Evening star., 1932-08-08
RING METHUSELAHS
STILL PACK PUNCH
Wills, BartfieId Win With
KayOeS, Leonard Forces
Serious Attention.
BY WILBUR WOOD.

N r EW YORK, August 8.-Who said
! boxing was a young mans
! game? Last week Harry Wills
and Soldier Bartf1eld, two tot
tering old gents, chalked up one-round
! knockoutS. Benny Leonard another
pugilistic graybeard. is to meet Paulit
| Walker at Ebbets Field Wednesday night
| in the weeks feature hereabout. Next
week Johnny Dundee. who has been or
the SidelineS for years, will put on the
gloves at Fort Hamilton.
Leonard is the only one of them who
is taken seriously When Benjamin
than a year ago he was a rather comical
sight, his big body quiyering jellylike Or
| legs that seemed inadequate to support
the weight. To those who had seen him
in the days of his greatness it was a
pitiful sight.
Somebody ought to tell him to quit
making himself look ridiculous" spoke a
veteran follower of the sport. He can't
come back. None of 'em can"
DUT nobody told Benjamin he was
- making himself look ridiculous. 1t
wouldn't have done any good He
had decided to come back and was not
taking advice from any one
Leonard must have gone through the
tortures of the damned in those first
few months in the gymnasium. Nobody
who has never tried it can realize how
much courage it requires to stick to the
grind.
A year ago he thought he was ready.
He was matched with Paulie Walker
in the Garden. The boxing commits
sion stepped in with an announcement
that Benny would have to demonstrate
his fitness at the smaller clubs before
he would be allowed to show in the
Garden.
So Leonard was paired with Pal Sill
verS at the Greensboro Stadium. 1t
was painful experience. Benny won
on knockout in the second round, but
the less said about 1t the better. Leon
ard showed that he was far from being
ready.
Ninety-nine out of q hundred would
have folded up for good after what hap
pened at the Greensboro. Not Leonard.
He began to move around the fringes
Of the metropolitan district, meeting
carefully selected hams and gradually
fighting himself into shape.
IT is doubtful If Leonard got as much
i kick out OF his victory over Freddy
Welsh for the lightweight title as
he did in battling out clean-cut tri-
umph over Billy Townsend at the
Queenbsoro Stadium not quite two
weeks ago.
In that battle Leonard convinced
himself and the last of the doubling
ThomaSes that he really can fight. He
isn't the old Leonard, he couldn't be,
but he is pretty good. And as time
passes he should be better.
Paulie Walker is an earnest and
worthy young man, good enough to fight
any Of the boys in the game today. But
if Leonard flashes the stuff he exhibited
in the last half of the Townsend fight
young Mr.. Walker will realize that there
are many things in the Queensberry
book which he never before knew ex-
iSted.
Hlmbert ]. Fugazy has arranged a
semi-fnal to the Leonard d-Walker tilt
that should be slugfest extraordinary.
The figures in it vii! b. Townsend and
Bat Battalino. Neither has much use
for the scientific features Of the game
They like the simplifed sport in which
fellow merely steps in with punch
and keeps stepping in until he either
hits the other fellow on the Whtskers or
is hit there himself.