Evening star., 1938-12-28
Hit or Miss, Throws
Punch a Second i
Enemy Permits
Fight Would Have Been
Dull if He Had Not
Crowded Ambers
By GRANTLAND RICE.

BY GRANTLAND RICE.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 2s.-In a
year of unusual and exceptional high
spots-one Of the Mount Everest
years OF sport-a spindle legged
colored fighter by the name Of
Henry Armstrong contributes an
outstanding feat in this respect. He
splits the high-spot division three
ways.
Others have won championships.
But Hammering Henry has won
three championships in three diff
ferent sections of the pugilistic as
sortment, to set new all-time
world record for 1-year turn.
When fighter can take away the
crown in the 126-pound reservation
and then later come along to whip
a fellow as big as Ceferino Garcia
at lat, he must have an elastic sys-
tenn that can retract and expand
beyond normal human power.
After taking over the 126-pound
title Armstrong moved up to the
WelterWeight scramble to take the
147-pound crown from Barney Ross.
Later on he knocked the crown from
Lightweight Champion Lou Ambers
head, to sweep a championship
range of 81 pounds, facing a world
champion In each test. And 81
pounds goes double in the lighter
weights.
I think there was a time
when Harry Greb might have won
the middleweight, light-heavy and
heavyweight titles at his peak-but
the answer is that Greb never did.
Armstrong set his 3-title course and
made good at every offensive.
Armstrong a Gamester.
Armstrong comes fairly close to
being the greatest fighter, pound for
pound, that ever saw. He isn't the
greatest puncher, even at his select
weight He isn't the greatest boxer
in any of his conquered divisions.
But he is as game as any man that
ever stepped into a ring. And he
can throw more stinging leather in
a fight than any man that ever
stepped on the gas.
I once thought that Harry Greb
was marvel in this respect. But
Greb was no Armstrong.
Armstrong could set a pace that
no opponent could hope to match.
He has been tireless in attack. His
sole objective was to overWhelm his
rival-banking on machine-gun fire
against the hoWitzer or the blasting
bigger shells.
Armstrong is far more cunning
and canny than you might suspect.
He gave me his system.
you've written a lot about the
Importance of balance" he said.
You know the part it plays in every
sport. You know when Jack Demp-
sey had time to get his balance all
set just what he could do. But even
Dempsey couldn't. get balanced
against such boxers as Tom Gibbons,
Gene Tunney or Harry Greb (in a
training camp workouD. You can't
do much off balance-unless you are
lucky.
Never Stops Swinging.
so I figure out one of the best
ways was to keep the other fellow
off balance. The only way you can
do this is to pile in on top of him
and keep on top of him. Just never
quit swinging.
Now I understand that Joe Cans
and Benny Leonard could measure
their men and then let go. I can't
do that. I never tried. But I'll tell
you something. 1t might surprise
you to know how hard it is to meas
ure anybody when you have flock
of gloves flying away at your face
and body.
You know" Hammering Henry
said, "even flick on the nose will
upset your balance 1t doesn't take
much to keep fellow from getting
set and socking you.
And here's another angle I
worked out. If you take the often
sive and keep it going the other fel-
low as a rule starts in to protect
himself. He turns from attack to
defense. Nobody likes to keep on
getting hit in the stomach or around
the face. And if he keeps on getting
hit he isn't going to be able to set
himself to land a good, solid punch.
So just keep on throwing punches
as fast as I can and as hard as can.
"I'll miss lot-but I'll land lot.
I keep my head weaving and bobb-
ing, so don't take as many punches
as fans think I take. At least they
don't land solidly. If you keep fast
then the other fellow has to keep
fast, or try to. This doesn't help his
power. He is hurrying his leather.
Must Take Punishment.
Don't forget" he said, there
are times when you have to take
lot of punishment to carry this
through. When I met Ambers I
had a bad lip. Lou had good
uppercut for my style of attack.
He is good, tough, game kid that
you can't scare. He just kept throw
ing that uppercut and most of these
landed on my split lip. 1t wasn't
any fun wading into that uppercut.
I knew what was coming. But I
still had to keep on wading in.
Il just had to take it that night,
swallow my blood, and keep on
swinging If I had stayed away,
then we'd both have looked bad.