Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-07-05
DIV CHARLEs MCQUEEN

81 mon. being a bic easy -golnz
man himself. intelligent enough Z
huild and run a large machine too
factory and business but unable
10 shed the SchoOlboy Illusion
that professional sports were rW
on a sportSmapsMp bass. But he
diShked Victor 'Sal'o
That's aa undere forcnt JED
didn't dislike Salvo tie hated hun
There wasn't ANYTHING pc Wouldn
do 10 harm SalVo lie mace no
bones about 10 he Was on record
with The statement iha, SalNo Was
the worst kind Of a rat and that II
he, jed, ever Col The chance hc
would treat him a. he would any
other rat lie would cN1Crmluate
him. Salvo knew a. The state
ment had been carried 20 hum
within three hours after Jed had
made II, which was what Jed had
planned.
The reason Jed hated Victor
SalVo stcmmCd from has illusion
about professional sports. SalNo
was a fight manager. Jed had
been intercollegiate heavyweight
champion is years ago. about the
time good football players were be-
ginning to be- able 20 collect a
college education on their ability
10 carry The piCSkin or keep the
other side from touching II. Just
10 give YOU an idea. Jed never
believed the story that three OF
the stars or ms college team had
been UNDERWATER 10y the Alumni
Association.
GROWS PAT AND SOFT
He was one OF the most sur
priSed men IN the country when
ne realized one day, FIVE years
after he left college. that he hadn't
boxed for more than n year and
had grown so lat and SOftcned up
30 much that boxing was no longer
a pleasure.
But he never LOST his interest in
fights. He was always on the
lookout for promising youngsters
and he put up rich prizes at his
factory 10 promote boxing. 1t is
a matter of argument as TO when
he was bitten by the bug TO dis
cover and manage world 5
heavyweight champion hut the
consensus is that il was about 10
years ago.
A worlds heavyweight cham
pion, however, isn't the easiest
thing in the world TO find. a
quick look-back brings TO mind
only two real champions in the
heavyweight division TO be dis
covered and developed by man
ayers. Jack Dempsey and Joe
Louis. The fact that they both
rank With the truly great mot
synthetic champions beside the
point.
Well, for eight years, tUd Blake
carried on has search lie followed
II aleEs- the docks, IN tough
saloons, in the harvest fields of
the West, in mines in steel mills
GIN AZ NAi1 SNllhloNiAilto vi ~
cities. IL was mania with him.
He found Johnny kluzak in his
own factory. Johnny was a fur
naceman. He tended the furnace
where was merged the extra heavy
fine steel that went into master
tools.
A NATURAL
Johnny was a tremendous man,
tall, heavy across the shoulders
and chest, with slender and steel
strong arms and legs. He was a
natural. He moved like a poem
and he boxed by instinct. He was
fast on his feet, quick 10 throw "A
counter. OF course he was strictly
amateur That could he overcome
by training. But he had one flaw.
He was not a killer lie was as
good-natured as Jed Blake.
Jed discovered him in the ring
in the factory yard one Spring.
He was boxing Mike Maloney. the
broken-down old mug whom Jed
had hired really pensioned be-
cause he had liked the way Mike
fought when he was active in the
ring.
Jed stopped 10 watch them.
Johnny was gInning. Re was al.
ways grinning. He stood away
from Mike and pcckcd at him with
a left, tantalizine left Mike
would shake his head and putt II
DOWN between his. shoulders and
move in Johnny would get set
and lhrnW- his right -Ahnul-n
out Of 20 times. II landed. When
il did, Mike Snorted and WINGED
and kept on coming.
There" Jed told himself. "he
S." And SILVER ran along his
spine. He watched through the
three rounds and then he went
over and talked 10 Johnny.
you're good, youngster," he
said. whats your name ."
Johnny told him RE was tckled
that he had attracted the atten-
ton OF the bic boss
After q long conference with
Mike jed decided 10 hire a good
professional 10 teach Johnny the
finer points OF boxing The Golden
Gloves tournament was about eight
months away and jed pointed
4 a A