Evening star., 1939-06-26
Tony Now 6-to-1 Shot
With Half Million
Gate on Horizon
Best Truined in His
Career, Challenger
Sees 5-Round Win
BY SID FEEDER,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

Associated Press Sports Writer.
NEW YORK, June 26.-To the
tune of a shift in sentiment toward
Tony Galento and an up-beat at the
box Office that promised possible
half-million dollar gate, Joe Louis
and the roly-poly puncher wound up
training details today for their Is
round meeting in Yankee Stadium
Wednesday night.
Louis tapered off with two rounds
of sparring today at his training base
at Pompton Lakes, N. j. Galento,
having wound up his heavy work
with five $3.50 rounds at Summit,
N. j., yesterday, only went through
the loosen-up motions of bag punch
ing and rope skipping today.
The champion still was cagy about
what's going to happen, but Galento
topped his long, lound shouts of dis
respect" of the Bomber's ability by
predicting a knockout for Tony in
five rounds.
Yeah, that's it," he roared. give
heats and this (holding up his club
like lefo will do it. I'll f1atten the
guy and show em who's boss"
Joe Admits Tony Is Tough.
Hes a tough white boy" was
Louis only comment. Il figure I'll
belt him out, but I don't know how
early. It'll be jes' as soon as ketch
him comm in"
Meantime, with the fight only two
days off, Promoter Mike Jacobs saw
the possibility of a financial as we'll
as an artistic success out of this
15-round heavyweight title rough
house. A week end increase in the
purchase of seats, particularly the
more expensive variety, made it pos
sible the gate would soar beyond the
$50000O mark.
I don't like to guess as to what
its going to be-" Promoter Mike
explained, "but we should do half
a million if the sale these last two
days is as good as we hope"
The most experienced "guessers"
along Bash Boulevard, however,
were inclined to predict the big
Bronx ball yard would be holding
between 10000 and 10000 customers
and the cash registers would record
somewhere between $350,0OO and
s45O,O0O when the betting beer
barrel and the dusky deadpan dyna-
inter scramble through the ropes
ABOUT pm. (E. S. T) Wednesday.
Odds Shift a Puzzle.
NO one was able to explain Just
why the odds have shifted toward
Galento in the last five days. It's
true that Louis hasn't been any too
impressive in his approximately six
weeks of work at Pompton. His
sparmates have been altogether too
free with their left hand wallops
and Galento, If nothing else, can
toss that southpaw shot of his
around.
The fact Tony has trained seri-
ously for the first time in his career
staying away, for the most part
from his customary beer, cigar and
spaghetti diet, may have something
10 DO with the shift. Ten days ago
lo-to-l money, with Louis favorite
was going begging. Today with the
oods dWlndled to 6 to l there is
considerable betting going on.
Louis will have height, reach and
plenty of age on his side, but Tony
should scale some 80 pounds heavier
Inc champion figures to tip the
beam at just beyond 200 at the
Welgh-in Wednesday noon at the
new York State Athletic Commission
ofnces. Galento's well-padded frame
will contain about 23O pounds. and
ne probably is in the best shape of
his career.
Knockout Seems Assured,
The odds all favor knockout on
one side or the other. At the moment
you can get even money that Louis
Is the lad to provide the Sleep
producing potion. 1t has taken him
total of only about eight minutes
to f1atten the last three of the six
challengers who have faced him
since he won the prize rings richest
bauble from Jim Braddock in
Chicago.
One major factor in the current
betting debate, however, is Galento's
courage. Tony fears Louis about as
much as he is frightened of a glass
of beer.
He hasn't even bothered asking
what Louis has been doing in train
ing and he's satisfied he can handle
dat bum
Joe's major difficulty should come
from the type of fight Galento puts
up. A rough, tough, charging clouter,
with a wheeling left hand and
a willingness to hit with elbows and
head as well as gloved fists, Tony
figures to dive right at the Brown
Bomber and start pitching, par
ticularly at the mid section. He and
Manager Joe Jacobs know that no
Louis opponent ever has fired at the
Bomber's body, and that the cham
pion, throughout his career, never
has tangled with anything like
Galento's gargantuan rough housing.