The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-02-19

OllG dkdlLl lS uOluIilB IIlC 1cII champion.
 Since his defeat of Max Schmel- ing, Steve's services are much in demand. Rival promoters are fighting to get his name on the line, but 1t seems that Jack Demp- sey has the inside track, offering Hamas a bout with Max Baer.
 Venerable Charley, who toddles hither and yon with his cane, and whose greatest blasphemy Is "jimminy-ginger-c had near-champ in Honest Thomas Heeney, the piece of llgnum vitae from down under" Charley brought Tom from far down in the list to convince Gene Tunney, de- spite the arguments of Tex Rick ard, that Heeney was the guy Gene should take on in his last heavy weight title defense.
 If you'll recall, Tunney got $525,- 900 and Heeney got $110,0O0 for that fight--and Madison Square Garden went in the hole.
 Experienced
 Charley Harvey is a wise old gentleman who knows where to put in his oar and when to pull 1t. The recent battle between Hamas and Schmeling in Philadelphia is an- other instance of his business acu- men.
 Schmeling would fight King Lev1nsky, everyone said, until Lena Levy, the Kingfishs sister and manager, beefed about Joe Jacobs and his Black Uhlan taking from 35 to 40 per cent of the gate. That nettled Jacobs, and he signed to fight Hamas, figured as a setup.
 But Penn State Hamas spilled the dope. In one battle he boost ed himself from 18th ranking among the heavies at the begin ming of the year to fifth place by his decisive defeat of Schmeling. He now rates behind Camera, Baer, Loughran and Levinsky-- and many would put him in fourth place.
 Young Stevie has come a long way under the man who brought more horizontal English pugs to American shores than any other manager. Charley saw him shortly after he had copped all the ath- 1etio honors Penn State had to offer. Steve won II letters-more than any other man in the schools history-in boxing, football, la cronse, track, and basketball. He had topped off his career by win ninm the intercollegiate heavy weight title when he met Harvey.
 Hamas wanted to turn pro and asked Harvey to handle him. But the astute old codger turned down the offer "because he was such fine kid" That made Steve a bit peeved, so he went west on his own hook and came back with a knock out that made Charley blink. Right then and there he took over the young man, and so started career featuring 0 string of 20<consecutive knockouts.
 The cx-collegian's victory over Schm cling is doubly creditable be- cause 1t was the one big fight in his comeback career. Previous to the Schmelng bout, he high spot of his march was the knockout of Tommy Loughran in 1882. After that he lost to Lee Ramage, copped a close decision from Loughran, and then dropped the nod to the Philadelphia dancing master in q third fight. That's whom the boys began to think he was washed up
 Classy
 But Steve had an alibi for that loss. An old football leg injury popped up to give him q lot of trouble. and he had an operation to remedy it.
 The 25-year- mlttman has all it takes to make a champion with the possible exception of a highly developed destructive in- stinct. Against Schmeling he showed a left hand second only to Tommy Loughran's-and from the number of times he has fought Tommy, he must have picked up his pointers from the Philadel- phian. He has the bobbing and weaving tactics of Dempsey, and some of the calculating style of Tunney. He Is one of the few col 1ege graduates in the ring to-day.
 A bit more practice with that right hand, couple of months diets of raw meat, and young Mir Hamas will be ready to go places against the next barrier in his path Max Raer