BEST BOXING COMBINED FROM ALL THE STARS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 99, 28 April 1945, Page 20

BEST BOXING COMBINED FROM ALL THE STARS

By GRANTLAND RICE

NEW YORK. Big Jim Jeffries, now close on 70 years old, took the witness stand a few days ago. In his testimony he picked Bob Fitzsimmons and Jim Corbett as the two best heavyweights he'd ever seen — Fitzsimmons as the hardest puncher — Corbett as the greatest boxer.

In all these undecided arguments as to the best heavy-weight, from John L. Sullivan to Joe Louis, Jeff's method might be the only sane procedure, to give each one his rightful place in front of the spotlight of fame. Here, for a starter, is the general idea: No. I—Most aggressive heavyweight, Jack Dempsey. No. 2—Best defensive heavy-weight, Jack Johnson. No. 3—Best boxer: Jim Corbett. No. 4—Most durable, hardest to hurt (in his prime): James J. Jeffries. No. s—Best combined boxer and puncher including both hands: Joe Louis. No. 6—Leading combination of boxer, puncher and ring craft: Bob Fitzsimmons, who won the heavy-weight championship at the age of 35. _ No. 7 — Best-conditioned heavy-weight, and possibly the ring's smartest with what he had: Gene Tunney. This covers most of the needed qualifications for what would make up the world's greatest heavy-weight —Dempsey's aggressiveness — Johnson's defence — Corbett s boxing skin — Jeffries' ruggedness and stamina — the two Louis hands — Fitzsimmons ring craft — Tunney s physical condition plus his coolness and control. . FOi" example, Joe Louis Was a better boxer than Dempsey was, and a better two-handed puncher, since Dempsey's left .was his main assault weapon. But Dempsey, on a general average, had more aggressiveness and ring fire than the usually placid [Louis, and Dempsey could take a harder punch. But could either 'Louis or Dempsey have nailed Jack

Johnson with a winning blow? Could either have battered down the tough and powerful Jeffries of 1902? Punching the Jeffries of that date was like slugging a hydrant with bare hands.

The most spectacular meeting from this list would have been between the Jack-Dempsey of Toledo, 1919, and the Joe Louis who practically annihilated Max Schmehng in their second meeting. Dempsey's first-round assault agairfs", Jess Willard at Toledo was a classic in the way of savage attack, speed, and power. Willard wasn't a bad heavy-weight, and he outweighed Dempsey by at least 701b. Yet Dempsey, after knocking the massive Willard down eight or nine times in that initial round, actually won a first-round decision in spite of a faulty bell. For with Willard completely helpless on the floor, the referee had raised Dempsey's hand as the winner. ' , In that long-ago Toledo brawl, Dempsey, trained to 1831b. gave one of the ring's greatest exhibitions of fury, speed, and power that I've ever seen. Another was the Louis assault on Schmeling in their second meeting, where Joe came close to tearing the German apart in about two minutes. About all he left of Schmellng's system was a floating cartilage and part of a spine. Agninst Jeffries? There is no one who can ever say what would have happened if the Dempsey of Toledj had tangled up with the Louis of the Schmeling debacle. And there is no one who can prove definitely to me that either Dempsey or Louis could have whipped the Jim Jeffries of more than forty years ago—a 2121b athlete who could run the 100 yds dash close in ten seconds —who could jump close to 6ft; who in his second meeting outboxed Corbett (Corbett's own who could punch and who, in addition, could absorb the blows of a battleaxe as-»open iuds absorb t' '3W.

I'm not speaking of the fat and partly bald Jeffries, years away from training and the ring, who lost to Johnson. For each fighter must be judged in his prime—not after he has passed over the hill with little left from what he had at his best. In their primes I'll string with Jeffries, Dempsey, and Louis— taken in any order you might care to arrange.—Auckland Star and N.A.N.A.