Evening star., 1939-09-17

not the half of it. Actually have been train
ing for return match with Louis ever since
the bell banged ending our first fracas. Other
opponents have been in front of me. but
Louis has always been in the back of my
mind.
There has been much talk about my being
the first college man to fight for the worlds
heavyweight championship, but my maJorlng
in English at New York University won't
be as helpful this week as the fact that ever
since left college have been majoring in
the study of Joe Louis. have probed him
from every angle and have found him most
interesting study think know him better,
both fstically and mentally, than do his
handlers.
am, of course, confident that can beat
him. I'm not boasting that IN moider dat
bum," because don't think it will be an
easy fight for either of us. think Louis is
game and strong and one of the deadliest
finishers in the history of the sport. Once he
gets you going, you go. He is truly great
fighter i perhaps one of the greatest of all
time
But, after all, none of them were perfect,
and neither is Louis. The ten rounds spent
in the ring with him gave me ample time and
opportunity to study him at closer range than
any of the experts, and l saw enough to
know that he is not superman. He can be
hoodwinked, hit and hurt. For one thing, he
isn't brainy fighter. He does what he is
told he can't figure out ring problems for
himself. This means that he is really danger
GUS only in the first half of each round.
Between sessions his trainer, Jack Blackburn
a canny old warrior, pours advice into Joe's
ears and he comes out for each inning with
his head bugng with instructions. But within
minute and a half Joe has forgotten all that
he has been told. Gone is the plan of battle,
and Joe is lost.
boxing l always watch the other fellows
ewes rather than his hands. When Louis
shuff1es across the ring from his corner his
brown eyes snap and glitter with alertness and
eagerness. He has job to do and instructions
on how to do it. But, with the passing of the
seconds, the glitter gradually fades from his
eyes and a dullness comes into them, and
then the spring and llghtness leave his move
ments and he begins to shuttle lazily about the
ring.
1t is then that you can lure Louis into a
false move with feint. 1t is then, also. that
you will see Louis grow careless about pro-
tecting himself when coming out of clinch.
I've seen the moving pictures of every one of
his fights, time and again, and l know that
when the referee steps in and parts Louis and
his opponent, Louis invariably lets his hands
drop. 1t takes him fully three seconds to get
back in fighting position. l know all this
because l have persistently watched and
counted, watched and counted for long two
and half years.
There is no doubt that Louis is easily
befuddled Confronted by an opponent whose
style differs from the ordinary, Louis doesn't
know what to do. Tony Galento, fighting out
of a crablke crouch, had Joe fumbling and
stumbling around like novice in that first
round But in the second, the bartender's
pudgy legs tired from the strain of the.
awkward stoop; he Strengthened up and
Louis promptly Strengthened him out. Tony
went back into the crouch in the third round
and he dumped the champion to the can
vas. But poor Tony wasn't physically fit to
fight off the fatigue brought on by the strange
stance; in the fourth round he was forced to
unbend again and Louis promptly laid him
away among his trophies.
Ioe also WAC considerably confused by