Evening star., 1940-06-03
Three Washington Pros Go Early Cleveland Whet Games for Open
The
SPoRTLIGHT
Conn, Big Enough, Back
In Heavy Picture
BY GRANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent Of The Star.

NEW YORK, June 3 (N.A.N.AO.-
Arturo Godoy is matched to fight
Joe Louis again, but apparently few,
including his manager, think he has
a real chance to wrest the heavy
weight championship from Louis
because, as he grinds away at his
training at Carmel, N. Y, the search
for man to beat Joe goes on.
This may not bother the Chilean,
but it is an indication of the rating
that Louis still has among the real
fight eXperts-the men who make
their living at the game.
Billy Conn is moving into the
picture again. Mentioned many
times as a possible opponent for
Louis but declared out of the COM
petition almost as many times be-
cause, even while disposing of his
opponents, he has showed neither
the ruggedneSs nor the punch that
would qualify him. Conn fights Gus
Lesnevich in defense of the light
heavyweight championship on June
in Detroit and the bout is attract
ing attention not so much for itself
as for the bearing it may have on
the heavyweight situation.
Conn beat Lesnevich in New York
last November rather easily and
should beat him again just as easily
although Gus is strong fellow and
a pretty dangerous puncher. The
question really isn't whether or not
Billy is the better fighter Of the two
but how he will shape up as foe
man for the Bomber.
I hear that he is having a little
trouble making the light heavy
weight limit of ITS pounds-that he
weighs about 180 now. If his
weight doesn't get away from him
in the course of his training, as it
has a couple of times, so that he
was much lighter than he wanted
to be when it was over he plans to
make this the last of his fights as
175-pounder. This, of course,
would mean his remuneration of the
light heavyweight title and a cam
paign among the heavyweights
with Louis at the end of the road.
Encouragement for Conn Seen
In Heavyweight History.
1t could be. of course, that Conn
Is the fellow they have been looking
for all the time Nobody gave Gene
Tunney a chance against Jack
Dempsey because he couldn't hit
and they said no boxer could stand
of Dempsey. In the year before
Toledo, few gave Dempsey a chance
against Jess Willard. They said
Dempsey was too small and the
punches with which he knocked out
men his own size would have no
effect on the Pottawatomie giant.
And away back, they laughed at
Jim Corbett when he hurled a
challenge at John L. Sullivan.
AS far as weight is concerned, if
Conn really has matured as a
180-pounder, he is big enough to
lick anybody. After a winter and
early spring of misery due to recur-
rent boils, he is reported to be in
better condition than ever before
heavier, faster, stronger and more
rugged.
Certainly he is real fighter, dead
game and conf1dent-the kind of
fighter who has no doubts about
himself when he enters the ring
and, if he is hurt, fights all the
harder.
Tunney and Corbett Weren't
In Killer Class, Either.
AS puncher, he is no killer
He never knocked out an opponent
who amounted to anything and can
point to only eight knockouts in
his string of 56 fights. Well, Tun-
ney wasn't a killer, either, nor-to
go away back again-Was Corbett.
But Tunney and Corbett were sharp,
cutting, bruising hitters-and so is
Conn.
Conn couldn't knock out Fred
Apostoli-but Apostoli was a stur-
dy, capable fighter before he had
those two brushes with Command
he never was the same thereafter
Conn couldn't knock out Melio Bet
tina, but he gave him two bad
hammerings-and Bettina will tell
you that being hit by the young
man from Pittsburgh is no bargain
Conn didn't knock out Lesnevich-
but he took all the fight out of the
White Russian from Cliffside, N j
I don't know yet about Conn as
an opponent for Louis. I'm re-
serving decision on him in that re-
spect. His fight with Lesnevich
should offer a pretty good line on
him-should tell whether or not he
has gained in solid weight and
rugredness.
Boer and Tony Promise Hot
But Unimportont Serop.
The Max Baer-Tony Galento
fight, which follows the Louis
Godoy combat but also is being
counted upon to produce an oppo-
nent for Louis for date in De-
troit or Chicago, probably will be a
disappointment in that respect
Neither Baer nor Galento has done
anything since he had his shot at
Louis to encourage belief that he
deserves another shot, nor is either
likely to be precisely revelation
in Jersey City on the night OF
July 2.
This doesn't mean, however, that
1t will not be a good fight. AS a
matter of fact, it promises to be q
whale of a fight. Max, who hasn't
believed always he could lick his
opponent coming right up to the
fight, believes he can lick Galento-
and Tony never doubted that he
couldn't lick everybody, Louis in.
cluded. That will set them of
even in that detail. For the rest
both men can punch and neither
has any notion of defense. Baer'.
advantage in height will be offset
by Galento's effectiveness agains'
men bigger than himself.
This will be a real brawl, even Il
It will prove nothing more thar
that Galento can lick Baer-or vict
versa. And wouldn't miss 1t fol
anything.