Evening star., 1940-04-02
Mcdowell May Lead
Turner From Ring
Wilderness
Fur Also Helps Thrill
400 Fans in Losing
Hot 10-Round Fight
By LEWIS F. ATCHIsON.


Joe Turner can breath q mite
easier today and unlax a bit in
his search for a topnotch fistic star
to lure cash customers to Grifhth
Stadium this summer, for he ap-
parently found the gent last night
in the person Of Whacky Willie
Mcdowell, the talented Texan, who
wields left jab with all the skill
and artistry Of a portrait painter.
Free-wheeling Willie, pesky
critter, figured prominently in a
triple-header last night at the
Arena, where he separated Phil Furr
from prolonged winning streak by
taking a unanimous 10-round ver-
dict over the veteran District war;
rior. The operation was pleasant.
from a spectators viewpoint but
not painless. And as FUR hit the
skids Turner hit the jackpot, SCOOP
ing up $1,666 plunked down by some
400 fans.
Furr Deserves Credit.
But Furr didn't slide completely
, out of the picture. He was tho
one who made a great fight of it,
forcing the issue every foot of the
way, knocking Mcdowell of his
pins in the sixth and slugging it
out, toe-to-toe, whenever Mcdowell
was willing to stand still. Phil
wants return shot, and of his
impressive comback record, plus his
fine stand last night. this corner
thinks he ought to get it.
The bout may have marked the
turning point in Turner's disastrous
boxing promotions, for it was the
first profitable venture housed by
the Arena In more than 18 months.
1t drove home one point convincing
ly, viz, that the public knows what
it wants and will patronize promis-
ing shows, but will not have any
and every Hot Tom and Jerry
crammed down its gullet.
All Joe has to do now is dig up
fair r-to-middling puncher to pit
against Mcdowell at the ball park
and he'll make himself a little
spending change. There is a sus-
picion among the fans that Nc
Dowell doesn't like it and can't
take it in the bread basket It
seemed that way last night when
Furr let go with an idle left to
the midsection. but Phil couldn't get
to Willie with sustained attack be-
cause of the latter's puzzling de-
fensive atctics. He did catch him
with one good punch, right to the
head in the sixth, but Mcdowell,
after somersaulting into kneeling
position, took nine, patted Referee
Charley Reynolds on the head and
proceeded to whale the daylights out
of Furr.
Fans Want Further Test.
The customers want to see Nc
Dowell matched with a fighter who
can reach his midsection and who
punches with more than a modi.
cum of authority They want to see
McDowell's reaction when the heat
is on. They saw him come back
fighting when the going got rough
last night and he looked all right,
but they want proof he can take
it as we'll as dish it out.
Reynolds. who had Mcdowell out
in front by the size of Rudy Du-
sek's collar at the finish, didn't
think Mcdowell was hurt by any Of
Phil's punches. He kept moving
away, f1ickinng lefts in Furr's face,
cutting him like a whip. Now and
then he'd whip over a right to the
head, bringing Phil to a surprised
halt, but he couldn't stop the Dis
trict representative from coming in.
Norman Hurdman, a stranger
from Canada, upset Mayon Pablo,
the 10-1 favorite, in the semifinal.
A clownish gladiator with a stiff
punch, Hurdman took a split deci-
sion over the Philadelphian.
Card Guggino knocked out Calvin
Calp after 2 minutes 80 seconds of
the third round in another sched-
uled eight-rounder. and Elwood
Harris won a four round decision
over Phil Ensenga in the curtain
! raiser.