Evening star., 1941-01-06
Amateur Tennis Aces Begin 7947 ung Pro Troupe Starts Long Tour
The
SPoRTLIGHT
None Apt to Lift Crown
From Louis This Year
BY GRANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent OF The Star.


Special Correspondent OF The Star.
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 6 (NANA),
There Is one solid answer to
the place Joe Louis still holds in
the heavyweight set. 1t is this
no matter what challenger is named
to face him, the multitude at large
promptly hauls out the old Bronx
cheer, doubled and redoubled. They
consider it about the same as match
ing a poodle with a pit bulldog.
The Brown Bomber from Blast
Town may have lost a bit of his
early zest when 1t comes to remov-
ing an opponent quickly from the
scene, but he still is the bestriding
colossus above a narrow world.
In the past heavyweights took
extended vacations, ranging from
two to four years. They waited for
the proper buildup and the occa-
sional big gate.
There were long gaps between the
defensive appearances Of Corbett,
Jeffries, johnson. Willard and
Dempsey-ranging up to four open
years.
Louis has been more than anxious
to fight two or three times a year.
While many of these opponents have
been punks of purest ray serene,
they have at least been as good
as the market afforded.
The deep deficit in heavyweight
ability hasn't been Jolting Joe's
fault. And these fights also have
kept him training, without which
he would have been loafing and
putting on fat and weight.
This is one reason Joe still is
where he Is.
Joe Fools Ring Experts
By Keeping in Trim
When Joe Louis arrived at the
top, the general verdict was that
only Joe Louis would beat Joe
Louis for many years. This meant
that the Louis yearn for food and
sleep finally would turn him into
a fat fellow around 220 pounds.
But year after year the Bomber
has been crawling under the ropes
around 201 or 202, looking and
weighing today almost exactly as
he looked and weighed five years
ago.
Louis, at least, has refused to
beat himself. AS champion he is
going to force that raSptng task
on some opponent, who will need
much more than any challenger
now in sight has been able TO show.
Here and there he has been be-
low the Louis standard. But don't
forget the Louis standard has been
we'll above the average.
The crowd expects Louis to de-
molish an opponent merely by leav-
ing his corner and lifting a glove.
If Louis felt in the mood at every
start to wreck somebody, he still
has what it takes for this assign
ment.
But as the years slip by the
earlier enthusiasm for destruction
also eases off and crusade turns
into another job. II there were
some real challenger, given q gnod
chance to win, you would see an
other Louis moving into action.
The crop has sloughed off to such
an extent that the leading chal-
lenger in sight happens to be ia
pound nght-heavy by the name OF
Billy Conn.
Billy Conn is dead game. He is
fast on his feet and fast with his
hands. He is one of the better
boxers. But for all that he will have
to spot % pounds to another pretty
good boxer who can outpunch him
two to one.
Jim Corbett told me many years
ago that as he was coming on he
had to make an important decision.
"I had to decide" Corbett said.
whether I was to be fine boxer
or a hard puncher. I could punch
in those days. Ask Joe Choynski
and several others. I knew I
couldn't be both.
"High-class boxing means speed,
1t means moving around. 1t doesn't
mean getting set. voted in favor
of the speed I had in my legs and
my hands. I voted for the boxing
side.
And, remember. I weighed close
to 100. I figured that the punchers
usually wound up with bad hands.
And they also had to take more of
beating. Also, boxing was more TO
my liking since it demanded much
more skill"
NH Al BlI