Evening star., 1941-06-15
Ring CriticSees
Conn Triumph
By Decision
Bi|Iy's Speed, Times
Toll Against Louis
Declared Factors
BY SID FEDER,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

NEW YORK, June l4.-FOr the
third time since the Marquis of
Queensbury first laid down the law
for bashing beaks. Old Man His
tory gets his chance to deal the
joker of the deck of the fight game
Wednesday night.
Climaxing the third distinct EZRA"
Of knocking a guys ears down. Billy
Conn challenges Joe Louis in the
Polo Grounds that night. What
with one thing and another, and
the changes that have come over the
Bomber with the years, the curly
haired Irish kid from Pittsburgh is
better than an outside chance to
end the longest run heavyweight
champion ever has enjoyed.
John L. Sullivan was the first
great milestone of modern maui.
Jack Dempsey was the second and
Louis the third. 1t took an over
stuffed light heavyweight, Jim Cor
bett, to stop Sullivan. 1t took an
other, Gene Tunney, to put the
period to Dempsey's rule. Now
along comes a third little man, and
the experts" are split even-up as
to whether he can bring the Bomber
to the end of the line.
I think he can. I pick the Pitts
burgh pretty boy to outpoint Louis
in Is rounds.
Time Taking Toll.
This will be the 18th time Louis
has laid the fight games richest
bauble on the line. He has met big
men and little men, good men and
a bevy of buns, frightened and
brave
Three years ago, when Joe tore
Max Schmeling apart; two years
ago when he carved Tony Galento's
face like rare cut OF roast beef;
even a year ago when his right hand
uppercut lifted scared Johnny Pay
chek off the floor, Conn probably
wouldn't have rated one chance In
a hundred against the man who Is
claimed by many to be the greatest
ever.
But this is now, and Old Pop Time
has been moving in. At q, Louis
is not as fast as he was year ago.
He admits that himself. He does
not punch as sharply nor so speedily
as he once did. He showed that in
the recent meetings of his bum OF
the month club" Last December he
couldn't drop little Al Mccoy with
a punch on the chin; in January he
pegged away at Red Burman's but
ton" for four rounds with no effect;
in March he tagged ample Abraham
Simon with so shots before he
turned the trick.
Of course. he's still as dangerous
as a dive bomber. He has worked
harder than ever before to condition
himself for this outing He'll hurt
any man he hits-but Conn doesn't
expect to be tagged. The Pittsburgh
pretty boy has been laughed at and
brushed off by a lot of fellows for
six months. A year ago his man
ager, Worryin' Johnny Ray. turned
down 100000 in cold cash for this
same assignment because he didn't
think my boy Billy" was ready.
Now they're both convinced the
time has come. Conn can move
around a ring faster and better than
any big man since Tommy Lough-
ran. He is just as smart" as was
the Philadelphia Phantom, and
sports a left hook, particularly to
the body, that has caused every one
of his opponents for two years to
asked to be excused.
He gave up the worlds light
heavyweight championship to get
this shot at Joe. He's the cockiest,
most confident clouter ever to tan
gle with the Brown Bomber.
Odds Against Conn Fall.
This has caused the betting fra
ternity to cut the odds for this fight
to 2 to S, lower than for any Louis
party since Max Schmeling went in
2-to-1 underdog in an effort to
make his first score stick. That sec
ond time, Der Moxie was chopped
down in just over 2l2 minutes, and
Joe is planning on trying somewhat
the same stunt this time. He hopes
to catch Billy, a notoriously slow
starter, right quick. pin him in
corner, and put the old Finger on
him. He has trained that way and,
at about 200 pounds, will carry a
2o-pound weight edge into the ring.
Proving that the art of ballyhoo
and buildup isn't dead, Promoter
Mike Jacobs confidently predicts
gate of more than 100000 and
wouldn't feel at all surprised If he
has to count to half a million. This
would mean $4,000 or 10000 of the
faithful will turn out.
Louis, as the third biggest money
maker in ring history-only Demp-
sey and Tunney collected more
has picked up s1,833,079 from his
SO f1stic outings. He figures to make
his bank account even healthier
during the coming summer and fall
against Simon, Buddy Baer and Lou
Nova if he can get by Conn. After
that schedule he plans to retire"
to the Army.