The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-02-03
.FOXFAvORED TO BELT BETTINA
 IN TITLE BOUT
Light.Heavies Tangle To. night in New York; Press
 Agents Battle, Too
BY HARRY FERGUSON Limited Press Sports Editor)

Limited Press Sports Edit0r)
 New York, Feb. s.-(UP)-Tiger Jack Fox and Melio Bettina light tonight for the New York brand of the light heavyweight champions ship of the world, and, if you believe what you hear, this one is going to combine the best features of the melodrama "Trilby" and e rush hour in Q Chicago slaughter house. At an early hour today the antics of the rival press agents became so much more intriguing than the fight itself that Bettina and Fox found themselves reduced to the status of preliminary boys. The main bout was raging all over town between the press agents typewriters and a neutral inimeograph machine, which produced handouts for both sides, acting as referee.
 Bettina's press agent appeared to have a slight edge in the early rounds - chiefly because Jimmy Grippe, who manages Melio, is a magician and hypnotist He is plan ming, 1t seems, to send his man into the ring in Q tranc' which will make him impervious to a smack on the kisser.
 Fox's press agent countered with Q demand that ambulance units be stationed at the ringside to take care of spectators who fall out of their seats. It seems that Fox Is 50 terrifying that the customers are sometimes frightened to death and clutter up the floor.
 Evil Eye?
 Manager Grippe, who never has objected when anyone referred to him as "the Svengali or pugilisrn. 2 intends to make his hypnotism work both ways by putting hex on Fox. He explains that if he can come face to face with Fox before the gladiators begin gladiating he can send Fox into trance that will make him helpless against a left to the belly. Fox, crafty as the ani- nal for which he is named, will guard against that calamity ct the weighing-sn today by wearing thick dark glasses which destroy hyp- notic gazes and glares.
 The odds favor Fox, . negro of rather uncertain age who has not lost a bout in his last 17 fights and who won nine of them by knockouts. Moreover, the odds on Fox are heavily influenced by the manner in which he emerged from a fight that will never appear in the record books. It seems that Tiger Jack went on an expedition to Harlem where, in the course of the evening, he encountered @ dusky belle. They disagreed on some topic of current events-the issue of a British man. date for 1raq, no doubt--and the lady led with a razor. Tiger Jacks peerless footwork saved his life and Q few days later he returned to cir- culation, his wounds patched with twine and chewing gym, and an- nounced he was ready to fight.
 So tonight it's for the fight heayy- weight championship or the world -a world encircled by the borders of New York state. Elsewhere the champion is John Henry Lewis who put his name on @ piece of paper not long ago and alter learned, to his eternal sorrow, that he had sen- fenced himself to fight Joe Louis. The New York Boxing Commission held that Lewis. by invading the heavyweight ranks for that bloody two minutes and 20 seconds he last cd against Louis, had forfeited his right to the light heavyweight title. Promising
 Fox versus Bettina may turn out to be goo dbrawl. Both are sharp hitters and Bettina is an up and coming youngster who is hungry for fame and money. He has won seven of his last 12 fights by knock outs and has taken on everybody they have wanted to throw in against him.
 Both will come in close to the light heavyweight limit - 175 pounds.
 The battle of the press agents closed in a furry of adjectives and adverbial clauses when Fox's man hinted that the fighter would attach the following sign to his chin: "HA. 1t if you can." Bettina's press agent retaliated with the announcement that he was seeking permission to have 8 brass band stationed at the ringside to sound dirge over the prostrate body of Tiger Jack.