The Wilmington morning star., 1941-02-18
CHAMP DISPLAYS
OLD POWER
Right to Chin Makes Quick
Work of Gus Dorazi0 in
Philadelphia Title Bout
By SID FEEDER

CONVENTION HALL, Phlladel-
phia, Feb. 17.-(R-The old Joe
Louis-the Brown Bomber W o
was supposed to be on the road
down-quit his kidding tonight.
With a whistling right hand
smash that was just as explosive,
just as sharp and just as damag-
ing as any he yer has thrown,
the dusky destroyer put Gus Dor
azio to sleep in l minute 80 Sec
onds of the second round of their
scheduled 15-round bout to success
fully defend his world heavyweight
championship for the 18th time.
1t was an altogether different
Joe Louis than the fellow who was
wild with his punches against Al
Mccoy in Boston less than two
months ago. And it definitely was
a far different fighting man than
the slow-punching boxer who could
do no more damage to Red Bur-
mans chin than a feather buster
less than three weeks ago in New
York.
This was the Louis who rocks
'em and wrecks EN-" And the
Is, 1902 fans who jammed this big
west-side arena biggest crowd
ever to see an indoor fight in
Philadelphia - roared in agree
ment.
At 2O3 IL, he was bigger than
for any of his Is previous title
defenses, and while Gus too was
heavier than for most of his previ-
Gus fights, he still was ten pounds
lighter than Louis.
But ten pounds, or a hundred,
it would have made no difference
tonight. For this was more like
the dusky destroyer rated by many
as the greatest puncher ever in
the ring. 1t was the heavy duty
cannon who sent Max Schmeling
to a hospital, who took Tony Ga
lento apart and who has domi-
mated the heavyweights like a die
tator since he tore the title from
gallant old Jim Braddock four
years ago.
For one round. he spared
around with Dorazio, trying to lure
the low-slung South Philadelphia
out of his crouch. Then, with the
second round hardly under way,
he started moving in. AS Dorazio
lunged forward, he ran right into
a long, straight left that straight
ened him up. Before he could
get down into his shell again, a
right hand that travelled no more
than six inches crashed flush
against his chin with the effect
Of a 16-inch shell.
The beetle browed local boy nit
the canvas on his face, and lay
there, his nose digging into The
rosin, as Referee Irving Kutcher
completed his count of ten. Gus
wasn't quite sure afterward just
what happened.
why did the referee stop it,"
he asked in his dressing room, ap'
parently in the opinion it was a
technical knockout instead OF the
clean-cut sleep-producing job it ac-
tually was.
Louis just shrugged his sholl-
ders with a job of work well done.
Guess ah amt slipped too
much" he told reporters in his
dressing room.
Up to that point, Gus showed
he wasn't afraid even a little bit.
He walked into Louis as though
walking through the front door OF
his home in the first round. He
threw several punches to the body
and a short left to the head. In
the closing seconds, Joe opened
Gus up and rushed him into the
ropes with a tWo-handed attack
to the body.
If tonight was any indication,
next opponent-slated to be
gigantic Abe Simon of New York
in Detroit, March 21-had better
order himself a suit of armor
plate right now. However, %
razio, despite his %crouching and
bobbing, was more or less made
to order for Joe. At one point IN
the first round, he stood IN a cor
ner and tried to slug it out with
the champion, which is like trying
to play pat-a-cake with a buzz-saw:
This rushing in was what finally
proved his undoing, for he ran
directly into the straight left which
ar.,ch4 b;,o oroct before the h