The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-08-17
BY JACK CUDDY GUnited Press Staff Correspondent,

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 Newark, N. J., Aug. l7-(uP)- Boxing promoters of the nation are deluging the Trenton doorstep of Larry Lane with offers for bouts: but the brown skinned heavyweight who caused a recent ring death wishes to gaud that fist fightin' never was invented"
 Lane, religious and superstitious with the drums of old Africa still pulsing in his blood-is forced at last to take seriously the sport with which he toyed for eight long years. The death of Lem Franklin brought this about.
 Lem Franklin. the Chicago Negro heavyweight who once was consid- cred a potential challenger for Joe Louis. died after being knocked out by Lane in Newark's Meadow Brook Bowl. July 24. Until that night no one heard much about Larry Lane run-of-the-mine heavyweight who was as good as he waned to be.
 But the trouble with Lane was that his laziness prevented him from wanting to be anything. Gift ed with every asset that the Lord ever bestowed upon any leather-tos- ser. Lane puttered along in medi- ocrity.
 Cutie"
 He had the body-i9i pounds of dynamite on a five-foot II-inch chassis. He had the sloping should es Of the deadly hitte. His alert mind and agile body enabled him to become a cutie" in ringcraft. The rare gift Of being able to smash knockout punch from the short range of eight inches raised him above the crowd in cauliflower can- yon. And he had the experience of more than 100 bouts as he fought up from welterweight to heavyweight during the past eight years.
 But, rarely was he in condition for any fight. He knew he could knock out man with one punch, if he hit him squarely-so why should be train? And he was too lazy to train He knocked out chaps like Claudio Villa, Sgt. Joe Muscato, Wallace Gross, Nat Mitchell, Willie Thomas,
 
 often, when he didn't knock out an opponent in three or four rounds, he ran out of gas and lost the de- cisiop. He was being beaten by Franklin when he suddenly landed that fatal right in the ninth round and became the first Negro heavy weight ever to cause prominent ring death.
 To Retire?
 James Larue Lane, as he was born at Dillon, s. C.. 26 years ago, came from Trenton to Newark last night to discuss with Manager Willie Gil- zenberg the possibilities of his re- uring from the ring. Lane-of the small mustaehio, Panama hat and brown slacks-has lived in Trenton since the age of three. He is mar ried and has seyen-year-old daughter. He is in 4-P because of a punctured ear drum, and is ern- ployed as a defense worker in Trenton rubber plant. But he can. sleep.
 He can't sleep because he keeps "takin' Lem Franklin out with one punch" Slumber - the supposed balm of woe-finds him fighting Franklin in ghoul-haunted settings that only the mind of an unedu- cated Negro could conjecture backdrops that the fantasties would have njoyed-Edgar Allen Poe, Ambrose Bieree. Geroud De Ner- val and Oscar Wilde
 Sleeper
 Manager Gilzenberg says If Lar ry can't sleep, it's the first time in his life. He nsed to sleep on his feet, Maybe this unfortunate acci- dent has woke him up. I hope SO because his wife and kid, and his father need money If he has woke up, he'll become heavyweight cham plon-like Jess Willard and Magie ISaer, who also caused deaths from knockouts, Because he's got every thing, except the urge. He fought like a new man at Chicago on Aug. ', when he knocked out Georgie Parks in the second round-two weeks after the Franklin kayo. He's fighting Irish Johnny Flynn on Aug, 3i, at the opening Of the new Arens Athletic club in Baltimore. And Jae. KeaFns has practically completed match for Joe BakEi for Chicago October I'll bet tlO,OOO he ear lit Baksi--or any other civilian heavy Weight in the world today"