Evening star., 1939-06-20
The
SPoRTLIGHT
Fighting Spirit Great
In Subconscious Mind
BY GRANTLAND RICE,


BY GRANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent Of The Star.
NEW YORK, June 20 NANAD.-
There's a part of the competitive
spfrit-an interesting part-to which
nobody yet has found the complete
answer because it deals with the
subconscious mind, where even the
most carefully plotted explorations
can 60 just so far-and no farther.
You find it in the contact sports
boxing, football, hockey and one or
two others. These are the sports
In which a man can be hit so hard
that his brain goes numb. But if
he's still on his feet-and he's a
real competitor-he keeps going. BY
instinct he does the right thing,
blindly responding to an urge that
takes him through the combat. And
when it's all over he can't tell you
what he did or why he did it
or what the score was at the finish.
Nova in Fog Several Heats
During Boer Bottle
They tell me-those who are close
to Lou Nova-that in his fight with
Max Baer Lou was hit on the chin
20 hard in an early round that
his mind was a blank for four or
f1ve rounds, yet he fought on at top
speed, trading punches with Max,
getting the better of the trade-and
moving on to big lead before
pounding Max into such a state
that Referee Frankie Fullam halted
the fray in the 11th round.
They also tell me that Lou
thought this was an experience
that no fighter ever had. But he's
wrong there.
In one Of Jack Dempsey's early
fights Gunboat Smith hit him so
hard that his conscious mind stopped
working, but he went on and won
the flght. When it was over he
still didn't know what had hap
pened. Even his shower didn't wake
him up completely.
After he had dressed and was
walking down the street with Jack
Kearns some faint recollection of
the fight came back to him. He
remembered the punch-and the
blackness that followed it-and he
apologized to Kearns for having
been knocked out.
louehron Could Tell Lou
Of Blank Stretch
Tommy Loughran could tell Lou
about fight one night with Leo
Lomski. Tommy was the light
heavyweight champion of the world
and Lomski was a sensation in the
Northwest.
They fought in Madison Square
Garden and in the first round
Tommy was boxing cleverly and
suddenly Lomski hit him on the chin
with roundhouse right and Tommy
went down. He got up at the count
of nine and sidled along the ropes
and Lomski hit him on the chin
again and he went down.
This time he was up at six-which
indicated, since Tommy was as
smart . ringman as ever ived-that
he didn't know what he was doing.
He tried to fend of the rushing
Lomski, but just few seconds be-
fore the rount ended Leo nailed
him again.
This time it looked as though he
was down for keeps, but the bell
rang and his seconds dragged him
to his corner.
Lomski couldn't wait for the bell
TO ring to start him on his way to
certain victory in the second round.
When 1t rang he rushed from his
corner, throwing long right hand
but Loughran warded it of with his
left hand and moved away from
him and stabbed him with his left
and set him back on his heels.
Tommy Out on His Feet
For Four Rounds
That was the way the fight went
from then on-Loughran blocking
Lomski's right hand, jabbing him
with a left, crossing his own right,
keeping away from him-and walk
ing of with the decision.
In his dressing room after the
1ight, Loughran said:
That was terrific punch he
dropped me with in the first round.
I didn't know where I was until I
was coming out of my corner at the
heUinninr of a round and looked I'm
at the sign and saw it was the fifth.
Il sure was scared in the first
round" Joe Smith, his manager
said. IT thought you never would
get over that third knockdown."
Loughran didn't know what ne
was talking about.
'"The; third knockdown?" he said.
''Why, was on the floor only once" |"
He had operated in trance from
the first knockdown until the bell
rang for the fifth round.