RING RECORDS

NZ Truth, Issue 1209, 31 January 1929, Page 8

RING RECORDS

ITS AGAINST HIM

Dempsey Should Think of Past Champions

RARELY COME BACK

"Why try to bring Jack Demps-ey, former champion of the world, back into active ring 1 work? Jack is retired, and enjoys the popularity due to a real champion.

<<T ET Dempsey make a 'come-back' JL_ and be defeated, and it is 100 to 1 that the same fans who idolized him will be poking fun at 'him and ridicule his former greatness." This is what an American sporting paper has to say about Dempsey." "Jim Jeffries was enticed back into the ring through promises of bags of gold when he knew m his heart that he was not fit for a strenuous battle against a giant like Jack Johnson. "Jim was a mere shell of 'his former self, and went down to defeat ' and oblivion for quite a time. "It was years afterwards that the fans' took' Jeffries back to their' hearts and gave him the recognition ,due to him. "Jack Johnson, after a wild career m the ring, met the" same fate that Jeffries did. Jack tried to beat a big giant like Jess Willard and thought m his. -heart he could get into good enough condition to accomplish the trick, but he failed at Havana as Jeffries did at Reno! "Willard was cock on the walk for a time, and felt safe with his title m his s own strength and boxing ability,

but lack of condition and absence ftom real contests left him soft and easy for a slugging mauler like Jack Dempsey was m 1919. The result was the same as m those before him when he met Dempsey at Toledo, Ohio. "The Manassa Mauler just annihilated the big mountain of flesh m the first round and again m the • second. Willard had a chance, for Dempsey was tired, but the stam- * ma was hot with him when it was needed, and 'Big Jess' went down to defeat from exhaustion, the same as Jack Johnson did. and also Jim Jeffries. "Lack- of condition, or rather inability to get into condition, is what beat Dempsey with Gene Tunney at Philadelphia and again m Chicago. "Should Jack essay another comeback, the chances are /that it will be the same thing over again, something the fans would not like to see. "Jack Dempsey made a wonderful record as heavyweight champion. Let him keep that good name and remain an idol with the fans."