A One-Sided Boxing Bout

How the Dempsey-Miske, Fiasco of Labor

Day, has Demonstrated the Immense
Superiority of the Heavyweight Champion
By W. A. PHELON
But where do they get that stuff, and why should they be
afraid of me? The records show that I am far from being
invincible. I was knocked out by Al Palzer in six rounds, by Jack
Dempsey in 18 seconds, and by Harry Wills in three rounds. I am,
therefore, not so hard to lick, and people ought to gladly grab the
chance to fight me. Won't somebody take me on?"
A mill between Fred and Jack Johnson, when Jack finally emerges
from his cell, might be well worth the price of admission. As to Jack
Johnsonthe old saying, "Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron
bars a cage," sure goes for the sable warrior. He has been living
the life of Reilly while nominally under lock and key, and a Chicago
paper recently came out with a rich story, telling how Jack came
and went at will, went motoring all day and all night, had boxing
bouts in the jail, and was feasted by his colored friends, who bring
offerings of chicken and watermelon to the feet of their idol.
* * * * * *
Jack Dempsey (left) and Bill Brennan (right) as their respective managers were Two rattling good light heavies, Harry Greb and Chuck Wiggins,
signing a contract for a future bout to be held some time before Jan. 1
have been showing great form of late, both against assorted adversaries
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(Continued on page 610)

T
HE chief thing in the boxing world during was stung. Nobody had to go to the burlesque;
the past few weeks was, of course, the the crowd could have staid at home just as well,
"championship" fight between Jack Dempsey and the throng that gathered at Benton Harbor
and Billy Miske at Benton Harbor, Michigan, on just went there to spend an idle day, spend a little
Labor Day. Aside from the fact that Miske never loose change, and see something they knew was
had a chance, and that everybody knew he never absolutely certain.
had a chance, this was a wonderful battle. A It wasn't the fault of the press-agents, though,
man who hadn't fought for a year, and who had that the public wasn't "taken." Ream on ream
always been counted just a good second-rater, of bunk and bull came out of Benton Harbor and
meeting a mighty championoh what a cinch, Chicago every day, trying to persuade the fight-
and what wonderful matchmaking! fans that Miske was a demon; that he had an
Miske lasted less than three rounds, after being elegant chance; that he had held Dempsey even,
carried up and down the ring like a leaf upon a when they met on two previous occasions, and that
gale. He never hurt Dempsey, he never had a nobody need to be startled if the championship
chance to hurt him. It was remarked after the changed hands.
battle that Dempsey was now a hermit champion Give the fight-fans credit: this time, they refused
that he had nobody to fight. At the same time, it to be bunked. They absolutely declined to fall
was noted that flocks of scrappers clamored for for the yards of hogwash that the press-agents
matches, all of them to carry a fat loser's end. tried to force upon them. They knew, knew
Miske got $25,000 for less than eight minutes of perfectly well, that Miske was merely a good
Dempsey's pounding. There isn't a heavyweight second-rater, vastly inferior to the champion
in America who wouldn't gladly fight Dempsey physically and in boxing skill; they knew that
for the same moneybut how many of them would Dempsey had spared Miske and let him wobble
meet him winner take all, or with the coin split along at their previous meetings, and it is doubtful
say ninety per cent. and ten? if there was one man in the Benton Harbor crowd
Georges Carpentier sailed for this country the that expected anything else than what he got
other day. The gallant Frenchman will get his and what Miske got.
chance at Dempsey, after he has boxed Battling Butshades of the mighty fighting deadjust
Levinsky-and the Frenchman, on speed, hitting think of giving a champion $50,000 to knock out
power, and allround skill, seems to have a better a helpless mark, and giving an easy victim $25,000
show with Dempsey than any of the American to be battered!
heavies. Of the whole American crowd, Harry * * * *
Wills looks probably the best fitted for a hard fight Action in the heavy-weight class was infrequent
with the champion, and Harry may be accommo- during the past month, aside from the Dempsey-
dated, despite his dusky hue. Still, so say critics Miske comic opera. Bob Martin, the A. E. F.
who have seen both Wills and Dempsey in recent champion, has been showing less often than usual
action, Harry isn't likely to get farthe white the stock of easy marks is about exhausted, and
man is too lithe, too fast, too full of springs and the public's patience is about exhausted, too. It
pepper. is high time that Martin fought somebody that
It has been a long time since anything so wasn't hand-picked and planted beforehand, or,
ridiculous as the Dempsey-Miske thing was put at least, had a rating better than Z 23 in the books
over on the great American public, but the farce of the heavies.
had its redeeming features; nobody was really Fred Fulton, like Truth, when crushed to earth
swindled, excepting by his own volition. There wants to rise again. Fred's latest appeal for
was no big betting coup; the gamblers had no battles is rich stuff. Says Freddie: "The clubs will
chance to skin anyone or make a nickel. Every- not hire me, because they say I am too big. Billy Miske, who " d i d his best." He was well
body knew exactly what would happen, and nobody paid for the drubbing he received. But it's
Fighters won't meet me, because I am so big. worth something to take a Dempsey Wallop
610 B ASEBALL M AGAZINE for N OVEMBER
largely for taking on a match
with Johnny Tillman, one of his
regular chopping-blocks, and
chasing him through ten playful
rounds. Then he received the
wouldbe comeback, Mr. Bronson,
on the end of his left glove, and
yawned his way to the finish.
Bronson, of course, never had a
look-in, but Britton, master of
everything from 140 to 156
pounds, is too kindly to knock out
anybody.
* * * *
Little doing among the light-
weights, as little among the
feathers. Frankie Brown, who has
been traveling a long time on the
fame gained by knocking Johnny
Kilbane down in a bout about
two years ago, went to Cincinnati
and boxed K. O. Mars, a fighter
who would become champion to-
morrow if he could hit harder.
Mars hit Brown with everything
except the bucket and the bottles.
* * * *
Pete Herman is back at his old
trickstaking things easy in no-
decision bouts. He got a lovely
licking from Joe Burman of
Chicago a few nights ago, not
even trying to resent Burman's
impertinences. Herman is an
awful frost in no-decision mills
and a terror of the ring when a
decision hangs on his efforts and
he really has to fight. He is going
to England, it is understood, to
A ONE-SIDED BOUT
box Jimmy Wilde, but how
(Continued from page 596)
they can ever agree on the weight
and against each other. Greb and
is a mystery.
Wiggins can hit any opponent
about 1,000 times a minute, but * * * *
neither of them carries a K. O. The anticipated opening of the
drive. game in New York City has been
* * * * again delayed through official red-
Peace prevailed among the tape, and various big bouts ar-
middle--weights, but some arduous ranged for the metropolis have
matches were in sight for the new been indefinitely postponed. Al-
champion, Johnny Wilson. He though Kentucky was officially
will have a lively campaign this declared open for boxing some
fall, and will have to be a real time ago, nobody seems to be
champion if he is to escape un- doing any boxing. It is said that
battered. the license fees charged for each
* * * * show have killed the game before
Labor Day was marked not it even started.
only by the Dempsey-Miske farce, |
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but by another comedy, in which

the champion treated his oppo-
nent more kindly than Dempsey
handled poor Miske. Jack Britton,
the welter-weight champion, met
Ray Bronson at Cedar Point,
Ohioand the only question is,
where was the foolkiller when
that match was made? Bronson
had been out of the game six
years, and had fallen from the
top class before that time. Yet
they put him on with Britton,
and advertised it as a champion-
ship battle! Britton trained