Evening star., 1939-06-13
The
SPORTLIGHT
Early Crack at Louis
Is Sought by Nova
BY GRANTLAND RICE,

opeIl1i 1copOuuele Va Aue StaE.
NEW YORK, June Is (N.ANA0.
Lou Nova wants his chance at Joe
Louis in September and he and his
manager, Ray Carlen, will press
Mike Jacobs for it.
Majority opinion, after Nova S
recent fight with Max Baer, was
that Lou wouldn't be ready for a
Louis fight for another year or so
and that to send him into a ring
with the champion this year would
be to ruin him. Carlen takes all
this into account in his demand
for the match. but begs to disagree
It may be that Nova. believing he
never will be any better than he is
now and that he may lose prestige
in other fights and so see the chance
at Louis slip away from him, in
tends to grab 1t now and capitalize
on ito get that do-re-me, win,
lose or draw.
However, I don't believe it. Nova
and Carlen have come along slowly
and carefully and I think 1t is their
honest opinion that they are ready
now for the main test-a brawl for
the title.
Fons Laughed at Many
Upstorts in Old Dogs.
In the Baer fight Nova disre-
garded Instructions and slugged it
out with Baer where he should have
boxed him all the way. But he
proved to himself he could stand up
under heavy punishment, meet Baer
at his own style, not only outflght
him, but outrough him and then,
when he got ready, outlook him.
Nova didn't impress me that night
as being ready for Louis. But you
never can tell what even an unim-
pressive fight, from a spectator s
standpoint, will do tor fora
fighter.
Remember that they laughed at
Jim Corbett when he challenged
John L. Sullivan-at Jim Jeffries
when, with only 10 fights under his
belt, he hurled a defy at Bob Fitz-
simmons. Remember that Gene
Tunney was picked for slaughter by
Jack Dempsey at Philadelphia-and
that they we're calling the round.
the minute and the punch for Max
Baer against Jim Braddock.
Unimpressive Fighters
Often Have Crossed Dope.
Corbett was a slim, feather
footed, ight-hitting boxer.
Jeffries had been a crude sparring
partner in Corbett's camp when
Corbett was training for Fitzsim-
mons.
Tunney was as unimpreSsive as
Nova until the night he blinded
Dempsey in the rain at Philadel-
phia-a methodical boxer without
heavy punch.
Baer, young, strong, magnifcently
built and a terrific puncher, looked
a cinch against the ring-worm
Braddock, just back from the docks
where he had turned for living be-
cause 1t seemed impossible for him
to make a living with his fists any
longer.
The dope went sadly wrong in
all these fights. Corbett stepped
around Sullivan nimbly, cut him to
pieces with left jab and a right
cross and finally dumped him on
the floor.
Jeffries took beating from Fitz-
simmons, but kept plodding into
him and finally knocked him out.
Novo at Leost has Courage
To Toke Long Chance.
Tunney had measured and marked
every step carefully in his way to
fight for the heavyweight cham
pionship and when he reached the
end of the trail that night in the
Sesquicentennial Stadium, he was
ready for Dempsey. Dempsey had
slipped, of course-slipped more
than most persons had realized, but
Tunney knew.
Baer had slipped before he met
Braddock-slipped and failed. And
50 Braddock stabbed him with left
and moved away from his right
and, derided when he climbed into
the ring, climbed out of it the
heavyweight champion Of the world.
1t could be that Nova is ready for
Louis. I don't think he is. Louis
hasn't slipped as Sullivan, Dempsey
and Baer had slipped-and Nova
hasn't the punching power that car
ried Jeffries to the peak in II fights.
But Nova has the courage and the
determination that were such ire
mendous assets to Corbett, Jeffries,
Tunney and Braddock.