Ran across a very interesting interview with the great Tommy Loughran that was done in 1952. Thought I would share some of his comments. Regarding his loss the Stribling, he had this to say... "Some people suspected I threw it. I didn't use my left hand. I couldn't lift it. Stribling broke one of my ribs in an early round. It was agony to hold my left waist high. I was vindicated two years later when I beat Stribling in Brooklyn." "Carpentier was a game Frenchman from the coal mines. He was fast, resourceful and a sharp puncher. Carpentier combed his hair slick. Maybe that's why Americans didn't give him credit." "Lomski wasn't called the Aberdeen Assassin for nothing. He was murderous. He had me on the canvas twice in the first round. I didn't come to until the fifth. Then I went on to outpoint him in 15 in New York." "Greb was a whirlwind. He loved to fight for sheer pleasure. He had remarkable legs and wind. Dempsey would have no part of him." On sparring with Dempsey... "Jack boxed two rounds with Big Bill Tate, two with Marty Burke and one with me. I was supposed to go two, but one was enough. I was shocked. Here I was sticking my left in Dempsey's face without half trying, I landed my right inside his left hook and knocked him back. And I'm no puncher. That night I told Ed Van Every that I was convinced Tunney would beat Dempsey." "(Today's boxers, i.e. 1952 boxers) are not bums. They are the product of an age. In 1920 when I was at my peak my generation was descried as bums. Twenty years from now, the 1952 crop will be held up as a standard to the 1972 crop. Oldsters have been belittling youngsters since the world began." "Fighters today are quicker. There is more nervous tension in every occupation. Fighters are jumpy and fast. They are not so rugged and don't have the stamina. The automobile and other luxuries have depressed the value of endurance."
I enjoyed that a lot. About him with Jack, I'd believe it. I particularly enjoyed the highlighted portion. Classy. Everything I read about Tommy gives me the impression of a keen mind with an air of humility about him.
This is just gold. Loughran, Tunney, Conn, and Benny Leonard are just gold when they talk about boxing. They articulate their insights in a way that makes sense to me.
I think that’s from Peter Hellers book. There is also parts where Tommy isn’t so humble, and rightly so.
A reporter named James Dawson told a different t version of Tommy’s sparring with Dempsey. Perhaps they sparred more than once? “Loughran put a crisp right uppercut on Dempsey’s nose. It bled, A trainer, Jimmy Luvadis, said, “That’s enough champ”. Dempsey said “no, no, that’s all right, another round more.” He bang beating Loughran to the punch. At the end of next sparring round, it was Loughran’s nose that bled.” “He’s in great shape,” Loughran told reporters. He’s hitting snappy. His timing and balance are good. His punches are hard. He’s on his toes all the time, crowding you all over the ring, not giving you a chance to get up an attack of your own.” From, A Flame of Pure Fire, page 395.
Here's the AP report of their sparring session on Sept. 10. "Tommy Loughran 175 pound dynamo from Philadelphia gave Jack Dempsey... the most aggressive workout Dempsey has experienced since he started training for his title contest against Tunney. Loughran, boxing Dempsey for the first time, stepped two wicked rounds with the champion. He carried Dempsey along at a terrific pace, forcing him to extend himself to the limit to avoid being shown up. Loughran, a masterful boxer, had no trouble in popping straight lefts into Dempsey's reddened face and shooting over rights to the chin. Dempsey apparently did not enjoy the spectacle of being on the receiving end. Twice he crowded Loughran into the ropes, cutting loose with a flurry of punches as if he was fighting in earnest. In the second round, after Loughran had nailed Dempsey with a left hood, Jack drove a left to the pit of the stomach that slowed Loughran up. A few seconds later Loughran jerked Dempsey off balance as he was coming in and the champion sprawled into the ropes, nearly falling down."
It’s also fair to note that at the time he sparred Dempsey, Tommy was at his peak, and very active that year. Jack was coming off a 3-year layoff when he sparred Loughran. He was also seven years older than Tommy closing in on the end of his career.
Great stuff, including the point about stamina. Man and his beasts of burden ( Horses, Mules, and Dogs ) break down easier today. I don't know exacly why.
Probably mostly just perception. I think it's a valid point though, to mention (especially now, compared with even 1952 or 1972 or 1982) that things are made so much more readily available to us all now. Back then, accessing anything took concerted effort. Now, it's all at our fingertips. There may be other ancillary difficulties inherent in this newfound ease of acquisition but there is also the real and perhaps even more important perception of softness and idleness that goes along with 21st Century life. Loughran shows very keen perception here, interesting and I think accurate take on things.
