The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-06-02
INTENDS MAKING
SECOND BATTLE
MORE DECISIVE
BartOlO Rated Keen Foe:
Willie Greets Barney
Ross, U. S. Marine Hero
Especial to The Democrat)

Boston, June 2.-Willie Pep OF
Hartford, the living legend who oc-
cupies the featherweight throne
lstarted down the dusty road to home
at Braves Field yesterday afternoon
when he. staged his first public
round t i ltmaecwtithh etaoinin
workout in preparation for his Is
round title match with Sal Bartolo
of East Boston.
They will meet next Tuesday night
at Braves field in the biggest fight
that Boston has known in all its
years as a center of the boxing
industry. The chip are down, as
Pep makes his first defense of his
featherWeight crown in a hostile
town before a hostile crowd that,
down to the last man, will be cheer
ing for the hometown idol, Bar
tolo.
Il know that I have to win de-
cisively to win at ALL" Pep said as
he banda>ed his hands for his first
workout. 1.-THE officials scored
the last fight between Bartolo and
me 285 to 284. I'll admit that it
Weto q NAOoC, lld1d 1lSllU. L IL
that he gave me the toughest bat
life. But I won't admit that it
was as close as the pencils of the
judges made it.
1.-THE official figures of the last
fight are enough of a warning to
me-" he went on. II can take
hint, and I've already taken it. In
down to 129 already, after a week of
heavy work in Hartford. I have
two great sparring partners in
Johnny Compo of New Haven and
Billy Reid of New York. Ill work
every day from now through Sun
day. I'll lay off Monday. And
Tuesday I'll be ready to defend my
title with everything I have. I'm
going to take this title into the
Army with me, and fight for it
again when the war is over"
Ross His Idol
The champion interrupted his
strict training program long enough
to seek out and meet Sergeant Bar
new Ross, the hero of Gudalcanal,
and it may be that the 20-year old
Hartford kid made the most grace
full and sincere of all the Welcom-
ing speeches that were made to the
former champion of the ring. He
| said:
Barney, I'd like to be as good
champion as you were, and as good
an American as you are. That's the
height of my ambition"
Bartolo, too, has arrived on the
scene, after doing most of his
manual labor at Stillman's gymna-
SUM in New York. He too will
train at Braves field, in a ring that
has been pitched in the right-field
bull pen. Pep will train between
100 and 1880 ech day, and the local
boy between 2:30 and 800.
The arrival of the two contest
ants has Swelled the advance sale
past the $25 900 mark, and both Pro-
moter Jack O'Brien and Matchmak-
er Eddie Mack stick to their original
estimate that the bout will gross
100000. The fact that the cham.
pionship battle will start at $50
has not diminished interest in the
slightest. If anything, it has added
wartime touch to the bout that
increases is atraciveness.
Fans are advised pick up their
reservations before Thursday, be-
cause after Thursday there will be
no reservations to pick up. There
are plenty of choice seats left and
the public is asked to pick them up
at once.
Seats at all prices from $77o to
1920 are still available at the Obs
ton Boxing Association, A School
street nda, etaoin shrdlu otinotet
street and may be reserved b ytele-
phoning LAT. 0511.