The Washington times., 1937-12-14
HardRgbt
Is did to
MaHie
THOMAS IS GAME
Garden Crowd Sees
German Capture
Decisive Win
BY DAVIS J. WALSH

lntefnaClOnA news Service sports Editor
NEW YORK, Dec. 14.-Having
been on the voluntarily retired
list for a year and a half, Max
Schmeling INDUCED in a little
batting and fungo practice at
Madison Square Garden last night
and, all told, it was a superb sue
cess, thanks to Harry. Thomas, of
Chicago. Thomas did the fielding.
He covered his position beauti.
fully, being all over, as the boys
say. In fact. he was all over the
floor seven times in the seventh
and eighth rounds, with the result
that Referee Arthur Donovan
stepped in and called Thomas out,
possibly for being hit by q batted
ball. It must have been that. No
man coud have done all that rub
ber-legging Just from being hit
with a handful Of fingers.
Oficially. and for the records,
the end came from a right upper.
cut to the body at 1854 Of the
eighth round. Actually, It hap.
pened as soon as Schmeling really
leveled with a right to the chin in
the seventh, dropping Thomas for
the first time in his life as the bell
rang, ending the round. After
that, he was down six times more
in the next three minutes, in.
variably coming up quickly. AS q
matter Of fact, the only thing
faster than that was the way he
went down.
WAITED FOR SUCKER
The whole performance was
methodical, cold, calculating and
completely destructive. Schmeling,
with a strange, mirthless smile
almost Of contempt-Simply looked
'em over carefully, took a count
of three and two; then waited for
the sucker"
There was a crowd of 1925
present when the fight started.
At the. finish? this had suddenly
dwindled to 1922, Heavyweight
Champion Joe Louis and his CO.
managers Black and RoxboroUgh
being headed incontinently. I'D the
aisle toward the most convenient
exit. It was the first time they'd
seen Schmeling since Louis was
lying there in ring, IS months ago,
with his eyes on a line with
Something's shoe laces.
The next time they see him
frankly, it's scheduled 70 be in
June, with the heavyweight cham
pionship at stake. But, after last
night, I'm wondering about that,
which undoubtedly makes at least
two Of us. The other probably is
Louis. -, ..
Schmeling was 81 to win, with
no takers; so the result was quite
without the element of surprise.
But the rest of the evening had
many. In the first place.. the
crowd brushed right on by an anti
Nazi boycott of Schmeling and
almost bought the place out for
$74,1o9.
DNtAOOOOA bOOED
In. the second, Schmeling came
into the ring to get a cheer that
richocheted right off the rafters,
but the ex-champion, James j.
Braddock, was boisterously hooted,
probably because he didn't meet
Schmeling last summer; so was
Louis for no good reason. Maybe
it was because Schmeling wouldn't
meet him. s.
The third surprise was the man.
ner in which Schmeling fought
the first four rounds last night,
Possibly he felt he needed the
practice. Possibly he didn't want
to scare Louis all the way out of
his complexion.
Anyhow, he started out to make
one OF those stand-up fights, Of
which he isn't greatly capable. and
got belted and buffeted around in
a most disorderly way. OF the
first five rounds, gave four to
Thomas and the referee gave the
other to Schmeling, because Harry
twice hit him low in the second
round, 49,
Then suddenly-the change. Il
came with the bell for the fifth,
with Max going down into his
weave and beginning to belt. It
was all over then, with the eighth
round serving as fitting climax,