The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-02-06

York the same middleweight who
licked Robinson at Detroit last
night scored similar upset VIC
tory over welterweight contender
Sergt. Jackie Wilson of Mitchell
Field, N. Y, after Wilson permitted
LaMotta to come into the ring en-
joying q weight advantage of 16
pounds.
We recall Wilson and LaMotta
for a good reason. Wilson tangles
with Robinson at Madison Square
Garden on February 10. And Pro-
moter Mike Jacobs has his usual
luck, because the defeat of Rob-
inson-who would have gone in q
top-heavy favorite against wilson
now makes this bout such an at
tractive affair that the two grand
Negro welters may attract a crowd
approaching last nights 2l,24o at
the Garden.
1t is ring axiom that a good big
man always can lick good little
man-because of the weight. Down
through the years there have been
few exceptions to this rule. But
the code Of match making has ac-
cepted the rule rather than the ex-
ception. That's why you'll find
definite ,poundage differences per-
mitted between hyweight and
bantamweight, or between a BAN
tam and feather, etc.-on up to the
heavyweight division, where there
are no limits.
Remember that the light heavy
weight limit Is ITS pounds. Above
that figure all men are heavy
weights, although the late William
Muldoon and others tried to estab-
fish a class of super-heavies or
"dreaunaughts" who registered over
235 pounds. That artificial classifi-
cation was proved to be stupid be
cause practical ring experiments
showed almost all heavies who
scaled more than 220 pounds were
freaks whose speed and coordination
diminished with their excess pound
age Hence the easy kayo victory
Of Make Baer over Primo Camera.
Hence the easy victories of Joe
Louis over such giants as Camera,
Buddy Baer and Abe Simon.
But there are no such freaks In
the lower divisions, where q man
must have q certain amount Of
speed, timing and ringcraft-even
II he lacks punch--to become a
prominent fighter. Thus, weight be-
comes ultra lmportant when a
fighter Of one division Is matched
with a scrapper from a lower class.
LaMotta, New Yorker, for exam
pie, Is mediocre middleweight.
We're confident that Tony zale, the
middleweight champion who now Is
in the Navy, would belt his brains
out.
But the LaMotta who went in
against welterweight Robinson last
night and welterweight Wilson re-
Gently enjoyed such poundage adj
vantages that his opponents were
forced to pack pull Of at least 10
poun d s-pull in the weights
throughout the bouts.
This burden-forced onto ones
shoulders by an opponent who leans
and bulls-becomes a milestone pc
fore the distance is completed.
When a welter fights a middle
Weight, the welter eXpends almost
twice the energy Of the middle
weight before the final bell, II the
difference Is is pounds, the limit
permitted by the New York COM
mission. LaMotta exceeded this
difference in his Detroit bout with
Robinson and his New York bout
with Wilson.
zivic was within the limit Of II
pounds permitted between a light
weight and walter last night. His
advantage of eight pounds at times
slowed Beau Jack to a walk, al
though zivic is an old man OF the
ring. A week ago featherweight
champion Willie Pep spotted light
weight Allie Stolz five and three
quarter pounds and licked him, but
that was an exceptional result
Good fighters in lower divisions
can't expect to spot mediocre scrap
pers in higher divisions too much
saddle lead" and still win.