The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-06
BILL STRTBLING VAS TRAINED TO BOX FROM CHILDHOOD
Mother Of Promising Young Light-Heavy Says Son Was Destined To Go Into Prize Fight Game

NEW YORK, Jan. 5.-"My boy. Billy. was destined for the so-called prize ring even before his birth. The mother of William Lawrence Stribling, the school boy boxer, was telling the story of how her boy a prospective champion. She was telling the story and at the same time packing up the family belong !ngs as they were in hurry to leave their suite in the Robert Treat hotel, Newark, to catch a train for their sumes his books and studies as a pu- pill of the Macon High school.
 Mrs. Stribling, who looks absurdly young to be the mother of such 2 strappling youth. Is comedy south ern matron with 8 most attractive southern drawl. Yes, she was indeed q busy person as she ordered Pa and the boys to action, but sne wasn't too busy to talk about my boy. Billy"
 We just somehow always knew and expected. MT. Stribling and l. that our boy was to be a great boxer. MT. Stribling," explained Rilly's ma, was a fine athlete as a youth, and the lure of the ring and the desire to be 8 professional boxer was in him from the first day I knew him.
  were little more than children when we married. I was athletically in- clined and played lot of basketball! as a schoolgirl. Only for the obtec- tions of his parents MT. Stribling would have been a professional boxer. First Present Set S 2 or Q Boxing Gloves. When we married I promised my husband that if our first child was a Joy we'd develop him with the idea of some day becoming a champion boxer. It just seemed that one idea was set in our minds. The very first present we ever bought for him was | a tiny pair of boxing gloves. and even as a baby his daddy would have the gloves on his tiny fists and they would play at sparring.
 And I must say that from the first my Billy just took to boxing as nat urally as breathing. Not fighting. mind you, but the art of self-defense as a science and a means of healthy exercise. There's nothing pugnacious about my boy. He never had street fight or a fist fight in school. Three i years after the birth of Billy. my second son, Herbie. came to us. Ad soon the two of them as tots were all ways boxing in preference to any Of the usual games of the kiddies.
 MT, stribling and myself were l stage Iolks anu mayo dppeareu an over the country in big time vaude- vile in our physical culture act. It just seemed we couldn't bear to be parted from our two boys and we used to tote 'em around with us most every place our booking would call us. After a while Billy anu Herbis became 80 proficient in their boxing stunt, 1t was such a pleasing 1 and graceful little exhibition, that we added them to our act. We were l known as the Four Novelty Gra- | hams.
 Boxing Scientific Hit, She Says.
 After Billy had been boxing on the stage for a considerable part ot | four years, and when he was not quite sixteen years old, we decided to yield to his urgings and permit him to make his first professional ring appearance. Of course. l sat at close to him and watched him in ev- cry one of his over eighty matches.
 "Some folks seem to thing I ought to feel nervous when I seen him in the ring exchanging blows with other powerful boxers. But such a thing never enters my mind. To me box ing is just clean physical test to which there is no danger attached so long as the contestants are in perfect coalition. And know when he climbs through the ropes that my boy Billy is in perfect condition. know 1t because I am his trainer. His father and I have worked with him right from the first to build him up into the fine specimen of physical manhood that he Is today.
 Billy always comes up to me just before he enters the ring and kisses
 me and I wish him the best of luck. | I don't have any bad wishes for his