16 Was

F YOU want to break up a pool game around There is so much guesswork involved in analyz­ Jacobs' Beach, that blood-spattered muscle ing fighters, so many intangible factors, that a final J market in the area near Madison Square decision would never find universal acceptance, Garden, City, just ask: "Who was the even among experts. But, as an ex- By greatest heavyweight of all time?" All hands champion, the writer is perhaps more entitled than promptly stop shooting and start yelling. most to stick his neck out, and let the rabbit blows "Dempsey was tops for my dough!" someone fall where they may. Through more than a century shouts. So far as I'm concerned the question of who of heavyweight history "You're tetched," another snorts. "I've got a was the greatest heavyweight of all time boils loose fin that says old Jawn L. was the best." down to: "Who was greater—Jack Dempsey or Joe the sport claims two champions Then others join the chorus, and you hear Louis?" Dempsey and Louis are literally the alpha "Jeflrics—Jack Johnson—Baer—Louis." and omega of modern boxing. Dempsey began who tower above all the others: "Gwan, Baer was a bum!" an old-timer bellows. the most exciting period in pugilism on July 4, "Corbett gets my dough." 1919, when he wrested the title from Jess Willard. Dempsey and Louis. Here, in Even Sharkey and Schmeling, not to mention the And Louis seems to have drawn the curtain down author, have their adherents. So, before you know on that greatest era of a sport that is now definitely a fight-by-fight review of the it, the argument becomes a fight. If someone calls on the downgrade. outstanding bouts through the the cops, when they hear what the argument is I believe that the majority of fight fans and au­ they're likely to join in, too. thorities narrow the choice down to these two years, a great titlist, one of the This is the kind of argument that no one ever superb sportsmen, so I'm on safe ground anyway. wins. Like arguing about religion, politics or But to prove the point that 1 am going to make, I few to retire undefeated from which was the greatest baseball team of all time, have to review briefly the whole boxing picture in there's just no changing of minds. It's almost like America. the heavyweight throne, offers asking who was the greatest playwright. Naturally, Although boxing in the United States has been I'm prejudiced in favor of Shakespeare, but a lot of known as a sport since 1816, heavyweight history an expert opinion of the relative people could give pretty good arguments for Shaw, begins officially on September 9, 1841, when the abilities of the two men who, O'Neill, Barrie, Wilde, et al. first definite contest for the American champion- at their peaks, were unques­ tionably champions' champions Louis ducks a wicked Braddock right. Joe went on to take the title in an eighth-round knockout INTEBNATIONAL

ship was fought. That bare-fisted bone-breaking match, between Tom Hyer and Country McClosky at Caldwell's Landing on the Hudson River, went 101 rounds and lasted a breath-taking two hours and 55 minutes. But so far as this scrivener is concerned, you can eliminate every slugger from that sanguinary mara­ thon right up to John L. Sullivan, since they fought under the ancient Prize Ring Rules. John L. became champion and an American idol by de­ feating all other claimants to the title (including Paddy Ryan, claimant from 1878 until his defeat by John L. Sullivan on February 7, 1882). The last bare-knuckle fight in America was the 75-round brain-buster on July 8, 1889, at Richburg, Missis­ sippi, between John L. and Jake Kilrain. It marked the end of the Dark Ages of Boxing. This leaves exactly six decades of boxing under the revised Marquis of Queensberry rules in which to find a man who might have been greater than Joe Louis. Or, putting it another way, a man who in his prime could have licked Joe Louis in liis prime. Under pain of bringing down the wrath of sham­ rock-wearers on my head, I am also forced to eliminate those turn-of-the-century and pre-World War I rosin favorites—John L. Sullivan, Jim Cor­ bett, Jim Jeffries and Tommy Burns. And by scratching out "Black Jack" Johnson, too, I'll prob-' ably earn the lifelong scorn of a small but vocal coterie which still insists that Johnson was the lad who could have leveled Joe Louis. A more or less accurate line on Johnson's real ability can be gleaned from a record book. In three of his outstanding contests, he did not register the effectiveness required of a great champion. When he won the first leg of the title in a contest in Australia with the heavyweight title claimant. Tommy Burns, the battle went for 14 rounds and was stopped by the police "to save Burns from further punishment." Burns was a small, squat figure of an athlete, about five foot 7 inches tall and weighing 175 pounds at his best fighting edge. Johnson, who is supposed to have been a master boxer, failed to knock him down once in the con­ test. Many ringsiders thought that Burns was getting better as the fight proceeded and that it should not have been stopped when it was, nor for the reason given. Collier's for January 14, 1950

