The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-09-25
Confident Comiskey To Meet Old Baer Thursday Night
Paterson Irishman Says Little As Training
 Nears Finish
By JOE WILLIAMS

db NOAAAoACy SdG u1 4A4o VI C6o1k1S room, slowly taping his hands. At intervals he would pause to press the cotton padding into shape. In a few minutes he would be in the ring going through his final routine for the Max Baer fight Thursday night.
 One of the old timers of the bus ness, Lew Diamond, had brought us in to see him. Here's the fellow who says you can win if you can stand up under punch" introduced MT. Diamond.
 The nineteen-year-old 1rlsher, who has a facial resemblance to Martin Burke, New Orleans heavyweight of some years back, rolled up his lips and flashed his white teeth in a brief smile.
 "I think I can," he said quietly.
 "Tell him how you used to stay in there and take Maurice Strick- lands best shots and you were just a kid," urged MT. Diamond.
 Comiskey just sat there and looked at the speaker.
 Hes kind of embarrassed in front of people he don't know very well," explained MT. Diamond, who went on to detail how Comiskey would stop everything Strickland, not a knock CT outer, but shock hitter never theless, had to offer and keep coming back for more.
 And sometimes he would be bleed ing all over," beamed MT. Diamond, 8 gent who plainly admires brute courage in others.
 It was time to go into the gym nasium. Comiskey put on white bath robe which featured a large green shamrock. He's Irish" con- fided MT. Diamond. Comes from County Cork" My old man comes from County Cork" corrected Com iskey. T was born in Paterson"
 At ringside We were joined by Bill Daly, Comiskey,s manager. MT. Daly is pleasant, middle aged fellow who has been managing fighters and pro- noting fights, mostly in Jersey, for a number of years. He picked Comis- key out of the amateurs several years ago, nursed him along carefully, finally decided he was ready for the big time, and leaped at the Baer bait.
 Now or Never
 "If Pats not ready for Baer now he never will be-" he replied when someone suggested he might be rush. ing the youngster.
 T actually think he's one hell of q fighter now," said MT. Daly, resort ing to praise not altogether unusual in managers speaking of their own fighters. "A year ago, I had my doubts. He was stiff, awkward and mechanical ana didn't seem to be able to develop any naturalness. But in the last three months he found himself. don't know how to explain it but all of a sudden he started to do things like fighter should you know, natural like"
 We had noted this stiffness in Comiskey, even in some of his recent fights, but as we looked at him going through his paces in the ring yester- day, we were inclined to agree with MT. Daly. There was more f1exibility and fluidity to his movements. Most of the traces of amateurism were gone. He looked to be about ready. We had to keep reminding ourselves, however, that gymnasium appear ances are often misleading. How Comiskey will look in the ring against Baer, especially if the mag nif1cent screwoall should happen to tag him early, is something else.
 Confident
 Comsikey isn't very communicative and we don't believe he'll ever star on information please" but his con- fidence appears to be authentic. He thinks he can whip Baer. He uses stock phrases in his conversation, phrases he has heard other fighters use. We asked him if he had ever seen Baer fight.
 T seen him against Galento."
 What did you think of him?"
 Comiskey shrugged his shoulders.
 He don't like to talk about no other fighter" explained the ubiquit- ous MT. Diamond.
 What makes you so sure you can beat Baer?" we asked.
 'Oh, it's just another fight to me" 1" answered the youngster, who has scarcely been around long enough to know where all the ring posts are and who is only few months out of the preliminary class. And yet this is just another fight to him. This is one of the stock phrases he re- peats, but even so he could mean it.
 Comiskey came up the hard way. He was born and raised in the Irish settlement of Paterson, a Dublin town, one of those clannish, trucu- lent. God-fearing communities which used to be more numerous in the American scene than they are now and for all we know the American scene was much better for them, too.
 You know what" nudged MT. Diamond, "that neighborhood of his was so tough he had to whip ten guys like Baer every day on the way to school"
 Comiskey looked at us and grinned.
 He's kidding"