Evening star., 1939-06-01
Hard Right Hand
Deemed Max 5
Sole Reliance
Youth, Speed, Boxing
Ability Are Lou's
Leading Assets
BY GAYLE TALBOT, J.
Associated Press Sports Writer.


NEW YORK, June THAT rare
product of fistiana, an even-money
fight, takes place at Yankee Sta
dium tonight, when Max Baer, the
former champion, attempts a Is
round comeback against Lou Nova,
promising and cocky young coast
heavyweight.
If the betting isn't all-square by
the time they start throwing gloves
under the hot lights, it will be as
close as the next breath. Seldom
has opinion on the result of so i'm
portant a heavyweight scrap been
divided so sharply.
Baer's followers bank on him to
knock his 24-year-old rival kicking
in the early round. Nova's ad-
mirers expect the handsome, deter
mined ex-amateur champion to jolt
out clean decision, perhaps even to
stop the 30-year- old Make in the
late rounds.
Braddock Boosts Nova.
Nearly eight weeks ago, when
Baer buckled down to the most Sc
rious training grind of his gleeful
career, the bookmakers around here
were offering tentative 2 to l he
would whip Nova. That has been
whitfield down gradually to where,
last night. Nova actually was IA
vored at 10 to II in several large
wagers.
Several factors have contributed
to the shift in smart sentiment.
Nova has trained methodically and
perfectly at Nyack, obviously gaining
confidence with every workout. Jim
Braddock, who took the title from
Baer, has been training almost daily
with Lou, teaching him how to make
a sap out of Make, and will be in his
corner tonight.
Baer. on the other hand, has not
been so impressive. Suddenly turn
ing serious after all the gay years
doesn't appear to have agreed with
him. There's no doubt he has gone
at it like a martyr, yet somehow he
looks tired and the elastic has gone
from his legs.
Baer Still Has Hard Right.
AS for his boxing. it obviously has
not improved. Make, even when
he was champion. never bothered to
develop a good left, and his defense
III
reached the top with terrific right
hand punch. and that's what he still
has. It's practically all he has left,
but it's a dilly when it lands,
In the opinion of most, Nova will
need only to step inside and evade
that one ponderous blow for IS
rounds to walk off with the decision
and sew up a championship match
with either Joe Louis or Tony Ga
lento in September. This is what
Braddock has been teaching him
how to do.
Nova is not fighter of great ex-
perience. He has had only 26 bouts
as professional. He isn't particu-
larly colorful in or out of the ring,
and the old-timers say he doesn't
have class" They admit they said
the same thing about Gene Tunney
Crowd of 10000 Expected.
On Nova's side, though, are other
qualities. He is big-6 feet, 2O3
pounds-and is strong and rugged.
He fights carefully and according to
the book, straight up, with his left
out and his right held high. He hits
short and sharp. It's not thrilling
style, but it's effective.
Nova gets peevish only infre-
quently, and it's usually when he is
accused of having no punch. He
points out that, up to his last fight
with Tommy Farr, he had scored
four straight knockouts.
So that's how the two shape up.
1t might develop into a slashing
brawl for the benefit of the 10000
fans expected to attend. On the
other hand, it could be double dull
If Baer finds his Sunday punch in
effective and Nova settles to mess
up his features for IS rounds.
They were due to weigh in and
have their pulses felt at noon today
and then rest until fight time, about
8 pm.