Evening star., 1936-06-15

Stopped Calling h0und
lack BLACKBURN cuts in-"Thats
y right. Joes pretty near the only
fighter I ever saw who could hit just
as hard with either hand and when
say hit-I mean hit"
Rice-"How many rounds do you
figure Schmelling will go?"
Louis-"I've quit trying to call 'em
now. You can't tell. thought I'd
stop Carnera quick-maybe in two
or three rounds-till I found I
couldn't hit him with short punch.
I couldn't get by that left SO had
to switch and reach him with a longer
swing. I don't know how Schmeling'S
going to fight. He always comes to his
man and If he comes to me some
things got to happen pretty soon
maybe the third or fourth"
Rice-"How do you like road work
and the general grind Of training"
Lsuis-'T like it all. I don't
mind road work-I like to box
and like to fight. get a kick
out of all of it,"
Rice-"What do you figure would
happen If Schmeling hit you with
his right and knocked you down."
Louis-"Ive been knocked down
seven times in my first fight. But I
got up. I'll get up again. But I don't
figure Schmeling is going to knock
me down. If he hits me with right,
ought to be knocked down"
Louis Hard To Tag.
lack BLACKBURN cuts in again
Joe knows he won't have to bother
much about Schmeling's left. He
can watch that right and take care of
it. They always think of Joe as
a good, hard, two-handed puncher.
They sometimes forget he's also pref
ty hard to tag"
Rice-"Has anybody in the last year
hit you hard enough to jolt you or
hurt you any? Who hit you the hard
est punch?" ~-.-..
Louis-"I guess Max Baer did-but
it didn't hurt me any. I mean 1
didn't feel it. I guess he could hurt
you If you let him wind up like Car
nera did"
Rice-"How do you figure attack
and defense, Joe? I mean, how do you
rank them?"
Louis-'1'd say about 70 per
cent attack and 80 per cent de-
fense. When I shuttle I'm look
ing for any chance to land a
punch. But 1 don't aim to take
any more punches than 1 have
to. Why should I? Sometimes
these big boys can hurt you"
Rice-"How do you plan to fight
Schmeling?"
Louis-"Just about the same way as
the others, III just shuttle into him
and paw around with my left and
see what happens. Only don't like
to have either fist cooked or my arms
tied up. 7 like to keep 'em loose so
I can whip EN- from any position
You got to keep your arms loose to
get any speed and any kind Of a
punch"
Never Gets Nervous.
p ICE-"Do you ever get nervous be-
~ fore any Of these fights? Keyed
up and enxious to get going?"
Louis-"Not yet. A fights just a
fight. I never think much about it,
one way or another. I like to take
my time and not hurry too much.
You can't get far hurrying too much.
You can generally learn a lot in that
first round-and know what to do
after that. I like to use that first
round figuring things out"
Rice (later. in private conversation
with Jack Blackburn, Louis being
absent)-"How does Louis actually
look to you, Jack, compared with the
Baer fight?"
Blackburn-"J0e's much bet
ter now than he's ever been.
He's Just as fast and just as
strong-he can punch just as
hard with either hand. But he
knows more-he's Q smarter
fighter.
"You know how much experience
means. That's all Joe has needed
and now he's got it.
We've been croWdlng him pretty
hard-14 fights in one year-but we
knew he could take it and handle it.
Joe took it easy in this camp. He
wasn't trying to kill off any sparring
partners the way he used to. He
was just getting in shape.
He knows lot of things today he
didn't know a year ago. A lot Of
things. always thought Joe Cans
was the best all-around fighter for
his weight ever saw. But I don't
believe Cans had anything on Joe as
boxer or a puncher.
I've seen a long parade of 'em go
by-a long parade-but he's the best
one ever SAVIOR ever expect to see,
boxing or two-handed punching, or
both together. And don't think he
can't take plenty. know"
(Copyright. 1896. By the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc.l