Originally posted by Bronson66
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There's a great picture of 1970 Joe after whooping Ali in MSG attending a ring ceremony were he presents a recognition award to Jack who's flanked by Jack Sharkey who looks feeble, Georges Carpentier who looks dapper but skinny, and Gene Tunney who looks well over 250 lbs. Joe superdapper in a sharp pinstripe suit still at his fight weight being not so long from his Ali fight. Jack looks as sharp as Joe and ready to rumble that those poor thugs that tried to mug him after the Ali fight found out.
Joe Frazier was putting on the long rubber trunks he wears under his green tights when Jack Dempsey entered the room.
“How you doin', son,” the old champion said.
“Hey,” replied Frazier, “what's happenin'.”
It happens before every big fight. One of the legendary champions is imported not so much to inspect the glad iators, but to talk to reporters about them and to have his picture taken with them. It's part of the publicity. And in the Felt Forum yesterday, Jack Dempsey was on dis play.
At the age of 74, he was walking tall, his wide shoul ders and hard stomach inside a dark blue suit, a red sweater and a red‐and‐gray tie. His iron gray hair was thick. His classic toughness has remained in his rugged features. He looks as a legendary champion really should look.
“Hey,” said Frazier's man ager, Yancey Durham, his knees bending as he shook hands with Dempsey, “feel this man's grip.”
Frazier put out his right hand cautiously, not wanting to risk even the slightest soreness from Dempsey's handshake. But the old cham pion didn't exert any pres sure when they shook hands.
“Good hands,” Frazier said, respectfully. “Good hands.”
Dempsey remembered vis iting Jack Johnson's training camp at Reno, Nev., in 1910 prior to Johnson's famous bout with Jim Jeffries.
“I was 15 years old then,” he was saying. “I saw him train, he was a great fighter. Today's fighters are good, too, but we had more ex perience and background. The old‐timers were better be cause they had more fights. I had a couple hundred fights out in Colorado and Nevada as a kid out there.
“Most of them were in saloons, but we had gloves. There was no ring, the peo ple just would step back and we'd go at it until the crowd decided there was a winner. And then they'd pass the hat for your money. I won some, I lost some. But that's what mean by experience and background then.”
But as famous as Dempsey becamb, Frazier was unaware of him until a few years ago.
“I was about 17 when I got interested in boxing,” Frazier said, “and the guys I remember hearing about were Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robin son, Hurricane Jackson and Bobo Brazil.”
“Bobo Brazil,” said Dur ham, “he's a rassler.”
Praise From a Master
His hands were taped by now and Frazier, recognized as the world heavyweight champion in six states, put on his green satin robe and went out to spar. He worked six rounds, and the last one was shortened after he dropped Billy (Moleman) Wil liams with a left hook.
“He's a rough, tough kid,” said Dempsey, sitting at ring side. “He can take you out with a punch, he's on top of you”
Not long after that, Jimmy Ellis, the World Boxing Association champion who will oppose Frazier in their heavyweight title showdown Feb. 16 at Madison Square Garden, arrived for his workout.
“Good luck, son,” Dempsey told him.
“Thank you very much, Mister Dempsey.”
Ellis also floored a spar ring partner, Eddie Williams, with a right hand in his fourth round.
“This guy's a boxer,” Jack Dempsey said. “I think I'll pick a draw
and let the best man win.”
max baer
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