The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1937-02-05
COLLEGE BOXER
DEATH SHOWS
NEED OF CHANGE
Poor Matches and Lack of
Training Prominent in
College Sport
BY RICHARD MCCAIN
fNEA Service Sports Writer)

BY RICHARD MCCAIN
(NEA Service Sports Writer)
Bill Eastman, his youthful pink
cheeks speckled with blood and
splotched with angry red welts,
stumbled down out of the ring and
spluttered protests to his coach.
Why'd you stop it? Why'd you
stop it? could've gotten up"
Billy Slouched down disgustedly
into his seat on the bench with the
rest Of the Virginia Military Insti-
tute boxing squad to watch his fell
low student-hghters carry on against
the University of Maryland team.
Nobody knew 1t, but he was dying
then.
During the course Of the next bout,
Billy, who said he could've gotten
up again, fell limp against the
shoulder Of a teammate and his
blood-crusted lips turned blue.
He died a few hours later.
It Is to be hoped that his death
In Lexington, Va, may prove to be
another shot heard around the
world-like the one that started a
revolution at the other Lexington.
And perhaps he will not have died
In vain, and maybe he has been a
martyr to a cause and will bring
about q reform, If not complete
abolition, Of college boxing
-
Unequal Matches
Cadet William Judson Eastman
18-year-old sophomore and scion of
a good Washington. d. G.. family
was the victim of COLLEGIATE mis-,
matching. His death was accidental
to be sure, but it could have beer
avoided, should have been avoided
Young eastman wasn't matched
with the murdero,,s-p,1nchinp Mike
Lombardo. a tried and tr,,e Veteran
because It appeared to he a rood
match. Young Eastbam was matched
with Lombardo onlv because his "
M. I. team was matched WITH Morv
land and because he and IombarSo
each weighed 155 pounds w.
.J,st tn sho,,, ,,o,, 49,, .;,,,,
when a how has diedo"tha u,,, ~
set-up is. Imagine a FIGHT mara nar
saving to another fiobt monaaar
"Say. Joe. I'VE cot eight finhters
each in a different we,oht: 49,,
about matching 'em with vo,,r o;aht
fighters, huh?"
No thought whatever &c N
whether .Toe,s featbsrwe,o,,t +ou
instance. might he the world c,ono
pion and the other .featherwo;aht
might be inst making his Sah,,t
WouId anv hoyino con,no;sS,,,
tolerate such matchmakinoo
Most emphaticallv NOT On,o.
nents in the nroSess;onai ,;, C Ply.
be comparatiyely equal In abiIitv '
On the other hand-and Il ioops
like blood on this hand-co,Iena
boxers are seldom equally matcheG
Teams may be. but not the indivi"
duals. And though the score of a
team match NAV be "a each of tho
bouts may have been a nitif,l mic
match, like the Eastham-T omba r11o
bout. w
Poorly Conditioned
But even if the bows are eo,,a1,v
matched In ability and experience T.
does not naturally follow that thew
should be in there catching heavy
punches on the head and in the
stomach. Many of them Won sec
aren't properly conditioned for s,,ch
a pastime.
You may be right off the football,
team and rugged enough to NAV
four full quarters in a tough pame
but that doesn't mean that vol, con
take lusty right hand in the stom-
ach or stand the fury of fists around
your eyes.
Professional boxers train the year
round. College boxers don't renort
to coaches and trainers ,,,,+ii