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had a genuine touch of greatness in him, looks far Apparently I've already answered the question I front impressive in his best bouts when compared set out to answer. Actually I haven't yet, since up with the finely developed ring technique and clever to Jack Johnson I have been dealing only in sup­ footwork of Dempsey, Louis and others. positions and theories. This discussion, to make Despite their ludicrous technique, these pre- sense, has to be narrowed down to the second half Dempsey stalwarts were all tough adversaries. I of the 60 years of boxing with gloves—the color­ think, under certain circumstances, most of them ful period dating from that boiling Independence could have licked Joe Louis if he were fighting Day in 1919, at Toledo, Ohio, when one of the then. Jim Corbett, for instance, who broke Ameri­ greatest ring battles of all time was fought between ca's heart by uncrowning John L. Sullivan, was Jack Dempsey and the giant cowboy, Jess Willard. fleet-footed, brainy and quick in his reflexes—an The gigantic Willard towered over Dempsey by all-round dangerous opponent. He introduced almost a foot and outweighed him by an unbeliev­ class to fhe prize ring. I sincerely believe that he able margin of 58 pounds. The only heavyweight might have defeated Joe Louis in a 15-round bout champion before or since Willard who topped his if they could have met at their peaks. 245 pounds was Primo Camera. And in only one Even that tough, spindle-legged, freckle-faced, championship fight since the Dempsey-Willard bald-headed , "Ruby Robert" match has the disparity of weight been greater be­ Fitzsimmons, might have been able to lick Joe tween champion and challenger, with the latter on Louis. A fiery bean pole, he weighed only 165 the high end of the seesaw. This was when Car- pounds when he went after the heavyweight cham­ nera, at an unwieldy 270 pounds ham-handed Gen­ pionship and blasted Gentleman Jim Corbett off tleman Tommy Loughran, 186 pounds, for 15 the throne. rounds at Miami Beach on March 1, 1934. Fitz could unleash terrific blows for his size, and But the outcome had been reversed at Toledo. it is conceivable that he could have taken Louis, but David slew Goliath, so to speak; Dempsey's rock it would have had to be in an early round. Fitz was was his supercharged fist, which battered the lum­ easy to hit, and he probably couldn't have withstood bering Willard into a gory sack of flesh and bones. a Louis barrage beyond the fourth or fifth round. Seven times in the first {Continued on page 53j

In one of the most exciting bouts on record, Dempsey comers Willard at Toledo, July 4, 1919

HANS KNOPP

Johnson's contest with Stanley Ketchel, a mid­ dleweight whom he took 12 rounds to defeat, was another indication of his lack of eflfectiveness. And certainly his showing against Jim Jeffries, when he won final claim to the heavyweight championship of the world, on July 4, 1910, at Reno, Nevada, was not of championship quality. His pretense that he prolonged the fight for the benefit of the motion picture cameramen, or some such reason, can be dismissed. Nor can I imagine the Jim Jeffries of that occa­ sion going more than three rounds with Joe Louis. As a matter of fact, such a contest could not be staged under present regulations. No boxing com­ mission today would permit a retired champion— like Jeffries—to come out of six years' retirement in order to defend his title, unless he could prove through a couple of warmup matches that he was sufficiently in condition to justify a contest for the world championship. J cannot conceive of Jim Jeffries, even in his prime, finishing a 15-round fight with either Louis or Dempsey. He was too easily hit, and any oppo­ nent that either Dempsey or Louis could hit could not be expected to last very long. Even the most enthusiastic admirers of Jeftries admit that he had a comparatively short career before winning the championship from Fitzsimmons at Coney Island on June 9, 1899. And though Fitzsimmons was a comparatively old^man, he punched Jeffries around the ring at will until his hands broke up and he had to chuck it. You don't have to take my word for this appar­ ently arbitrary dismissal of battlers whose names we were brought up to revere. And you don't even have to compare written records, or refer to excellent treatises on the subject. Television has settled the argument definitely. Recently, the coaxial cable moguls have disin­ terred some ancient films showing every great fight since Jeffries surprised the world by kayoing Bob Fitzsimmons in the 11th frame at Coney Island on June 9, 1899. These flickers, instead of supplying thrills and ex­ citement, send spectators into convulsions. They howl at the ridiculous-looking pork-and-beaner stances, the windmill swings and Donald Duck footwork, not to mention the beefy spare-tires flop­ ping over their trunks. Even Jack Johnson, who Collier's for January 14, 1950

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As a barefoot girl of 24, Mary Shadow beat the best in Tennessee. Is Congress her next stop?

