BOXING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 101, 10 February 1936, Page 2

BOXING.

TO BEAT JOE LOUIS. DEMPSEY SEEKS “WHITE HOPE.” Jack Dempsey announced in New York his determination to conduct a mammoth £ ‘white hope” elimination tournament during 1936 among the young huskies of the United States and Canada to find a white boy who can defeat the formidable negro flash Joe L °This tournament idea developed from the amazing response which greeted Deippsey’s announcement recently that he was looking for a “white hope.” Since then his New York tavern has been deluged with mail, telegrams, telephone calls and visitors from all parts of the American continent. “Take a look at that table,” said Dempsey proudly. He pointed to a table heaped with letters, telegrams, pictures of muscular young men and their records. “Seems everybody wants to fight. Everybody wants to be a white hope. Why, there are fellows in there from towns I never even heard of—from Miami in Florida to Alberta in Canada, and from coast to coast,” said Jack. “You know what I -would like to do? I would like to bring the whole gang to New York and let them fight it out. You would then see some real fighting.. I am convinced there would be found

three or four great heavy-weight prospects. I like their spirit. Every one of those chaps thinks ‘I am the guy who can lick Joe Louis.’ That is the spirit that takes. Confidence, determination and every one of those guys knows I used to be champion—and yet each one tried to sell me the idea that with proper training he could lick Joe Louis. And in all seriousness, too, with no smart alecky business; no bragging. They are certainly a great bunch of boys.” Then the Manassa Mauler admitted regretfully that he could not bring the crowd of aspirants to New York and said it would require a Morgan or a Rockefeller to finance such a proposition of that scale. But he said he could bring the best of them to Broadway, after proving their ability by eliminating the other contenders in their sections. “We have received over a thousand letters and telegrams from young fighters, brothers of fighters, sisters of fighters, friends of fighters, and managers of fighters,” he continued, “and we have had over 500 telephone calls and visits. I don’t need any further proof that there is a tremendous interest all over the continent in this white hope business—and I’m going to put on this tournament.” Dempsey and his assistant, Maxie Waxman, will begin negotiations immediately with promoters in cities throughout the United States and Canada to arrange “white hope” eliminations in their areas. Promoters in small cities will send winners to promoters in major sectional cities, and the sectional winners will fight it out in the New York final gathering contest. On Professional Lines. “The whole thing will be on a professional basis,” Dempsey explained. “Even if a boy never had the gloves on before he will turn professional—for the time anyway—when he enters the tourney. He will sign a contract binding him to fight for Jack Dempsey if he comes through and wins the New York final. I will take the winner and probably one or two of the best and give them plenty of schooling before turning them loose in the ring against allcomers, including Louis.” Dempsey said he believed newspapers in many cities would co-operate with him and the local co-promoters. He would try to be present personally at the larger sectional eliminations. Hie emphasised that his tournament would not compete with any amateur or professional schedules in various cities and that onlj) heavy-weights or extremely youthful and classy light-weights would be eligible. He hoped arrangements for • the tourney would be completed in a month or so—“so that the boys can get busy.’ ’