Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-09
JACK TO Be All
I CHOICE THURSDAY
Betting PIeases Max, How
ever, as Favorites Usually
Are Beaten.
BY EDWARD ]. NEIL,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

n 7 EW YORK, June 9.-The
N rank and file of flstiana,
y from the high-powered eX-
pertS down to the two
dollar seat boys who will perch
in the bleacherS at the Yankee
Stadium Thursday night, are
hailing Jack Sharkey today as
the next heavyweight champion
of the world And Max Schmel-
ing, the German challenger, would
not have it otherwise.
Three days before the 15-round
battls in the big American League ball
park. where possibly 10000 of the faith
full will gather to yell for their IA
vorite and pay homage to the new
king of the prize ring, the odds are
climbing steadily in Sharkey's favor.
was made, then 7-to-5 favorite.
to S, and now he is becoming a 2-to-l
shot to beat back the bid of the hard
hitting young Teuton.
But, strangely enough, the under dog
in a heavyweight title tilt always feels
surest of victory. The records of the
prize ring, going back into the earliest
championship struggles of modern
times. show few instances where the
L. Sullivan, Jim Corbett, Bob Fitzsim-
mons. Jim Jeffries. Jack Johnson. jess
Willard, Jack Dempsey, all lost the
title in bouts in which they were IA
vorites.
Why Jack Has Edge.
Sharkey has gained the betting edge,
although wagering has been light, be-
cause of his trained left hand, sharp
right, boxing skill and experience. He
punches we'll to the body, where the
Germans ability to take it" is I'M
known. He is the larger, stronger,
more polished of the two.
Any question of condition must seem
to be answered in the Boston sailors
favor. He has trained slowly and
evenly and is steadily approaching the
1876 pounds he hopes to weigh Thurs
day night He has restricted himself
entirely to boxing both as his business
and his paStime.
Schmeiing has been seriously ham,
pered by fear of going stale, lack OF ex-
cess weight to work against and the
necessity of keeping fine edge. reached
too early. The German puncher, too
seems to have gone slightly golf crazy,
and one day, when he should have been
resting, shot SO holes under feverish
sun At times he acts as though he
were training for the national open at
N1lnnbdpO1IS. lii lAlICC "ECho AAS has
brought his best scores for 18 holes
from $50 strokes to 10l.
Rushers Bother Sharkey.
Yet Sharkey always has had trouble
with rushing, puncher fighters of
Schmeling's type, though he also has
displayed marked ability to absorb
punishment Johnny Risko and Tom
Heeney charged the Boston Sailor out
Of one chance at the championship. and
the most aggressive warrior of them all,
Jack Dempsey. knocked him out.
The fear of the Sharkey wagerers rest
in his mental instability. Jack has the
class" the boys rate so highly, but he
also has the discouraging habit of toss
ing aside his boxing ability to fight the
other fellows fight in the heat of
close hard match.
Schmeling is cool and calm, of typi-
cally even German temperament. He
hits hard enough to take full and last
ing advantage of one Sharkey mistake.
He has everything to win and nothing
to lose.
A former lightweight champion
watched Sharkey lose his temper and
swing wildly at a sparring partner in
training the other day. He nodded
wisely and made this sage remark
He'll 90 that just once with Schmel-
ing, and they'll be telling him in the
dressing room what happened"