The Omaha guide., 1946-07-06

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rounds, and when you consider
that he knew what was comins to
him after a while, it must have
been a v and firing half
hour he spent in the ring at the
Yankee Stadium.
Before, during and after the
fight, all of the sports celebrities
spoke of Conn as a game little
challenger, and who am I to dis
agree, but while paying tribute to
his gameness, I reserve the right
to put down what I saw.
AS you watch Conn in action,
you will note that he is behaving
like a burned child who dares to
play with fire again hoping that
his previous experience will keep
him from getting singed. Subcon-
sciously, he knew he wanted to
run out on the whole business, but
something sporting inside MIN,
kept him in there feinting and IA
king and hoping to befuddle the
champ enough to get in a lucky
wallop.
1t wasn't a pretty spectacle, to
watch Joe stalking an opponent
who was scared in a controlled
sort of way. The fight was slow
and dull, at time almost motion
less except for the purposeful adj
vancing of Jolting Joe. Conn tried
tricks and circus antics, paying
too much attention to the myth
that Joe Louis is dull-witted and
easily befuddled. He danced about
like an insane man in a lions cage
who hopes to punish the lion by
getting him good and mad before
he has his dinner.
/. Conn with the first sock in the
puss got q pretty crimson in his
complexion. He tried endless num-
bers Of times to throw Joe off
balance with feints and lodges.
but Joe just kept rolling along.
Billy wanted to win. He knew he
couldn't win with his much-vaun-
ted boxing skill and speed, he
hoped for a miracle, a miracle that
would make Joe beat himself. ~
Joe could have knocked him out
any time from the second round
on. but Joe never underestimate
an opponent. Conn had prepared
for the fight in a thorough man.
ner. When he stepped into the
ing, his chance to win was equal
10 Joe's, so far as hitting and
ducking goes, SO Joe had to feel
i'm out, analize his purpose, be-
fore he went in for thes kill Louis
was being cautious, he had been
out of the ring for serious pur-
,J5es for almost five years, and
while he had confidence in himself
777o realized that what he plan
ned to do, could also happen to
him.
E.lere wasn't a person in the
1n Zee Stadium, who didn't be-
liave, after the first round, that
Joe Louis would rock Billy to
,cep before the evening was over
and there aren't as many as you
think who are disappointed in the
way most of the sports writers
say they are. True enough they
wanted to see Billy Conn show
enough fight to make it an inter
esting contest, but few of them
agree with Brooklyn's Congress
man O'Toole that the fix was in.
O'Toole, let me say in passing,
comes to the public's attention for
the first time during his tenure.
/ have never heard of him before
and I -daresay, neither have you.
He's in the limelight 10Y through
an unfair accusation, and Joe is
still the cleanest. most sportsman
like champ the game has ever had.
When the tumult and the shout
ing have died down a bit, and the
fans take a cooler look at the pro- !
ceedings, they will realize that
they saw the greatest Joe Louis
of his entire areer in action
against Billy Conn. At 80, Louis
has reached the peak of his dew
elopment as the best fighting ma
chine of all time. He out-boxed
Conn, and he out-thought him all
the way. He kept his balance with
the ease and grace Of IN adagio
dancer while shutting flatfooted
to corner his man. There isn't a
heavy in the world who can beat
the champ, although there are
dozens of contenders who car get
into the ring with him and make
it more interesting than did game
Billy Conn. If there was anything
wrong with the fight, it could be
that Conn was scared, and Joe was
cautious, and you can't blame
either of them.