The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-06
BY JOE WILLIAMS

 ing Bob Martin was the only prize fighter of note produced by the last war. As far as we know he never had the gloves on before he went into service. It's for sure he was not a professional perform CT as Gene Tunney had been.
 Martin, a well set up, good look ing youngster with ready smile, came out of West Virginia and af- ter the ArTnistice he won the heavy weight championship of the AEF and was personally acclaimed by Gen. Jack Pershing as the greatest fighting man of the war;" which was a tribute to his ring success rather than his combat contributions.
 Tunney had competed in this same post war tournament in France but he had gone after and won the light heavyweight title. In those days Tunney was not an impressive looking fighter and this plus the fact that there is always more in- terest in heavyweights, influenced bow tie Jimmy Bronson to string along with Martin instead.
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 The record still is not completely clear on this point. Bronson has been quoted as saying he took Mar tin because Pershing, who seems to have been something of fight fan, asked him to. Even so, it appears Bronson could have had Tunney, too, had he wanted him. AS things turned out Bronson made a million dollar error in judgment.
 All Martin could do was throw right hand. He had the looks of fighter but lacked the inner work ingS. He wasn't Sure-footed and he couldn't coordinate; but perhaps the principal difference between him and Tunney Is that he was not blessed with tenacity of purpose; certainly not to the extent that Tunney was. All along Tunney knew what he wanted to be: the heavyweight champion of the world.
 Bronson had great faith in Mar tin. In those days we are sure he was positive the southerner would go farther than Tunney. Bronson wasn't Johnny come lately in the fight racket either. He had run a saloon and managed Jeff Clark, one of the original black menaces, out in Joplin, Mo. When the AEF moved across the Atlantic Bronson joined up with the YMCA as a recreational director. It seems probable he was the only saloon keeper who ever held down an important post under the sanction of the YMCA. It was while carrying on these recreatoinal functions that he came in contact with Martin.
 Jack Dempsey was the champion at that time. He wasn't very popular on the home front because he had listened to the wrong par- ties and stayed behind. Dempsey hadn't helped his situation when he posed as a worker in the ship yards wearing a silk shirt and patent leather shoes. All this contrived to make perfect set-up for new champion with a military back ground, a circumstance which quick !y engaged Bronson's lively imagina- ton.
 Precious
 Bronson nursed Martin tenderly through the inevitable build-up process. In this he was assisted by Prof. Billy McCarney, an expert dealer in ffstic antiques. It was the professors business to see that Mar tin was never overmatched. This required some doing since Martin was obviously little more than an amateur. Yet he had received so much publicity as the AEF cham pion and the public was so eager to see him advance at the expense of the unpopular Dempsey that he was a rather precious article.
 The professors task was further handicapped by the fact that he had been instructed to work with min- 1nlum of tric.-ery. After all, Martin, m 9 sense, represented the AEF and ne had been personally acclaimed hy Pershing. The circumstances were such that the professors lurid genius as a builder-upper was put to a severe test.
 We saw the first -nt Martin fought as 8 professional. A large anliable gentleman by the name of Joe Bonds was singled out to launch the soldiers ring career.
 At his best, Bonds hni never been better than third rater and he had long since seen his best. There probably weren't more than four able-bodied men in the country who : couldn't have whipped Bonds at that time. Thus 1t was not the kind of fight that could De presented in any critical metropolis with fair hope Os tnxnstile success. Even Martins curiosity appeal and vast publicity weren't firm enough to guarantee that. Ik was finally decided the fllhher capital dk Akron RnlIld aea