The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-10-30
by Harry .|OIraysOn
Steele Furnishes Added Proof Boxer Can Do Big
 Job With Small Hands

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 Freddie Steel has thrice cracked boxing gloves wide open by sheer seeking power. The world middle- weight champion has knocked out more than half of 100 opponents and had 98 percent of his rivals in the resin.
 Yet Steele has small. delicate look- ing hands.
 Contrary to the general beliefs the hands of many great hitters were small. The original Jsck Dempsey, the Nonpareil, had uns usually little hands. Kid McCoys were small and shapely.
 His tremendous hitting force has left ridges on the back or Jimmy McLarnin,s dukes, which are not big. Benny Leonarda hands were not exceptionally large, and he had the long, graceful fine gers of the plano player. Tony Cans zoneri has the hands of O. girl. lt is difficult to understand how they stood up under murderous pounn- ing against bone and muscle, yes Canzoneri never has had the slight est trouble with them.
 Other boxers whose hands were of the prescribed size had to nurse them constantly. Gene Tunney, for example, had to go into the Maine woods and swing an ax to ready hia fists for the wearing campaign thav carried him to the heavyweight leadership. For months he carried hard rubber ball, and everlasting Iy squeezed it.
 Steele and BaIsamo to
 Remain Middleweights
 Harry Balsamo. against whom Steele undoubtedly will defend hia title under New York skies next spring, has enormous hands and wrists developed working as Q brakeman in a New York subway. Balsamo, already counting his middleweight chickens, speaks of conceding poundage to and fighting Joe Louis. The Italian kid from Harlem's east side would have to spot Louis many pounds, for ho hasn't grown Q lick in three years. He scaled the same as an amateur as he does now, just under l6O pounds. No hitter could spot Louis as much weight as Balsamo would have to and get away with 1t.
 Neither Steele nor Balsamo D likely to get much bigger until It is too late for the added poundage to do them any good in 8 pugtlistic sense. In the case of Balsamo, they declare that his mean dispo- sition prevents his taking on weight. Hammering Harry is an ornery cuss, who tells you what he'll do to rivals before and after each contest.
 Elliott Metcalf, the Tacoma sports editor, sends me photograph or the glove Steele cracked open with right hand punch crashed to the back of Allen Matthews cheek bone the other night. Matthews is St. Louis Negro who isn't the worse middleweight around. He has 8 long, snaky left, accurate enough to be bothersome. a pretty fair right plus real courage and generalship. Yet Steele defeated him handily m Seattle.
 Freddie and Harry Have
 Proved They Can Take It
 It appeared as though Matthews would 20 out when Steele belted him in the eighth, but i've minute de. lay while another glove was brougnt and put on gave the colored clouter the strength required to make ls the rest of the way.
 Steele broke another glove In put- ting Sammy O,Dell away in single heat. He cracked another in from ing out Jackie Aldare of Brooklyn in the second spasm.
 There is no getting away rom the fact that both Steele and Bal samo have thunder in their knuckles. Bob Fitzsimmons used 70 bust punching bag ropes, which were started in twain with knife. This was to impress camp followers. But Steele cracks leather wide open on jaws and heads.
 Metcalf and others who have seen much of Steele express the opiniom that he can catch equally as weD as he can pitch. Balsamo proved that he could take 1t when he got of the floor after being dropped py Paul Pirrone, who can do plenty ol hitting on hsi own account. Steel and Balsamo, two-gun men c$ fha hennen s0tIare. ought to turn