The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-01-10
(Reg. U. 5. Pat. Off, BY JACK GUENTHER

United Press Staff COrreSpOndent)
 New York, Jan. 10-(UP)-Buddy Baer came in at 250 and went out 2:56.
 That's the story of the fight, if fight is the word for what hap pened.
 There was V-for Victory taped on his dressing room and there was movie in his heart, but the towering Californian had as much chance of survival as soap bubble in a cactus patch. His valedictory was intoned before he climber of his stool to leave his corner.
 Wendell Willkie pronounced it. The 1940 Republican presidential nominee, who contributed the eve- ning's only surprise by appearing with his hair combed, first con- graduated Joe Louis for donating his purse to the navy. Then he turned to the nervous young chal- lenger and said:
 "To you, Buddy Baer, can only remark that I, too, once met a champ. I didn't win either, but I had some fun"
 With these inspiring words of con- fidence to spur him on, Buddy rush. ed out to greet his destiny in one splendid, Stumbling charge. He jabbed his left weaking in Louis face and from then on he might just as well have been one of the sequoia trees that grow in his na- tive state.
 He was numbering, he was wooden and when Louis shouted timber" he responded obligingly by tumbling with a glorious crash. Willkie called the turn, all right, except that he was wrong on one point. Buddy was defeated, but if he had any fun in being defeated then I'm go- ing to spend next Sunday jumping off the roof and laughing myself to death.
 Baer proved himself to be the boxer everybody expected him to be. He had one hope-to pole Louis with his awkward right or to rough him up with short left jolts in close. He missed his first chance at the bell and every time he walked to- wards his opponent, he was just a sitting bird. Even the navy has never riddled a target any better than Louis did.
 Leather Lightning
 The champion struck so fast that the experienced critics at ringSide lost count. First he would smash Bae ramidships, then he would rock him on both sides of the jaw. It is tribute to Baer's endurance and his plain, homely guts that he got up as often as he did.
 He knew he had no chance, he knew exactly what punishment was in store each time he pulled his over-sized body together and some- how staggered to his feet. He didn't do this just once, either. He did it three times and he was only A second too late to make his third climb successful and lasting out the round-to come back for more.
 Historically. this 56th episode in the Joe Louis Saga was important for only two reasons. The first is that boxing as a sport responded magnificently to national cause. Except for the one blown by a ner- vous marine bugler before the bout, there wasn't sour note evident all evening. Baer proited slightly, not enough for the beating he took, but the navy reaped the rest of the gravy, and. brother, that wasn't hay.
 The second is that if Louis is slipping, then today is July 4. 1887, I'm the Queen of May and Shirley Temple is catching for the Brook lyn Dodgers-which might not be a bad idea at that. In his dressing room. Louis said he might not have punched Baer harder than he did his other opponents, but he agreed that he couldn't remember ever punching anyone any faster.
 Which brings up one other point. Since this was a navy affair, I nat urally thought of Lieut. -Comdr James Joseph Tunney and the magazine article in which he re- gently wrote that if Joe Louis would smoke one package of cigarettes a day for six months, he, Tunney would return to the ring and guar antee to knock the champion out.
 put this question to the one man who could answer 1t intelli- gently, Louis trainer, Jack Black. burn. The tall, lean second merely said:
 Mister, you go out and buy u those cigarettes and you've go' yourself promotion. You put ur the smokes and old Joeu put up hi. fists"