Evening star., 1941-07-11

%s3%S ~ M4M ankles as well
IF you go be-
Henry MeLemore. meath the sur
face Of this case-go into clinch
with it, so to speax-you cannot
help but feel that the judge who
will hear it next September faces
an unusually heavy responsibility.
For no matter how he rules his
decision most certainly will inf1u-
ence future cases involving the ex-
tent 10 which wives should CO.
operate with their husbands in
earning a living.
Let us suppose that he decides
in favor Of Mrs. Brown Bomber as
the champions wife is known to
her lntlmates. All over the country
wives of men in all professions
Will have been furnished legal
precedent for refusing to lift a
finger toward the furthering Of
their husbands careers. Because
there can be no denying that in
serving as a sparring partner for
Joe, Mrs. Louis contributed toward
his retention of the championship
Of the world
In boxing, just as in all other
professions, practice makes perfect,
ana who knows but that the little
extra workouts Joe enjoyed against
Mrs. Louis in the living room, re-
suited in the sharpness of the left
hooks and right crosses with which
he knocked out Billy Conn in the
18th round at the Polo Grounds?
Even the indeicate business of
Joe stepping on his wife's ankles
could easily have been Of pro-
fesSional importance to him. More
than one major fight has been won
by a fighter just because he was
skilled in tramping on instep5.
One Well-placed stomp on the
ankle or instep is sufficient TO di-
vert lighters attention long enough
for him to suffer a knockout blow.
Several boxing pedants We talked
( to were Of the opinion that Mrs.
Louis weight of 124 pounds made
/ her ideal size for Joe to spar with.
1 They explained that it developed
his speed and timing, especially If
his domestic opponent was crafty
enough to use the raoio, piano stool
or end table as defensive obstacles.
Joe certainly prospered during
the years his wife charges he used
her as a fireside punching bag His
bank account reached a million
dollars or more and it would be
| interesting to know how much of
his success he accredits to her CO.
operation, willing or otherwise. How
many, if any, of the knockout blows
he has delivered owe part of their
lethal power to the informal, nom
title fights that Mrs. Louis implies
in her complaint were staged un-
der the chandeliers of their home,
instead of under the more proper
arcs of the Polo Grounds or Madi.
son Square Garden?
: y X
II is to be hoped that Mr.. and
Mrs. Brown Bomber will be able to
patch up their difficulties. If they
find that impossible, however, Joe
could do the fight fans of this
country a great favor by demand
ing bill of particulars. thus forc-
ing his wife to outline the extent
of the damages caused by the
punches she alleges he threw at
her. One of the most discussed
topics in this country today Is
whether or not Louis has slipped.
Mrs. Louis holds the answer. How
did his punches feel? Did they
have the old snap and violence. or
was she able to take them? Her
explanation will go long way
toward establishing the odds for
Joes heavyweight championship
with Lou Nova in September. II
her bill of particulars described
them as being of the type that
felled say, King Levinsky or Jim
Braddock, then we would know
that Louis was as good as ever and
that we could offer odds of 10 to l
with perfect safety. On the other
hand, if she said she was up and
about the house in a week or 10
days after they landed we'd know
that Nova had a reasonably good
chance of winning the title.
We trust that at the time of the
hearing the dignity of the American
courts will be upheld. We cannot
help but fear, however, when We
recall some of the scenes that have
taken place in our courts, that
Mike Jacobs will be allowed to pro-
mote it with S25 top for ring
side seats, that the court WILL be
called to order by bell, that
counsel will be ordered to come out
fighting, and that Marquis OF
Queensberry, not Blackstone. rules.
will prevail.
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