The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1936-12-31
ODD BOUT SET.
FOR maine RING
FANS TOMORROW
Bill Withee, Aged 10 to
Box IS Year Old Pro-
mOtOr-TwO Rounds
BY ERNEST BARCELLA

UNITED Press StaH Correspondent
Rockland. Me-, Dec. 3l-(UP)-
Gray-haired William Albert (Ban-
gor Bid withee, only 70. and Oliver
RacklifR (Maymaker) Hamlin, q
mere kid Of IS, completed training
today for their stupendous Maine
potato bowl" grudge fight here
New Years day.
The lads will box two rounds-or
less (they hope) at the Tillson ave-
nue. stadium Gust around the corner
from the Atlantic ocean,.
There's been talk the law would
step In and halt the May December
bout. Pshawl Tain't sol
Nobody has complained to me
about this fight" said Knox County
Attorney jerome Burrows, who Is
the law. Il see no reason why I
should interfere"
So 1t seems safe that this one
won't be declared unconstitutional.
On the eve Of the battle, both boys
were trained down fine. Hamlin, To-
cal boxing promoter, had worked
himself down to 1853 pounds through
o strict routine Of bag-punching and
sleep.
As for Withee, why he's not even
worrying. Bangor Bills been shad-
ow boxing for 80 years-just waiting
for an opportunity like this. All
that swinging against a phantom foe
plus his daily cereal have enabled
iii to whittle his six-foot frame
glcwn to 1874 pounds. (Ie had to sac
RICE weight to develop that ter
ztA: uppercut Of his).
feeling was running pretty high
- both camps. It all started a
couple weeks ago when Bangor Bill
attended one Of Hamlin's weekly
poxin{ shows.
bachelor Bill, who had twice seen
ne Immortal John L. Sullivan in
rEion and himself had trained
ss1 netime light heavyweight
csasppi0n Mike Daley Of Bangor,
lsad hia own ideas about how q
2aA4 fighter should perform, by
aepii ind that wasn't the way
EaHnns fighters were doing 1t, so
ca Siii contributed very noticeable
Break cheers.
Hamlin fiippantly remarked he'd
like to make Bill eat his words In
the ring. Withee promptly hurled
formal challenge back at Hamlin
who accepted.
Freight propaganda emanating
from Hamlin's camp revealed some
thing that apparently is intended to
shake Withee's confidence. Hamlin
claims he has IS IL inch biceps.
It's obvious the state ballot law
commission will institute a recount.
Other statistics from Hamlin,s
headquarters show that the Rock
1and-born youth Is the son of
Names one-time strong man.
John Edmund Hamlin: that he is
Names youngest World war vet
eran; that he Is the father Of four
children-all boys: and that he has
participated In 104 bouts, losing only
~ and winning SO by knockouts,
You'd get the idea from such a
record that Hamlin will have the
edge In experience. But that
wouldn't be doing Justice to Bangor
Bill, former coal-heaver, Grand
Rapids. Mich, policeman, stage
driver and presently clerk at q local
hotel.
I Fact Is Bill will have a decided
edge In experience. Not so much
because he's fought so battles be-,
hind closed doors and many more
IN prize rings. No sir. It's because
he started throwing punches when
ne was six years old. Honest. Well.
that's what he claims, anyway.
/ Meanwhile last-minute bulletins
from rival camps read like this:
Hamlin: II can beat Withee the
nrst time 7 hit him"
Withee: 1--WE got "a years. expe-
eience behind me. I'll knock him
out IN the second round. I'm going
in there to lick him, not to out
point him. Why, I'm the fastest
man with gloves in the world
without O doubt"