Imperial Valley press., 1939-05-26
Sports Parade
BY HENRY McLEMORE

NEW YORK, May 26. CUP) =
Armed with a letter from his Pastor
his Bob Pastor-James Joy john
ston is taking sort of galloping
poll of this town to determine
whether or not it is interested in
ever seeing Joe Louis in a real
prizefight.
James Joy Johnston, who is
known to his intimates as the Boy
Bandit, manages the tsew York
heavyweight, Pastor, and in his
pocket has a letter from his man
offering to meet Louis for the
heavyweight title, winner take all.
He thinks such bout should be
arranged Immediately, before Louis
dies of boredom from the steady
and relentless diet of pushovers, an
clients, round heelerS, has-beens,
and never-Weres that are being fed
him for one-round slaughter.
THAT Louis is liable to keel right
over in the ring some night from
sheer-well, what shall we say?-
ennui. What bunch. of buns they
give him to fight"
At Mr. JohnSton's mention of
buns I spruced up and paid the
rapt attention due a man speaking
on a subject on which he is an
authority. And Mr.. Johnston yields
to no man in his knowledge of the
boxfight bum. He has managed
some of the finest of them, includ-
ing the SWooning swan Of Soho,
Phil Scott, and can trace the bum
right back to his beginning.
In his discussion of the subject
Mr.. Johnston reeled off list of
Louis recent opponents, and closed
with q stirring discussion of the
demerits of Tony Galento. He flat
ly stated that given Is minutes in
which to train, he, Johnston, could
flatten Galento. He spoke almost
as disparagingly of Baer and ques-
toned that he was in the throes
of a comeback.
"a comeback from where?"
Johnston asked from beneath the
derby he has worn since he was a
child of four, romping with care
free abandon on the docks of Liver
pool. Where was he ever at to
start a comeback from?"
The grammatical construction of
this last sentence all but tied him
up, but he extricated himself and
went on:
There are only two fighters in
the world today-Louis and Pastor.
Louis is the harder hitter, perhaps
he is the hardest hitter who ever
lived, but he never would hit the
Pastor of today. You should of
seen him against Roscoe Toles in
Detroit. Surprised even me, and
that's saying something. You
wouldn't know him as the same boy
who fought Louis two years ago
He was just beginning then, didn't
know half of what he does now, but
he lasted 10 rounds and never was
in danger"
But he didn't fight that way now
just retreated from corner to
corner rope to rope, we reminded
Johnston.
Whats wrong with that? Is
there a law compelling a man to
fight Louis the way Louis wants
him to? That is, charge in and
mix it. Besides, if Louis was the
great fighter every one believes him
to be why didn't he catch Pastor
and belt him out? Toles ran from
Bob, but Bob cornered him and
beat the daylights out of him. The
proof that Pastor is fighter is the
way Louis evades all mention of a
fight with him. He wants no part
of Bob. Still, l don't suppose you
can blame a champion from dodg-
ing a fellow who can lick him as
long as promoters fill his pockets
with money for fighting buns who
couldn't qualify for first class
scarecroWs. Let me tell you. . :"
1 slipped through a trap door
that Mr.. Johnston has thoughtfully
provided for the escape of his
guests, and made my way out onto
the street.