of my ribs. But what are
three cracked ribs? For that fight
/ weighed 169 pounds and Jeffries
weighed 208. had to spot big
Jim 80 pounds. But the point I'm
making is that I was the aggressor
through rs rounds. Remember that
line Paul Armstrong wrote about me
Round after round Sharkey came
on like the SURF
"Jeff stood and waited. / had to
do all the rushing all the leading.
They gave me no credit for that.
| And it was still close. still believe
the fellow who forces the fighting
should get more credit than he gets
today. Suppose I had stood and
waited for Jeffries. There would
have been no fight.
The Iron Man
s'And yet think he Is the greatest
or at least one Of the greatest
heavyweights that ever lived. Jeff
was big, strong and fast. He was
dead game and murder0us punch
er with that left hand. He was hard
to hurt. I don't believe there ever
was another fighter who could take
the beating that Jeffries could take.
AS some said about him: You might
as well be punching hydrant.
''Ie wasn't even close to the real
Jeffries when he fought Jack john
son. He was the hollow shelf they
called him later. A middle-aged
fellow who had been out of training
for five or six years. know Jack
johnson never beat the fellow
fought at Coney Island-not by 10
miles"
Give and Take
asked Old Tom, the sailor, what
it took to make good or great
fighter.
sMany things" he said, land
that's why there are so few good
fighters. First Of all there must be
heart and speed-the fighting heart,
Mus fast hands and fast fo0twork.
After that there must be the ability
to take it. A good fighter must be
able to punch-and also able to take
a punch. These are two of the i'm
pOrtant things-the old give and
take.
'There's another thing" Sharkey
added. "The good fighter must have
good legs. I've always been great
believer in road work. Most of these
modern fighters don't even know
what real road work is. mean 10
or IL miles a day. And through
many days-or many weeks. Or
even many months. I'd say Gene
Tunney was the last Of the crop who
knew what condition meant. Tunney
worked hard for six years to be
ready for Dempsey-and he really
worked.
Success and Softness
"The boys today don't want to be
bothered about this road work stuff.
They'd rather ride. If you haven't
got good legs you haven't got
chance. I don't know who'll beat
Joe Louis but the one who does will
have trained a lot harder and win
have better legs. Too much success
is bound to make you soft in time.
ssI know that nobody trains today
the way Jeffries, Corbett and !
trained for q fight-I mean road
work, shadow boxing, skipping the
| rox,a Snarrin0 mariner WOrk0llta.