The Washington times., 1930-03-01
.BOSTONGOB
IS At PEAK
Of CAREER
BY KIRK MILLER
Times Sports Editor

late next June IN New York Ior
the heavyweight championship Of
the world. and, while only their
meeting itself can give q definite
answer to such 4 question, the
subject is splendid food for
thought now and win be through.
out the next four months.
There are those here who he
Iieve both ways, but we are in
cIined to think those who side
with Schmeling are doing so
through a personal dislike for
Snarkey. one Of the most person.
ally unpopular fighters Of the
present era In view Of the fact
Gene Tunney is already out Of
the ring.
sharkey fought fights against
Tommy Loughran and Phil Scott
like he seldom ever fought before.
He was the tiger. He was the
reckless open. seething venge-
arlce.seeking mad man that
Dempsey was against Tunney.
In both the Loughran and
Scott fights, Sharkey threw
aIl care to the winds and
operated with an abandon
that is hard TO thWart.
1t looked to us throughout the
Scott fight particularly. as well
as throughout the Loughran fight
which bears out the angle at
which we are getting, that Shar;
key was trying to put over one
punch which would have finished
his man for good.
In the case Of Loughran, the
system worked. In the case Of
Scott, 1t didn't, because SCOTS ell
bows and forearrns were always in
there blocking. But Sharkey
fought Scott desperately and ur-
necessarily riskfully, as If he
thought the very matching of
the Englishman with him was
an offense to his pride.
BY the time Schmeling meets
Sharkey, he will be a year older.
Not a year older in actual fight
ing experience, but he will have
taken on some additional weight
and Of course some additional
ring knowledge, particularly about
Sharkey, who has put the Lough-
ran and Scott fights behind him
since Schmeling was last in a
competitive ring.
Don't think Schmeling, and his
manager Billy Jacobs, haven't
been studying Sharkey's style.
even from afar, don't think they
don't know, just as we all know,
that Sharkey is right now at the
peak of his ring career. Don't
think they are not cody and
cleverly and In the typically Ger.
man methodical manner calcuiat-
ing how they can become the
instrument of starting Sharkey
down hill from the high poi It
Of his pugilistic ascension. That
is the very thing they naturally
hope to do in the milk fund fight
Of next SKINNER.
But will they? We, for
one, doubt 1t. There was a
time when we thought
SchmeIing might take
Sharkey, but Sharkey hadn't
turned savage as he has re.
Gently.
The newspaper men breaking
camp here today are about
equally divided as to which is
the better man as between
Schmeling and Sharkey, but IL
some Of the ones who are stick
ing by Schmeling would be frank
enough with themselves to admit
that half Of their loyalty toward
the German is inspired for a
long indifference toward Sharkey,
the scales would balance very
definitely in behalf of Sharkey.
Witness the attitude of the
people in Thursday nights fight.
Because Sharkey is an American
the public was for him, yet the
three or four solid blows Scott
got in from time to time, were
Justify cheered and showed any
kind of decent effort by Scott
would have quickly turned the
tide Of sentiment toward the in.
vader.
The fight public tOIerateg
Sharkey, because he has sur
viyed all competition. In spite
Of himself and his former
record for indifferent fight.
Ing.
That tolerance was reversed
every time Scott struck back. BY
such logic, many still protest
Schmeling is Jacks peer, but, If
Sharkey keeps the fighting edge,
the fighting trim, the eagerness
TO become champion and the
general morale with which he
entered the Loughran and Scott
fights, We do not believe the com
paratively inexperienced. tough
Schmeling can cut him down.
The amicable and angelic
minded Scott was as much out
Of place In that ring as YOU and
/. dear readers, would be in a
brewery. yet Sharkes', always
ahead, brought about a finish
over which there win ever be as
much contention as there was
about the famous seventh round
ia Chicago.