, 1935-09-25

Copyright. 1885. tP1)

VCOpyIl6uLs 1899, hJJ
NEW YORK, Sept. rs. up - A
psychological knockout beat Max
Baer as much as Joe Louis mighty
punch.
This psychological Knockout be-
gan in the dressing room five min
utes before the fight. Baer, Jack
Dempsey and Billy Mccartney were
alone in the shower room.
Max" said McCarney, Go In
there fighting at the gong. Don't
box that fellow or he viii murder
you.
Yes" cut in Dempsey. There
viii be no boxing"
IN 60 in fighting" Baer PROM
ised.
Which Is exactly opposite TO
what he did do.
What happened to Baer in the
dressing room, the psychological
knockout there, was the climax Of
training camp events.
AT camp there was always a gap
between him and his trainers. He
did not succeed well in taking ad-
vice. Read avidly everything about
Ruis. about his own conditioning.
asked everyone how ne looked to
them.
In phantasy he was brooding.
lie Wsualized himself and his OPP
ponent in detail. II he could have
talked freely with someone, IL
might have helped. But he posed
as a superman, tried to fool him
self ana everyone. Surrounded by
friends. he was In fact q solitaire.
His body became stronger but
his mind became more desperate IS
the fight neared. Seeking a last
straw, ne asked Dempsey to be his
second.
But when he had Dempsey In
the dressing room, nothing hap
pened to change the fact that Max
Baer In his Mysterious self was
still alone. He listened but could
not absorb Dempsey's suggestions.
When he entered the fight there
were two men fighting against
him. One was the real Louis, peer
ing at him. The other was the
ghost OF Louis, which his smagina-
ton had built UP before the fight.
Louis showed some surprises. He
did not fight by instinct alone-he
was thinking. He was not the
automaton In the hands Of his
trainer which the fans had been
told to expect.
He was an independent Louis. or
more so than we had believed,
making decisions on the spur OF the
moment.
I think Baer took him by sur
prise. He expected q different
Baer, a wild swinger, q vicious at
tack carried to him. He waited pa
tiently for this. His attitude at the
start vas hesitating, watching.
He found out in these moments
IN the ring things which his Train
er Jack Blackburn could not tell
him. He felt through a psychology
of his own that Baer had no de-
tense against him.
Maybe In these moments the
adolescent Louis became a man.
Louis showed also intelligence OF
q sort concerning which little has
been written. A real test Of intel
A&cLCC-OuC VI LlC DCcb-Ab Tie
ability to live through the actual
moments as they confront one, and
not let the present instant be over
Swallowed by moments OF the past
or the future.
Louis showed something else also.
q form Of intelligence In which his
race is likely to excel. The white
mans civilization has the sad dis
tinction Of training mind and body
apart from each other.
There have been civilizations
more primitive but wiser than ours
In this respect. They knew a CO.
ordination between the two. an
intelligence which cannot be dis
covered except in action.
Joe Louis showed this Tuesday
night. Though he was fighting, in
some Of his movements there was
ar almost spiritual grace. He was
able to think while moving his arms
and legs, without marring or losing
any OF the skin Of hts physical
movements.