Detroit evening times., 1945-04-10
BRIGHTER
SIDE
BY Damon
Runyon

HT AM very tired" said Lou
L Nova. the prize fighter, 80
years old. as he dropped his
large body on the stool in his
corner at the end of five rounds
OF hard fighting at Madison
Square Garden the other night.
80 am l." replied Jimmy
Johnston. his manager, 70 years
Old putting from his climbing
up and down the little flight of
steps to the corner.
noticed that Johnston wore
spectacles. 1 noticed that in
talking to his fighter he did not
squat in front of the man and
teeter lightly on his toes while
he talked as he used TO do, but
rested his hands on the gladi-
ator's knees and inclined his
own frame forward only
slightly.
His hair still coal black ex-
cept for a slight dusting Of
gray was tousled instead Of
neatly combed when he ap-
peared- in the corner. He had on
an old brown sweater he had
dug out of his archives for sem
timent reasons. He was trying
once more for one OF his old
time miracles OF making a SUD-
posedfy worn out piece of pugi-
llstic mechanism function
again.
/ reckon we were all a bit
sentimental about the occa.
sion. II is no secret that the
Johnston fistic fortunes have
been at low ebb for some time.
II was Jirnmy's first attempt
with big Nova and he had
wangled a lot of publicity out
of boxing writer's on the maxi
ing OF the miracle and the
house was larger than the
event perhaps justified.
ALWAYS said Johnston was
L worth $4,000 more 10 a gate
if he had any kind of fighter.
have heard him deliver a sales
talk a thousand times for pub
liciiy purposes and have gen.
Grail -wotrfd-up-beihe sold
though ! should have known il
was all CUFF Johnston is that
kind Of peddler.
Anyway. whenever Johnstons
fellow displayed a little ac-
tivity against a numbering OPP
ponent named Joe Baksi. all OF
the elder statesmen at the ring
side like Bernie Gimbel and
Jack Mekcon and Professor
Runyon Joined in cheering for
him though now that / think Of
II. ] guess We were Just cheering
JohnSton's 20 years.
Jimmy's brother. Charley and
Birdie" DrlScoll the old John
ston trainer. were behind Nova
with the chief of the clan
and truly familiar note was
the Clamor that arose from the
corner during the fighting. I
think even the boxing inspectors
must have been feeling senti-
mental. Otherwise they would
have suppressed the din. All
the spectators around the cor
ner including myself helped
with advice. not that We cared
anything about Nova. but We
wanted TO see Johnston win.
81 EEP off the ropes" ! said,
IA Sagely. 10 Jimmy. mean
ing of course that he was 10 tell
Nova 10 keep off the ropes.
Any time Nova got against tho
ropes, Baksi gave him what-for.
Johnston nodded.
Come on, Lou" he implored.
"All you've got, new"
Jimmy was in position char
actereStic of him when second
Ing fighter, his body flattened
against the edge Of the ring,
his head thrust forward so that
it was almost under the ropes.
| thought / detected a far.
away expression in his eyes as
he watched the somewhat futile
efforts of Nova. l wondered If
Jimmy was thinking Of the good
fighters he has handled in his
time and had nothing TO worry
about AS they fought. I won-
dered If he was thinking of his
best one, Ted Kid Lewis, the
Whitechapel wonder who was
welterweight champion of the
world.
Come on, Lou" he intoned,
rather listlessly. left ha d.
o Left hand"
THAT Baksi don't do nothIn.'"
commented Birdie. "He fights
the first half minute Of q round
then he stops and all you gotta
do is stick i'm"
That's right" Charley john
Ston said "Stick 'em, Lou,
stick 'em."
Keep Oft the ropes" I ad-
vised.
TOWARD the fag end Of the
l. fight, Jimmy Johnston took
TO sitting down on a stool DUR
ING the action. Then he got 10
wandering away from the ring
side and dropping comments TO
"TootS" Shor and other ac-
quaintances a h out the way
Baksi was outting Nova. TIE
latter had a cut over one eye
that was gushing gore.
'I'll 20 down to the commits
sion and protest" said Jimmy
Johnston. "Baksi has been sent
out To do job on Lou"
a