Evening star., 1952-08-24
|Marciano 5 Punches
May Be Harder Than
|Dempsey's FIurries
By GrontIond Rice

NEW YORK, Aug. 23.-The
Iact of comparing Jack Dempsey
land Rocky Marciano seems a
trifle hurried at the moment.
1t is quite possible that Marci-
ano has a sharper impact than
the Old Mauler had even in his
prime. It might be that Marci-
ano's left or right fist can stop
an opponent in faster time with
out the need of repeated knock
downs.
It must be admitted that
Dempsey needed a furry Of
knockdown punches to wreck Jess
Willard and Luis Angel Firpo,
while Marciano stopped Rex
Layne, Joe Louis and Harry Mat
thews with practically single
wallops.
Gene Tunney took some seven
punches from Dempsey before
going down and still Tunney got
up again, with the help of a few
extra seconds.
But, for all that, Dempsey was
a pretty fair puncher with either
hand and he was also one of the
smartest fighters in ring history.
He had a keen fighting brain and
he had most, of the answers in
easy reach.
Answer to Loughran Lefts.
Here's an example: One morn
ing I was having breakfast with
Manassa Jack, when Max Baer
came in.
Baer had Just been badly out
boxed by Tommy Loughran the
might before, with Dempsey ref
Iereeing.
"All night long I saw or felt
that left hand in my face" Baer
said.
"You could have stopped that
in one round" Dempsey declared.
"Just how?" Baer asked.
"Take off your coat" Jack said.
They squared away. Lead one of
those Loughran lefts," Dempsey
went on. Baer did.
AS the left came through Demp-
sey dropped big, hard right hand
just above Baer's elbow. Max
howled in pain. you've broken
my arm" he said. Its numb. I
can't use it."
Max was rubbing the arm for
several minutes.
Here are two other tricks. +"
Dempsey said. He showed them
both.
wouldn't that be fouling?"
Max asked.
Not the first time" Jack said.
"They might warn you, but moth
ing else" Both were extremely
effective moves.
You have to watch Dempsey
every second" Tunney once said.
you never know what's coming. !"
Salvo Often Required.
There has always been some
argument concerning Dempsey's
punch. Was it as explosive as one
OF Louis's best? Was it up to the
Marciano standard? Jack was 100
per cent offense.
But often, when he knocked an
opponent down, said opponent got
up again to face another salvo of
leathered salutes. Willard and
Flrpo accumulated together some
thing like 13 knockdowns in their
first rounds. Jack was q savage
and relentless foe.
So far, Marciano has needed
many fewer punches to send his
man into the land of singing birds.
doubt that any one ever threw
two harder punches than Joe
Louis fired at Pauline Uzcudun
and Tony Galento. They were
bombs packed with TINT.
There is nothing soft about
Marciano's right or left. No one
can say just how well Layne, Louis
cat that late date or Matthews
could take hard punch. It's GER
tain they couldn't take Mar
ciano's.
Judgment Can Wait.
But it might be just as well to
wait until Rocky's next fight to
set up any solid judgment. Every
one knows, especially those who
met him, that Marciano can
punch-that he is waving no
Feather duster when pursuing the
business at hand. And he should
improve among many lines
through experience.
Jim Jeffries was a raw fighter
when he met Bob Fitzsimmons In
his championship test. He was a
fine. finished boxer when he met
Fitz again.
Certainly If Marciano has the