Evening star., 1940-02-21
The
SPoRTLIGH7
Big Race, Title Fight
Have Coast Guessing
BY GRANTLAND RICE,

Special Correspondent Of The Star.
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 81 CN.ANA0.
George Washington's birthday will
be Q calendar note of intense action
for Los Angeles despite that part of
the program has been postponed.
The remaining major event on the
program will be the $4,000 Santa
Anita Derby for 3-year -olds in the
afternoon. The other event, now
postponed until Friday, March l,
would have been Henry Armstrong;
attempt to win his fourth major title
from Ceferino Garcia, now middle
weight champion.
The main feature of the 1910
model of the Santa Anita Derby will
be the $4,000 which the winners
owner will collect. It finds no such
Kentucky Derby or Preakness candi-
dates as Stagehand looked to be in
1888 before he cracked up in Blue
Grass country.
It Is q race that can be won by
Augury, Neil McCarthys flying flly;
the stable including Tough Hombre
and Gallahadion; Charley Howard's
Midland, or several others which
might happen to get their share of
racing luck and smart riding. It
will be gamble from start to finish.
It's Good Race to Beot,
If You Con Beot It.
It will be good race to beat-if
you can beat it-for there should be
no outstanding entry who looms
above the field as Stagehand did.
Gallahadion took the measure of the
field short while back because Basil
James knew the short cuts in q big
field and he had the racing luck to
get him by. But racing luck always
is an undetermined factor-before 1t
takes place-especially in a big field.
The fight crowd will have to wait
little more than week for Henry
Armstrong; bid for his fourth crown.
Hammering Henry will start swing
ing at every sector of Garcias body
from the waist to the top of the head.
With Armstrong it will be the old
matter of breaking up balance
mental and physical balance.
It will be the human windmill
against the puncher. Armstrong will
have to give away IL or 13 pounds,
which is quite a gift. But he gave
away even more when he beat Garcia
In New York some time back.
This fight even has AL Jolson
puzzled. Jolson, the nanny song
singer, was one of the first to put
up money with Eddie Mead for the
Armstrong contract. Apparently
he isn't sure that Armstrong can
weather some of the heavier punches
he must take from q much bigger
man-and much harder hitter.
Armstrong Would Check
Ceferino's Offensive
While Armstrong can throw 300
or more punches per round in IN
exhibition his limit Is around TO q
minute in an actual fight. But this
happens to be slightly better than
. punch q second.
Most of these punches carry little
force. They leave no definite dent
upon chin or stomach. They merely
befuddle or check the other fellows
offensive. They keep him from
getting set-after the old Harry
Greb style, employed against Gene
Tunney, Tom Gibbons and then
Jack Dempsey in training.
Armstrong figures he is in much
better shape than he was when he
beat Garcia in the East. He isn't
worried about q hard hitter who
has to get set first. For he doesn't
intend to let Garcia get set.
On the other side, Garcia feels
that he is much better fighter now
than he was q year ago.
Gorcio Is Confident
He'll Rock Henry
I'm willing to take few of those
Armstrong taps" he tells you, "in
order to get in one solid smack. I
can hurt him more with one punch
than he can hurt me with 10 or Is
punches. I'll nail him and he'll
know when I've nailed him"
AL In all, this battle for the
middleweight championship - this
Armstrong shot for his fourth major
title and new ~record-has more
than a few interesting angles as far
Is boxing competition is concerned.
It even has the gambling element
tied into q number of knots.
you bet 10 to g." one Of the
leading layers told me, "and you
take your pick. haven't any pick" -.
I'd say that Armstrong carries the
edge. I'm still believer In any
one who can upset balance-in any
one who has the superior speed. On
form this should be one Of the best
one Of the most interesting ring
contests that 1910 has to offer. It is
q battle Of opposites-and that
always means action.