Evening star., 1940-02-06
Looking Beyond
.Lesnevich 10
Title Fight
Cites Joe's Aversion
To Being Hit; Sure
To Gain Weight
BY GAYLE TALBOT,
Assacia Hracr Cnax4. 1Irrita.


MIAMI BEACH, Feb. 6.-Trying
to talk Billy Conn out of the idea
that he is destined to whip Joe
Louis and return the heavyweight
title to the white race is an absolute
waste Of time. The kid from Pitts
burgh has made up his Irish mind.
Hell still be around when I'm
ready for him." he insisted. Sure,
he's big. But he doesn't like to be
hit, and just wait until I lay this
right on his jaw"
I found the 175-pound champ
working out in a sweaty gymnasium
on the ocean front, starting to get
ready for his title fight with Gus
Lesnevich here on February %.
Having whipped Lesnevich once re-
Gently in New York, Bill didn't
seem much interested in that phase
of his future. He admitted casually
that Gus could hit pretty hard, but
the man he wanted to talk about
was Joe Louis.
you've seen how he looks when
he gets hit" he persisted. HE looks
like big cry-baby, doesn't he?
He'll, he doesn't know anything
after he gets one on the jaw"
Says He Won't Be Scared.
That was more or less correct,
was forced to admit. But how this
Louis man can hit! How did Billy
think he would bear up under q
consignment of Louis rights and
lefts?
"He would have a lot Of trouble
hitting me-" said Conn, soberly.
That's part of this game-not to
get hit. But I can take q punch.
Fred Apostoh hit me a few, didn't
he? I won't be scared of that guy
when I get in the ring with him,
like these other palookas have been.
yeah, I've been little slow get
ting started against some Of these
other guys. knew what I was
doing. But won't start slow against
Louis. I'll start fast, and I'll hit
him plenty"
Billy is starting training, as usual,
up above 1SO pounds. He'll shed it
though, in the coming weeks, and
enter the ring against Lesnevich at
probably no more than 173. It must
be slightly maddening to the Pitts
burgh kid, for he realizes that an
additional 10 to IS fighting pounds
might well be worth a million dollars
to him.
With the gymnasiums Of the land
cluttered with 220-pound ex-truck
drivers, and each more awkward
and hopeless than the other, It is a
traigc irony that Conn cannot put
on those few pounds. In the past
year, despite every effort. he has
shown no promise of developing into
a real heavyweight.
Sure He'll Add Weight.
What the heck" he said. I'll
get those pounds. I was down here
once before and I ate more than
ever did in my life. Look at Jim
Braddock . He was just q middle
weight, and then all of a sudden he
went up above 100 pounds and grew
over an inch in height.
''I'll get that knockout punch, too.
No, I'm not going to quit boxing and
try to set myself for a punch. I'm a
boxer. But you can hear where
plenty of guys, like Benny Leonard,
suddenly began knocking 'em stiff.
I hit hard now, but before long I'll
set Louis on his pants. My right
is getting harder, and my left hook.
too."
Billy is the one man all the critics
agree they would love to see in
the ring with Louis, providing he
could weigh in at 1876. Some even
cite Corbett against Sullivan and
say they think Conn could spot
Louis Is pounds and whip him, but
any one who has seen the great
Negro in action knows that would
be large order.