Evening star., 1941-05-22
0ffense Is All Buddy
Can Rely on in Title
Fight Tomorrow
Care Of Hands May Curb
Champ, but Challenger
Can't Wait Him Out
BY GRANTLAND RICE,


There are two main factors
hooked to the Joe Louis Buddy
Baer ENHANCEMENT here tomorrow
night.
Number One is the number of
fathoms Joe Louis has slipped from
his earlier peak, back in the days
when Max Baer was hanging
around the scene.
Number Two concerns Buddy
Baer's willingness to gamble with
one or both hands in an earnest
effort to win by a knockout.
Just a short drop on the part
of Louis won't be sufficient to give
Baer much of a chance. Louis has
been thrown into so many engage
mentS that looked pudgy and puffy
that he has had little incentive to
work up any excessive froth They
looked TO be puShovers, but in each
case the pushing act was well de-
layed beyond scheduled time.
With Conn and Nova on ahead,
the bomber may plant Buddy Baer
in the same category of unmisSable
behemothS and take no chance of
cracking a valuable hand. Trying
to figure out any fighters advance
plans is anybody's guess. The 9TH
er fellow always can scramble up
the original plan.
No Doubt About Buddy's Punch.
Most of the giants above 230 or
240 we've seen around were midget
punchers. This list includes Car
nera, Abe Simon and a few others.
Buddy Baer may be many things
and he may be loaded with many
faults, but at least he can hit. He
has more leverage and zip than
most of the mastodons or man.
moths carry in their repertoire.
I've seen Buddy land punches on
xecond-rate fighters that would give
even Louis all he could handle. But
Louis is no second-rate fighter and
in return Louis also can supply
his full share of damage, even if
he has slipped. Anyone who hurts
him may find this out in a hurry.
The case of Buddy Baer goes
more into the matter of the heart
attitude than the mental attitude.
But the message must start from
the brain. 1t must include a keen
desire to win and not merely linger
on for a few rounds.
There is nothing mean or rough
or vicious in the Buddy Baer make
up, which is handicap in his
present trade rather than help.
But there always is the chance that
his memory of what happened to
his older brother. Max, may spur
him along and give him far more
incentive to win than he ever has
known before.
Baer Must 90 in for Kill.
If Buddy enters the rinG beaten
in advance. as Max did some years
ago, he won't have any more chance
than golf duffer has in an ele-
plants heelprint. He knows he is
big enough and strong enough to
knock Louis out if he can nail the
right target with all he has, but
lIldl Will uO Il1IIl llO SOOo II Ilc 1dChS
the heart to use his weapons up to
the limit.
The answer is that Buddy Baer
must think almost entirely in terms
Of offense or else finish the show
with frontispiece badly out of
shape
Most of those meeting Louis have
been trying to show how much pun
ishment they could absorb before
the curtain fell.
To have one chance in a thousand
Buddy can afford no such defensive
idea. He must have burning desire
to annihilate the fellow who wrecked
his older brother, or 60 the way of
the others in larger and more
painful fashion.
This is what we mean by mental
attitude"
Louis Must Protect Hands.
To Joe Louis the Buddy Bear
affair can mean little more than
just another fight. The champion
has been either training or fighting
for the greater part of two years
This has dulled the keen edge he
once carried to his wars.
Louis knows Baer is a target
he hardly can miss, no matter in
what direction he may throw
punch. He also figures that he
knows enough about defensive box
ing to keep his chin away from any
sudden contact with Buddy's glove.
But there still is the concern he
must feel over his two hands in
swinging away at so much human
bulk.
Just ahead there are the Conn
and Nova fights, both big money
engagements. A broken hand
wouldn't be any too pleasant at this
time.
Also there is the big golf tourna-
ment that he hopes to win. You
can't win golf tournaments or break
an 30 with splintered mitU. This
would even affect his putting.
If Louis can get in a few quick
shots he may turn on the steam in
& hurry. Otherwise, he will trust
the same menu handed out to others
In recent fights, which might easily
mean-"Fight stopped by referee"
Released by the North American