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H T WAS Saturday morning at Chattin's, an old- woman in the legislature and she didn't use her sex mediate Camp at Madisonville, Tennessee, when I time country store whicli sells everything from to get by; in fact, she took along her mother to she was eleven. * beans to buttons, in Roddy, Tennessee. A pretty scare off the wolves. She had fourteen offers of "You may go if you earn the money for the trip," girl was the center of attention. She had the physi­ marriage during her three and one-half months in said her mother. cal equipment to raise Cain among the men, but she Nashville. Strawberries were ripe, farm hands scarce. She was talking like a missionary about politics, of all While she was pitt in office to break the hold of a paid for her trip and had enough left to buy a Girl things. Republican political machine, she went to bat for Scout uniform. At her own expense she has at­ The men, noticing her sensuous curves, full red many things of national interest, such as repeal of tended these annual conferences ever since. In col­ lips and wavy brown hair, gave her their attention. the poll tax and revision of loose adoption laws. lege she waited on table, did office filing and typing The women, attracted by her openhearted friendly She pushed through a bill for construction of a new and used up scholarships. She gadded all over the manner, also listened. $3,000,000 research hospital where the latest South using up scholarships—to Tennessee Wes­ "I'm Mary Shadow," she explained in a soft atomic discoveries could be tried out close to the leyan College, to the University of Tennessee, to Southern voice. "Tve tied tobacco, picked cotton, Oak Ridge laboratories. The ground for that hos­ Georgia's Brenau College for Women, even to Old pitched hay, and milked cows on my father's farm pital will be broken this spring in Knoxville. Mexico on a Texas College for Women extension at Decatur, so I know your worries. I also know Now Mary may run for Congress. Old hands scholarship. Her ultimate goal was foreign mis­ something about our laws. I teach political science say she will be hard to beat. She is just twenty-four. sionary work. Then two melodramatic episodes at Tennessee Wesleyan in Athens. The finances of If elected, she will be the youngest woman Repre­ changed her direction. vour county and mine—Rhea and Meigs—are be­ sentative ever sent to Washington. The term of the The day after a local primary in August, 1946, ing mismanaged. Rhea is over $1,000,000 in debt present Representative from the Third Congres­ Mary's mother watched several hundred people and there isn't enough money in the treasury to pay sional District—James B. Frazier, Jr.—expires in milling around the Meigs County courthouse in De­ the school warrants." 1950. If Mary Shadow succeeds him, there is a catur. Before her horrified eyes Sheriff Oscar Wo- By now the store was crowded with people. strong possibility that her mother will replace her mac and his deputies burned the ballot box! There "She's too young to know what she's talkin' about," in the legislature. It may sound corny, but these were guns in evidence. Womac said the voting had said one man. two women regard service to the community as a been crooked. The girl looked at him. "On this point it would patriotic duty. On Election Day, the following November, the be well for us to remember the many young men "It's a helluva note!" fumed a politician. "How's citizens of Athens, in near-by McMinn County, and women under twenty-three who bravely fought a fellow goin' to campaign against an opponent with carried guns to the polls and dynamited the jail to in the recent war. If you'll send me to the legislature no past?" separate the sheriff from the ballot box. I'll fight for honest government. My primary ob­ Mary had a past but not the kind he wanted. She Mary realized there was missionary work to be ject is to be of service to the people and a credit to was born in the dimple of Tennessee, Winchester, done right in her own country. From now on, po­ my parents. My father is agricultural agent of on July 17, 1925. In 1929 her family moved to the litical science would be her major study. Meigs County, my mother was state public health 115-acre farm where she now lives, two miles from Mr. and Mrs. Shadow approved. You couldn't nurse. There are five children in our family. We've Decatur, the county seat of Meigs. be around Mary's parents long and not care what all been taught that the real Christian thinks of oth­ A childhood adventure typifies her character and happened to your community. Ever since her fa­ ers first." shows what the politicians are up against. When ther, Willis A. Shadow, came to Meigs he had That was September, 1948. Today, this pretty, she was eight she and two of her sisters, Lucy and fought for rural electrification. Mrs. Shadow was well-formed young woman is an American political Muriel, were playing in the cornfield. Mrs. Shadow president of the Fourth District parent-teacher as­ phenomenon. She made history by beating her op­ sat in the kitchen with her twin babies, Sophie and sociation for seven years, is judge at the National ponent, Walter White, an experienced politician. Leatha. Lucy, white-faced, raced in, Mary had Federation of Garden Clubs, secretary-treasurer of She got herself elected on the Democratic ticket as just killed a big snake. Mrs. Shadow dashed out. a farm bureau group, and a backer of traveling Representative of Rhea and Meigs Counties to the Mary pointed to a dead copperhead. "I had to kill libraries. Seventy-sixth Tennessee General Assembly. She it. Mama. It was going to hurt Lucy." She has given up public nursing, but when Dr. was the youngest woman legislator in the land. The children at the Decatur Methodist Sunday Will Abel, Meigs County's only physician, calls her Her campaign cost under $270. She was the only School elected Mary delegate to a Methodist Inter­ in an emergency, she goes—often without pay.

Mary Shadow drops in for a visit at Paul Cartwright's store. It was here In the living room of the Shadow farmhouse, in the Tennessee Valley, Mary and at Chattin's that her legislature campaign talks won over the voters gives her niece Elaine a lesson in sewing, as her mother and father watch

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