The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1938-06-03

ARMSTRONG
lAkE.S EASY
v ~ 1 UlN \
LITTLE HENRY CLAIMS
THREE DIVISIONS no
JOIN RING lMMoRTALS.
BY RAY" ENGLAND

ne story or Lille DaViu Wnl
went out to bash the skull of ths
L4~a- ao.ia n Will i've as long al
man persists in his never ending
struggle against man. The survival
of the fittest has always been the
plain road to glory and conquest.
Yet, in America where science is the
watch word, and bodies are built in
terms of calories and alphabetical
vitamins, and prize fighters seek
their own divisional level, we are
told grimly conscientious couriers
from the dead past that good
little men never emerge victorious
over "good" big men. Up to this
period this nation hadn't quite got
around to that levity in between
where we might bring up the all
important question: Just how good
is good?
Last Tuesday night in Long Is
land City, New York, dark, destruc-
tiv eHenry Armstrong, tipping the
grocery scales with 1913 pounds of
pure, whole bone, whang leasher and
slam bang fighting savvy, spotted
his man two divisions and lifted the
priced topper from the manly brow
Of one Barney Ross, 142 pound well
terweight champion of the world,
and as precedent, served claim on
three divisions, simultaneously.
Those who had hurrahed about the
champion watched as Homicide
Henry cut down Ross like George
Washington at work on cherry
tree. They sighed in their misery.
And still, there remains not one
smallest whit of doubt in the minds
of the minds of the exporting gallery
as to the excellence of the said Mr..
Ross-God rest him for his spirit.
Without doubt, none who shared
the rare spectacle Of the greatest
little fighting man Of his time, would
hazard the guess that only courage
and fighting instinct saved the cham
pion from knockout. Twice Ross
refused the pleas of his handlers to
let them stop the fight. Once in the
twelfth it looked as though gods nor
Sundays could keep him afoot until
the end Of the route. His knees
buckled and he bent double, drawing
his arms about his battered head
after q barrage of rights to the jaw
from the merciless little master from
the Golden West. At this late stage
of the setto the human buzz saw
had literally sent millions of gloves
in the direction of the beWilderee
Ross.
For the first six rounds the boys
had ripped and parried on nearly
even terms Armstrang always
moving in close, closer, fighting with
all the ferocity Of thing gone wild
and ignoring the best punches the
champion had to offer. He never
changed expressions. He had work
to do. With his right eye swollen,
his nose bleeding, Ross made des-
perate efforts to keep the flght az
long range but the mercurial little
Armstrong had different ideas on tha
subject, The rest is anti-climax'
Armstrong Joins Ring Greats.
With this lads gift for dueing SO
reassuring In greatest Of all tests
encountered by him 1t Is the natural
that his deeds be pre-
served for posterity. Famed Tor MS
cunning and the manner IN which
he converts himself into a veritable
mill of flying leather, Homicide
Henry moves on into the annals OF
the immortals. Henry Armstrong IS
q name that shauld stand IN the
records along side that Of the ola
master, Joe Cans, Walcott and the
either gead little men who went out
to take the dare against the big
fellows Gate, las,asa. Ross received
$4F,6e5; Armstrong $27,2as. Arm,
strang will meet Lew Amhers, world
champion, late IN July.
Ross 10 Quit.
Barney Ross will fight no more.
He's through. ~ am through. ! lost
to a better man. I have no alibis,
said the champion. Ross. wealthy at
90 years of age, will bide his Tune
il the cloak and suit business.