Evening star., 1941-11-26


stroll through the mountains OF
Tennessee with neither feeling him.
self the lesser man.
As a matter of fact, if Buddy goes
through with this charity bout ono
could scarcely blame him If he put
on airs around Sergt. York. Be-
cause, after all, Sergt. York didn't
repeat his performance against the
Germans, whereas Buddy has al
ready fought Louis once and. in
what passes for his right mind, is
coming back to do it again.
The bout has been set for Madison
Square Garden on the evening Of
January g. with Louis putting his
heavyweight championship on the
line without asking for l penny Of
revenue for the title fight. This
gesture alone stamps Louis as the
most unusual titleholder Of all time, 1
To tell the truth, it comes close to
making him q fistic freak, when IL !
Is remembered how his predecessors
were not interested in even minor J
exhibition benefits unless they had
been cut In as beneficiaries. Can
you imagine Sharkey or Carnera OF
Schmeling even shadow boxing with.
out a fellow at the gate taking up
tickets?
This gesture of Joes so intrigued
me that I visited Jacobs Beach and
sought out that bronzed old mariner,
Mike Jacobs, to ask him what hyp-
motto powers he had used on the
champion. Certainly heavyweight
champion hadn't readily agreed to
pass up $4,000 and risk a cham
pionship that has made him up
ward of 50 100000 just because some
one said the word charity.
However. Mike Strengthened me
out in his own lyrical language.
Muffin to it," he said. Some
big shot in the Navy calls me, see,
and I go down to go Church street
and ask what's up. He says he
wants me to raise some money by
putin on fight, see. 50 I ask him
about the charity and he tells me.
He tells me the charity takes care
of lot Of the families Of the sailors
! on torpedoed boats like the Reuben
James. 1t sounds good to me, y
understand, so I says we'll put on
something big. Gotta be big. I says.
A heavyweight fight. Something
thatll raise more dough for charity
than any boxing benefit ever did.
| So talked to Joe about 1t. see, and
asked him what about helping the
poor sailors. That was okay with
Joe. All he wanted to know was
when to start training"
Didn't he want any purse7" I
asked Mike.
He never talks money. Don't
seem to interest him. In all the time
I've had him he never has cared
about how much the house was,
what I took In or nothing. Great
boy, y'understand."
Mike is waving his share as tho
promoter, too, a fact which un-
doubtedly has caused Tex Rickard,
his mentor. to toss uncomfortably
wherever he is.
I asked Mike if Baer was going
to fight for nothing but expenses.
too, and he said final contracts had
not been signed. but he believed
Buddy would work for nothing or
next to it,
IF he gets to arguing about q
purse, I'll just taxi him down to
Church street and let the admiral
tell him all about the charity, see"
Mike said. TITS helluva good thing
and once he hears about it he won't
feel like holding us up for much
dough-"
If Buddy has any sense he will 60
III tllc4C dSdil1SJ iOuiS lOT IlOUlllllSs
1t isn't often a fellow has the chance
to become either a beloved (even II
badly bruised) hero or q heavy.
weight champion in one night. Let
Buddy go down before the thunder
of Joes artillery, without even a
dollar bill with which to bind his
wounds and he'll have to grow
more chest to hold the medals we'll
pin on him.
If by some Marquis Of Queens-
berry miracle he should happen to
win the heavyweight title-then he
certainly ought to Join the Navy
in gratitude.
This wouldn't upset Hollywood at
all. They could Just call the pic
ture, Ensign Baer."
You see-y'understandf
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