Evening star., 1940-02-06
Aposto|i's Flop
Rated boxing's
Prize Puzzle
Ex-Chomp's Collapse
Held Top Mystery
In Ring History
BY SID FEEDER,

Associated PRESS sports writer.
NEW YORK, Feb. 6-Fred Apostoli
packed his bags today and made
ready to pull out of town, leaving
behind the wreckage of his fistic
career and the biggest question
mark in the fight game since Dave
Barry counted over Gene Tunney in
double talk one September evening
in Chicago.
Wherever the boys in the fight
mob parked their hats, there were a
million-and-one guesses as to what
happened to make clean Living
Freddy nose dive, almost overnight,
from one of the really fine fighters
in ring history to what seems now
"washed-up' warrior, ever since
his second fight with Billy Conn q
year ago. There were all these
guesses-but not one reasonable ex-
planation.
So deep has the mystery become
since his 12-round knockout by
Melio Bettina last Friday-which
apparently wrote flnis to his career
that one boxing writer even tried
to draw a parallel between the ex-
San Francisco bellhop and Lou
Gehrig, whose iron-man run with
the New York Yankees suddenly was
killed last spring by amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis.
Passes Physical Checkup.
Larry White. the former world
middleweight champions manager,
didn't agree with this. He disclosed
today that while Fearless Freddy
was In hospital over the week end
Che was taken there Immediately
after Fridays fight) he had been
given thorough going over, and the
physician had found him 20. K" In
one way. however. Gehrig and the
25-year-old. curly-haired boxer are
similar. Each Is perfect athletic
example of clean living.
Apostoli, a moody, temperamental
fellow, is quiet and shy. He always
has left the wine. women and
song" stuff for the other guys. His
only dissipation is an occasional
glass of beer A ad-shouldered.
well-set-up figure. he has lots of
ticker" as the boys in the business
put it.
Yet. after skyrocketing to a world
championship with such "class" that
many labeled him the best boxer,
pound for pound, in the game, he
suddenly. and for no apparent rea-
son, didn't clock any more. although
he took no really brutal beatings
until lately.
White thought he had the an
swer for time in "loss of conf
dence," but the bottom dropped out
of that explanation. too.
1t all started, oddly enough, with
two of the greatest fights ever seen
in Madison Square Garden, between
Fred and Conn early in 1899. Both
bouts were bristling and loaded
with action. The second was as
close as the type to this paper. and
Conn drew the nod of the officials.
Reached Low" Against Lee.
A1UCl GACo AAlCO SCFOA "a w
ponents whom he could have put
into his hip pocket at his peak,
yet he had trouble winning over
them. He struck "low" against
Glen Lee in Pittsburgh, and the re-
suit was the wise men" bet he
would be knocked out by Ceferino
Garcia to lose his middleweight
crown. He was.
"At that time" White explained
today, II thought the fact that the
officials had given the decision to
Conn in their second fight had
taken Fred's confidence, and his
showing was the result. But then,
six weeks ago, he was given the ver-
dict over Bettina, and he looked to
have regained his confidence. Yet,
in last Fridays fight, he was way
off once more.
Hes funny fellow-the kind
who likes to be left alone. I don't
know, the whole thing doesn't
add up"
White insisted he was going to
have Fred quit the ring for good
this time. Apostoli, on leaving the
hospital yesterday, recovered from
grippe, demanded another chance
in about six months. He plans to
leave New York in a few days for
Hot Springs, Ark, to rest before re-
turning to his home in San Fran
cisco in April.
But I'm going to keep talking to
him to quit the ring" White said.
I'm going to make him change his
mind about trying it again."
Five years ago-Yale's basket