Evening star., 1939-08-15
Jabbing Left Is Good ,
But Billy Lacks
Natural Punch
light-Heovy King Plays
On Gus Goshed Brow
To End Bout in 9th
BY LEWIS ATCHISON,
Star Stan Correspondent.

TONER from Pittsburgh, today raped
authoritatively on the door of the
more lucrative heavyweight division,
holding up bloody eight-round
technical knockout victory over Gus
Dorazio. local lad. as evidence of his
ability to campaign among the big
boys.
Conn, looking no more like a
fighter, much less the light-heavy-
weight champion of the world, than
Shirley Temple, last night stopped
DoraZio after l minute and 50 Sec
onds of fighting in the eighth of a
scheduled 10-round bout. He did a
masterful job on the veteran Phila-
delphia Italian, but observers and
even well-wishers hesitate to pro-
nounce him ripe for heavyweight
duty.
Tommy Loughran, the old master
who once ruled over the light
heavies as firmly as Conn does to-
day, shook his head when asked If
he thought Conn could make the
grade among the unlimiteds.
Hes still a couple of years away
from the heavyweights in expert
erce alone" said Tommy, and you
can't tell whether he'll put on enough
weight to be able to Withstand the
pushing and mauling you get con-
tinually with the big fellows"
Conn Lacks Natural Punch.
And Thomas wasn't sure Billy
packed enough punch to be picking
arguments with heavier men. He
moved around nicely and used his
left well, but the punch-well.
That's something you're either
born with or don't have" concluded
Loughran, who toddled out of his
nursery off to the leather pushing
wars without one. Conn doesn't
have one and it's a pretty safe bet
he won't acquire one. You can't
learn to knock them out; it's got to
be natural"
Nor did Loughran like the way
Conn mixed with Dorazio. The
slim, wiry Pittsburgher elected to
Slug it out with Gus on several oc-
casions and more than once was
forced to cover and retreat as his op-
ponent used 13-pound weight ad-
vantage to best extent on the mid
section of the 175-pound Billy
Loughran thought he should have
remained beyond range of Dorazios
heavy guns, moving around and
flicking with left jab. Tommy
pointed out that over the 15-round
route against a hard-puncher Conn
would be in sorry condition along
about the 18th round unless he kept
his distance.
Nice Boxer, Says Nova.
Lou Nova, currently camping on
Joe Louis trail, was less critical of
Willie and contented himself with
one remark that he is nice boxer.
1t wasn't difficult to see, however,
that Nova didn't regard Conn Sc
riously as a heavyweight threat.
Johnny Ray, Conn's manager
wasn't at all pleased with his
charges performance.
you didn't see Billy at his best
tonight" he said. "He was slow
getting started and he didn't box as
well as he can. Nope, Bill didn't
fight his real fight, but it was good
enough
Senor Miguel Jacobs, New York
f1stic fancier who helped promote the
show and is sending out troupes
from headquarters to revive the fight
industry throughout the land, was
more generous in his summation of
Conn's work.
He beat a good man, didn't he"
Jacobs demanded. "What'n ell dya
want him to do"
Works on Dorazio's Eye.
But under cross ss-examination
Jacobs admitted that Willie will be
kept at work among the ITS pound
ers for long time to come and that
his graduation into heavyweight
ranks will be a tedious process. Mike
told the fighter he made a good ap-
pearance and that he was well salts
fled with everything, including the
$4,000 crowd that contributed $4,000
to the till.
Conn worked on Dorazio's left eye
like a surgeon using can opener.
He nicked it along about the fifth
round and tore it wide open in the
sixth with a brace of jolting one
two's that staggered the rugged
Italian. Willie started slowly and
seemed sluggish during the early
rounds, and in the second took a
Furnishing crack behind the left ear
that pulled him up short. This was
the hardest blow he took, he said
after the bout, but he rallied later in
the round to win it by a small mar
gin.
On The Stars scoresheet, Conn
took five of the seven rounds COM
pleted, with Dorazio winning the
fifth on foul and holding his own
IN the first. From the start it was
evident that Gus was pinning his
hopes on knockout before his bat
tered features began to leak gore
from Conn's steady taps.
Gus in No Trim to Continue.
Conn's left hit him like a shower
OF baseballs. Dorazio's ducking and
weaving failed to save him from this
torturing weapon once Conn began
using 1t properly. And there were
times when Willie crossed with
murderous right that must have felt
like a hot knife creasing Gus ham,
burgered features.
But Dorazio fought on, asking no
quarter and screaming that he
wasn't hurt when DR.. w. G.. B..
Terry, a Georgetown alumnus,
ordered hostilities halted.
He could have continued, yes, but
you could have hidden your wallet
in the wound over his eye and the
physicians discretion won out over
Gus valor.