Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-02-06
D. {. Boy So Cautious
He Passes Up Early
Victory Chance
By BOB MCLEAN.

BY BOB MCCLELLAN.
George Parks today might have
been "a boxer Of national prom
inence. Instead he Is just another
local heavyweight with q badly cut
mouth and q defeatist attitude.
Had he cared to gamble, George
could have whipped Jimmy Bivins
In Uline Arena last night. Bivins
is flabby, slow afoot, with q spare
tire OF flesh around the midrin
built up by q year Of Army chow
and ring inactivity. In trim he never
would have trouble with the likes
of Parks.
But last night was Georges OPP
portunity to nail the highly rated
Cleveland slugger and take over
his duration" heavyweight title.
George muffed 1t because he was
wary of taking q chance and be-
cause with all his natural talent
he is no fighter. He doesn't want
q rematch with Bivins. Parks Is
badly whipped boxer.
Choosing to spar with Bivins and
allow him to lead. George was
outmaneuvered In the third round,
blasted into the ropes with a right
hook and floored again with a
slashing left. He sat in the ropes
the first time, then got up with
the claret streaming from his
mouth to take the second knock
down. The bell saved George. but
DR.. John De Mayo refused to al
low him to answer the gong in the
following round and gave Bivins
fourth-round TKO.
Ignores Second-round Chance.
Georges opportunity for fame
and fortune came In the second
round, stanza he won on the score
sheet. It was in that heat that he
found the number that would have
paid of. 1t was q neat left hand
to the pudgy midsection Of Bivins
that brought a grunt Of surprise
from the wartime champ and
brought his hands down. Parks,
however. resumed his respectful at
titude and Bivins snapped back
easily.
In the opinion of many boxing
men present, Parks could have
scored an upset had he come out
throwing leather from the opening
bell to cover the numbering Bivins'
sagging torso with hard right hands.
Deciding to play 1t safe, however,
Parks came out very carefully In the
opening round, allowed Bivins to
take the lead and obligingly soaked
up furry Of punching. He landed
several rights to Bivins' head, a
small and hardrock target, but the
sting seemed absent from his punch.
Longshot players shared the beat
ing Parks took. The odds were be-
ing variously quoted from 8 to /
down to S to on Bivins. with fans
rushing to take what appeared to
be an attractive wager, but there
was one spectator in the arena who
put his chips on Bivins and pre-
dicted that the Ohio fighter would
fatten Parks before the nth. 4
Lacks Heart, Sobel Says.
That was Sam Sobel, who started
Parks on his fighting career. but
lost out when George started to
click in Chicago last year.
: That fighter has everything he
needs to be in the big time except
the heart" is Sobel's diagnosis of
Parks. when he's in there with
some one like Jimmy Bell he's okay,
a good puncher who knows he can
win. But with some one he thinks
is good he's too careful. He Just
isn't fighter, that's ALL"
Parks weighed 1874 and it was an
nounced that the hefty Bivins scaled
but 4 pounds heavier, 1873.
The evening included a demon
stration of the development of a
caulifiower ear, with one Tony
Oshiro, featherweight Hawaiian
from Newark, N. j., in the starring
role. In losing q six-round decision
to Pete Virgin Of the Bronx, Oshiro's
ear began to pun up to mammoth
proportions. It started swelling in
the fourth and by the end of the
brawl, thanks to some nifty hooking
by Pete the Pure, the ear was twice
normal size. Didn't seem to bother
Oshiro. who said afterward it didn't
hurt a bit. Virgin weighed 1873,
OShiro 124.
In preliminaries, Don Ellis, 1874,
Washington, won four-round duke
over Bobby Suma, 148, Washington:
Perry Wright. lat. Cleveland, deci-
stoned Smuggy Hursey, $50, local,
over the six-round route, and Jimmy
Bell. $50, Washington. won six
heat decision over Sergt. Taylor
Miller, Ito. Washington.
Gross gate was 4ll.O14.06, net