The Montana Standard
3 Feb 1929
A curious thing about the heavyweight fighting champions is that no two have been alike. Sullivan was a roaring brawler, Corbett a suave and clever showman, Fitzsimmons the ring's greatest general and hardest hitter, Jeffries a good-natured Hercules; Burns a bold and crafty small man who didn't dodge big ones, Johnson a master of defense who won by waiting, Dempsey a rip-snorting one round knocker-out, utterly reckless, and, at his best, most sensational of them all.
Gene Tunney was a different type entirely. A complex type not easily described or understood. Even now that Tunney has played his part, achieved exactly the kind of success he wanted, and dropped disdainfully out of the game that made him, I doubt that anyone really knows him.
Tunney has close friends. They're few in number, partly because he never went out of his way to make friends except among those who could help his climb to the position he has now reached.
It was easy to know and appreciate the good qualities of a Jeffries or a Fitzsimmons, who were friends of all the world because of their rugged honesty and simplicity. Dempsey's friendly courtesy and lack of conceit made even his enemies into friends whenever he met them. The world saw the real Dempsey in the past few weeks, throwing everything else aside to work for his dead "pal," Tex Rickard. Dempsey always gives you the impression that he thinks of himself last.
Gene First and Last,
And that is where Tunney is different. You feel that Gene thinks of Gene, first, last and all the time. Perhaps that's wrong, just an impression given out by his manner. But if it's so, his habit of mind has carried him farther, as the world measures success, than many go, even if it hasn't given him the popularity to which he's so indifferent.
It was when Tunney was under Billy Gibson's management that he really began to jump ahead. Gibson's clever match-making got him his chance to fight Dempsey for the big title. He stopped Erminio Spalla, a big Italian, in 7 rounds and after Carpentier had gone through a ten round bout with Tommy Gibbons, Tunney knocked the flying Frenchman out in 15 rounds in New York. This wasn't much of a feat, as Carpentier was far past his best form, but it was good advertising. Then Gene knocked out Tommy Gibbons in 12 rounds. He outboxed Gibbons in that fight. Tommy had lost a lot of his speed after fighting Dempsey, still as Gibson knew it would the mere fact that Tunney flattened the man who had gone 15 rounds with the champion was a great boost. To make it better Tunney was sent against Bartley Madden who had gone 15 rounds with old Harry Wills. Gene stopped him in 3 rounds.
Tex Rickard rushed out west to talk fight to Dempsey and got jack’s agreement to fight anyone. Dempsey wanted Wills. He told me he knew Wills would be a softer mark than Tunney.”I know Wills has lost his speed and I can knock him out in a round?said Dempsey. “I have been idle a long time myself and I’d like to take Wills first and Tunney six months afterward. Tunney young and ambitious and more dangerous and I’d like to have a fight under my belt before I fight him? But Dempsey didn’t really think Tunney had a chance at that.
Confidence and Nerve
That thought wasn’t shared by Gene. He was ****ily confident in his training camp at Stroudsburg. told everybody he'd try to get Dempsey or daze him with the first right hand punch, and flatly said he would surely outbox him if he couldn't knock him out. It was only a 10 round bout.
Tunney flew down to the fight in an airplane ?his first time in the air. Nerve ?plenty! And he popped Dempsey with that first right and shook him badly, and outboxed him through 10 rounds, running and circling and coming back suddenly to fight. Once Dempsey knocked Tunney into the ropes and almost had him, but could not follow. The old champion was in no shape to fight. He had split with his old manager. Jack Kearns, months before, and Kearns had run him ragged day and night for weeks with subpoenas, suits, warrants and every legal annoyance, making it impossible for Dempsey to train properly. In the last two rounds, both of Dempsey's eyes were closed ?but Tunney couldn't put him down. He did give Dempsey a complete and convincing
beating.
Again Meets Dempsey.
Rickard held an elimination tournament, and Dempsey wound it up by knocking out Jack Sharkey. So Dempsey was matched Tunney at Chicago. Tunney was certain he could beat Dempsey again. Gene didn't do much guessing. He based his deductions on facts.
Before the Philadelphia fight, he had moving picture films of other Dempsey fights and studied Dempsey's action in detail. He figured that Dempsey would be in better shape in Chicago than at Philadelphia, but he had studied Jack from the ringside in the Sharkey fight and knew that at the best he was a shadow of the old Dempsey.
But the Tunney backers weren't depending on Tunney's punch to win. A propaganda campaign against Dempsey filled the last few days before the fight. Stories were sent out everywhere that Dempsey was the foulest fighter in the world, had won all his fights by fouling, would be closely watched to prevent his fouling Gene, who was always fair. This was played up so much it was evident an effort was being made to influence the judges and smooth the way for a disqualification of Dempsey on the slightest pretence.
In the fight itself Tunney’s seconds shouted from Gene’s corner that Dempsey was fouling, was using a rabbit punch, that Dempsey’s seconds were greasing him ?all false claims that might effect ringside and official opinion. It was in fact about as unsportsmanlike an affair as any I’ve seen, and it proved conclusively that sportsmanship had become a side issue when the huge sums depending on modern championship bouts are at stake.
