The Washington times., 1935-03-30
Louis Still
FarFrOm
Title Go
BY PAT ROBINSON

ton before the house today is:
Can Joe Louis fight?
Judging him hastily on his 10
round decision over Matte Brown
last night, the answer would be
an emphatic yes. But you might
have given the same answer had
you seen him punching an inof-
fensive bag for 10 rounds.
How well he can fight is still
a matter for debate. Sober Sec
ond thought would make one be-
lieve he is still year away from
a title shot. Today Baer would
surely beat him. A year-or maybe
two-from now he might conceiv-
ably beat Baer.
He has been touted as a MUIR
derous puncher and we had al
most been led to believe that he
would belt out Primo Carnera in
a round or two. And he may do
that very thing. But after seeing
him in action, I'm inclined to
think he'll have his hands full
with Primo. You naturally won
der how he expects to keep Primo
on the deck if he couldn't keep
Brown there. But We'll get the
answer to that one this summer.
Few of Assets
Let's list a few of his assets
and shortcomings on what he
showed against the human shock
absorber from Washington.
First of all, Louis can punch
with a capital P. And with
either hand. But Brown says
he's a Furnishing hitter rather
than a one-punch destroyer.
"He can cut you to ribbons"
Brown told me after the fight.
"He jars you every time he
lands anywhere on your head
or body. He hurts but he can't
punch for my money with
Baer, Tony GalentO or even
RuggeriellO."
There's an opinion straight
from the feed box. Matte went
down for a nine count when
Louis dropped over a short left
hook that didn't travel six inches.
Yet Matte got up, weathered
the round, and for nine more
stanzas took a terrific beating
without once going off his feet.
The Black Buddha-and by the
way, he's just about as express
sionless at all times-hit Brown
with everything in the book. He
split Browns eyes, smashed his
nose, cut his lips, covered the
referee and the ringsiders with
Browns gore and yet couldn't
stop him.
He couldn't stop him for two
reasons: One, because Brown has
hide like rhinoceros and an
awkward style for a 20-year-old
kid to solve-a kid who has had
only II professional fights.
Two, because he is too mex
perienced to open up a cagy old
timer when he has him on the
skids and because he is over
cautious.
Like almost all colored fighters,
Louis is strictly a counter
puncher. He never backs up.
He advances steadily with his
eyes as unchanging as those of a
dead fish and just as expressive
and with his hands held close
to his body. But he never leads.
Out on Feet
Brown was virtually out on his
feet all through the fight. At
times he had his head under the
top rope outside the ring and
his back to Louis, who stood there
pounding him on the kidneys
with both hands. Brown didn't
throw half a dozen real punches
the whole fight and he was no
more dangerous than a Dionne
quintuplet. And yet Louis wouldn't
walk in punching with both hands
and finish him.
Still, he has been well schooled.
He boxes beautifully and against
a better fighter he might have
appeared thousand times better.
He shoots his punches cleanly and
he doesn't clinch or maui. In
fact, what he can do inside I
don't know for he apparently
doesn't care to fight in the
clinches.
He's a sharpshooter who never
fails to take advantage of the
smallest opening, but he does lit
tie or nothing himself to make
thost- openings. =.
Whether he can take a punch
or not I don't know. I have no
reason to doubt that he can. But
the fact remains that so far he
has not yet been up against a
real hitter, or anyone who is
stronger and can rough him
around.
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