Evening star., 1938-06-22
DONOVAN FIGURED
ASARB|TER AGAIN
Explosion Likely if Joe Keeps
Word to Rush Foe From
Beginning.
BY GAYLE TALBOT,
Associated Press Sports Writer,

3ASS0SAoeo0 11coS 0pOr Us WTlLer.
NEW YORK, June 22.-The fight
that has overshadowed all else in the
fistic world for two years comes true at
8 O'Clock, Eastern standard time, to-
night, when Joe Louis, the 24-year- -old
Alabama Negro, defends his heavy
weight championship against Max
Schmeling. the 32-year-old German
ex-champion, at the Yankee Stadium.
A crowd of 10000 Is expected to pack
into the famous baseball arena when
the two gladiators shuttle out to meet
each other under the bright, hot lights.
The throng will have paid close to
$l.000,OO0 to watch the pair belabor
each other for Is rounds or less in the
event of knockout.
Two sons of the President. cabinet
minister and celebrities of every stripe
will be there to watch the bland Ger
man try to repeat the knockout he
scored over Louis two Junes ago in the
same arena, and to witness the efforts
of the young champion to remove that
one blot from his escutcheon.
Louis remains the 1-to-2 favorite In
one Of the biggest betting fights of
recent years, and is the choice Of a
majority Of several hundred experts.
The so-called fight mob" regards
Louis as shoo-in, a virtual cinch,
and Promoter Mike Jacobs is hoping
fervently that the title remains in this
country.
Louis \ Little Bigger.
The two big men, who have no af-
fection for each other, were meeting
at Madison Square Garden at IL noon.
E. S. T., to weigh in and have their
respective pulses clocked by the COM
mission medicine man, Dr. William
Walker. They are of course, not re-
Quired to make stipulated poundage
Louis, in addition to being eight years
younger than his oponent, is a little
taller and heavier, though not enough
to matter.
1t was reported that spectators
were getting as much as 500 for choice
ringside chairs, originally priced at
$50. On the other hand, certain Of
the speculative gentry who stocked up
on "ringsides" back past the 30th
row were said to be unloading at a
loss. At any rate, there is no prospect
of sellout
Schmeling won one small victory
before they entered the ring. The
Boxing Commission recognized his
demand that Louis not be permitted
to wear the Chicago, or big thumb"
glove that the champion has favored
in his recent fights. Both will have
their hamlike hands incased in g.
ounce mitts. buttressed by plenty OF
bandage and tape.
Regular Second Banned.
For the first time in this country,
little Joe Jacobs will not be in the
Germans corner, the commission hav-
ing refused to restore Joe's license as
q second. Some of Schmeling's fol-
lowers regard this as a bad sign, but 1t
doesn't worry Max. Nothing, in fact,
bothers Max except the fact that he
has to pay both United States and
German income tax on his purse,
which will be 20 per cent of the net.
Louis will receive the champions Gus
tomary 40 per cent
The probability is that Arthur Dom
ovan again will be the referee, though
the choice. like that of the two judges,
will not be known until the fighters
are in the ring. There is no question
that the officiating will be scrupulously
honest. The fight crowd has done
everything it can legitimately to in
sure Louis victory, such as making
the veteran German wait two long
years for another crack at Joe's jaw,
but once the bell rings tonight it will
be square fight.
And it might be a great fight. 1t
should be. There is every element that
goes to make a furious, dramatic en-
counter, including an intense desire
for revenge on the part of Louis. He
feels that Schmeling caught him in
1896 before he had matured, when he
was little more than a cocksure kid.
Likely to BE Himself.
The sort of battle it will be depends
almost entirely upon Louis. He has
been growing for several weeks that
he will sprint from his stool and sink
Schmeling under fusillade of blows.
If he tries to do that, the explosion
should be heard in Green Point, and
the ring will be filled with large, fall
ing bodies.
Schmeling, with his right that
shocks like an elephant gun, wants
nothing better. He figures he is Ger
tain to down any fighter who comes
to him throwing punches. If Louis
charges full-bent, the result probably
will be known in the first minute. If
he takes Max's right, shakes it of and
continues to unleash his terrible hooks,
(See LOUIS, Page A-15)