3 Feb 1929
A curious thing about the heavyweight fighting champions is that no two have been alike. Sullivan was a roaring brawler, Corbett a suave and clever showman, Fitzsimmons the ring's greatest general and hardest hitter, Jeffries a good-natured Hercules; Burns a bold and crafty small man who didn't dodge big ones, Johnson a master of defense who won by waiting, Dempsey a rip-snorting one round knocker-out, utterly reckless, and, at his best, most sensational of them all.
Gene Tunney was a different type entirely. A complex type not easily described or understood. Even now that Tunney has played his part, achieved exactly the kind of success he wanted, and dropped disdainfully out of the game that made him, I doubt that anyone really knows him.
Tunney has close friends. They're few in number, partly because he never went out of his way to make friends except among those who could help his climb to the position he has now reached.
It was easy to know and appreciate the good qualities of a Jeffries or a Fitzsimmons, who were friends of all the world because of their rugged honesty and simplicity. Dempsey's friendly courtesy and lack of conceit made even his enemies into friends whenever he met them. The world saw the real Dempsey in the past few weeks, throwing everything else aside to work for his dead "pal," Tex Rickard. Dempsey always gives you the impression that he thinks of himself last.
Gene First and Last,
And that is where Tunney is different. You feel that Gene thinks of Gene, first, last and all the time. Perhaps that's wrong, just an impression given out by his manner. But if it's so, his habit of mind has carried him farther, as the world measures success, than many go, even if it hasn't given him the popularity to which he's so indifferent.
It was when Tunney was under Billy Gibson's management that he really began to jump ahead. Gibson's clever match-making got him his chance to fight Dempsey for the big title. He stopped Erminio Spalla, a big Italian, in 7 rounds and after Carpentier had gone through a ten round bout with Tommy Gibbons, Tunney knocked the flying Frenchman out in 15 rounds in New York. This wasn't much of a feat, as Carpentier was far past his best form, but it was good advertising. Then Gene knocked out Tommy Gibbons in 12 rounds. He outboxed Gibbons in that fight. Tommy had lost a lot of his speed after fighting Dempsey, still as Gibson knew it would the mere fact that Tunney flattened the man who had gone 15 rounds with the champion was a great boost. To make it better Tunney was sent against Bartley Madden who had gone 15 rounds with old Harry Wills. Gene stopped him in 3 rounds.
Tex Rickard rushed out west to talk fight to Dempsey and got jack’s agreement to fight anyone. Dempsey wanted Wills. He told me he knew Wills would be a softer mark than Tunney.”I know Wills has lost his speed and I can knock him out in a round?said Dempsey. “I have been idle a long time myself and I’d like to take Wills first and Tunney six months afterward. Tunney young and ambitious and more dangerous and I’d like to have a fight under my belt before I fight him? But Dempsey didn’t really think Tunney had a chance at that.
Confidence and Nerve
That thought wasn’t shared by Gene. He was ****ily confident in his training camp at Stroudsburg. told everybody he'd try to get Dempsey or daze him with the first right hand punch, and flatly said he would surely outbox him if he couldn't knock him out. It was only a 10 round bout.
Tunney flew down to the fight in an airplane ?his first time in the air. Nerve ?plenty! And he popped Dempsey with that first right and shook him badly, and outboxed him through 10 rounds, running and circling and coming back suddenly to fight. Once Dempsey knocked Tunney into the ropes and almost had him, but could not follow. The old champion was in no shape to fight. He had split with his old manager. Jack Kearns, months before, and Kearns had run him ragged day and night for weeks with subpoenas, suits, warrants and every legal annoyance, making it impossible for Dempsey to train properly. In the last two rounds, both of Dempsey's eyes were closed ?but Tunney couldn't put him down. He did give Dempsey a complete and convincing
beating.
Again Meets Dempsey.
Rickard held an elimination tournament, and Dempsey wound it up by knocking out Jack Sharkey. So Dempsey was matched Tunney at Chicago. Tunney was certain he could beat Dempsey again. Gene didn't do much guessing. He based his deductions on facts.
Before the Philadelphia fight, he had moving picture films of other Dempsey fights and studied Dempsey's action in detail. He figured that Dempsey would be in better shape in Chicago than at Philadelphia, but he had studied Jack from the ringside in the Sharkey fight and knew that at the best he was a shadow of the old Dempsey.
But the Tunney backers weren't depending on Tunney's punch to win. A propaganda campaign against Dempsey filled the last few days before the fight. Stories were sent out everywhere that Dempsey was the foulest fighter in the world, had won all his fights by fouling, would be closely watched to prevent his fouling Gene, who was always fair. This was played up so much it was evident an effort was being made to influence the judges and smooth the way for a disqualification of Dempsey on the slightest pretence.
In the fight itself Tunney’s seconds shouted from Gene’s corner that Dempsey was fouling, was using a rabbit punch, that Dempsey’s seconds were greasing him ?all false claims that might effect ringside and official opinion. It was in fact about as unsportsmanlike an affair as any I’ve seen, and it proved conclusively that sportsmanship had become a side issue when the huge sums depending on modern championship bouts are at stake.
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