Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-05-27
Quiz Of Donovan
ByBoxing Board
Seems Aim|ess
Officic!s Now Know
Answers to Questions
They'll Ask Referee
BY LEWIS F. ATCHISON.

BY LEWIS F. ATCHISON.
Our local board of boxing bigwigs
evidently has scheduled another
aimless, time-squandering session
tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock to
hear the testimony of Arthur Dono-
van. or rather ask four questions
regarding his role as referee in the
recent Buddy Baer-Joe Louis heavy
weight title Squabble at Griffith
Stadium.
Yesterdays confab at the COM
mission Office was more of a hot
stove league meeting than an off,
clal session of the commission
Everybody agreed that Louis struck
Baer after the bell ended the sixth
round, palpably foul: that Dono-
vans officiating was distinctly Glass
D, and that it was the most enter
tanning heavyweight fight Washing
ton fans have been privileged to see
The result was unsatisfactory, but
the commission, pumping along on
two cylindeEs-Claude w. Owen,
chairman, and Thomas P. Morgan.
jr-refused to act without a full
representation. Tomorrow Maj.
Ernest w. Brown is expected to be
present, as we'll as Donovan, thereby
paving the way for an official ver-
dict which necessarily must be Of
negative character. There plainly
is nothing the ruling body can do
about the result, llnSayOry as il was,
if it could do nothing yesterday.
Brief Quiz Prepared
OF the four questions TO be put
to Donovan three already have been
answered by that gentleman and
the fourth can be-and was an
swered by District resident. Pat
O'Connor. Mr.. OConner usually
acts as knockdown timekeeper at
local bouts. but had relinquished his
role for this particular card because
OF a recent siege of illness which
he feared might have kept him away
from the park. Nevertheless, the
old Roman was in good shape the
night of the fight and sat in his
regular place next to Timekeeper
Billy De Chard, although Charley
Reynolds, sitting directly opposite,
counted for the knockdowns.
The commission, after hearing the
testimony of all its officials. now
wants to ask Donovan D if he
stopped the action in the first round
when he heard the bell or did Baer
voluntarily stop fighting after Louis
had been knocked down? % If
Louis hit Baer after the bell end
ing the sixth round? 80 If Dono-
van asked O'Connor to hold his
watch while he Donovan informed
Ancil Hoffman tBaer's manager
he would give Buddy a minutes
rest after the alleged foul? If
he informed Hoffman of his in
tention and. if so. did Hoffman re-
fuse to leave the ring after Demo-
vans instructions to him. "a
Could Donovan have counted out
Baer in the sixth round after he
had gone down a second time?
Here are the Answers.
The answer to No. ! is an en-
phatic no. Baer admits pulling Up
in the first round after thinking he
heard the bell. Those at the ring
side can testify that Donovan was
puzzled by Buddy's action.
Donovan answered question No.
2 Immediately after the fight and
later authorized publication of a
story under his name in which he
stated without equivocation that
Louis struck Baer at the bell :"
The first line of his newspaper story
reads:
Joe Louis hit Buddy Baer at the
bell-not afterward. I want to get
that straight right from the start"
The answer to question No. 3
comes from O'Connor. who said to-
day the only conversation he had
with Donovan was before the fight
in reply to Arthur's question as to
the bells location.
After he made his decision ~
O'Connor said, Il called him over
and said, Boy, you've made a mis-
take He said, I'm sorry and
walked away.
The answer to the final query is
obvious. If Donovan could have
counted out Baer after the second
knockdown he would have done so.
He said after the fight his count was
at %" when Baer got both gloves
off the floor following the second
knockdoWn, and his count was Off
cial. Everybody agreed on that at
yesterdays meeting after Charley
Reynolds testified he had counted
10 with his gavel.