Evening star., 1956-12-07
SPOTLIGHT
SPORTS
Success Can Be an Enemy
By JIMMY CANNON


pionS forget that youth temporary and many
them pass through it if they tourists long
holiday There is no apprehension when the body is the
obedent servant of desire and the mddeaged appear to
be manned accident of fe The great opponent
them all is the aduaton of those who disguise
of friends They often innocent who compelled
to the cold obscury of their lives in the warmth Of
the champions glow They generally stay long the
fighters Sls suggesting guests at party who depart
the whisky runs out
Now is the beautiful time for Floyd Patterson who will
find that being champion harder handle than Archie
Moore Success is the sneakest OF all enemies The good
will be succession of testimonials to his eminence
The most intelligent of them will tell you that is
trap, much of enemy failure 1t might be well for
Patterson to examine the grief of his predecessors.
There are desperadoes in the fight racket who come
unarmed and rob young fighter of his ability using praise
weapon 1t is fortunate that Patterson managed by
Gus DAmato, who to be decent and sensible
He will attempt shield the champion from saboteus who
work quietly thief prowng apartment where people
Sleep But most of ALL Patterson must be the custodian of
himself his talent and his fortune.
I'VE SEEN TOO MANY of them, impoverished and used
up eptied by ooers and devoured by parasites There
no one sadde than great fighter who is forced to work at
his trade when age has tampered with his gifts It's not
only dissipation the scoundrels who from
the athletic life The handshaker who exhibits the champion
as If he trophy, be harmful
The Of Ray Robinson who backed out Of the fight
with Gene Fumer, claiming head cold, should influence
Patterson In my time enjoyed being a champion
and Sugar Ray is still But this is a guy who
realizes that youth the prize of all athletes
Memory is cruel process as Robinson and Joe Louis
have discovered There those who dismiss Louis early
history No heavyweight champion in all the of the
fight racket has finer record than Louis He ducked
in his class After the second fight with Jersey
Walcott Louis decided he wouldn't fight again. recoect
an afternoon in the Midwest Gymnasium in Chicago when
he training for Cesar Bon after economic pressure
caused him to take up where he had left on
had been out OF the country when Ezzard Charles beat
him. Louis had kind of majesty, quiet belief in
himself But that day in the gym noticed preliminary kids
pushed him around.
He hesated and his right hand seemed to be stricken
with paralysis when he started blow. He jabbed and
hooked but the right crippled by ndecson Aerward,
when spoke about it, Louis described what had happened
to him.
Il throw the right hand don't know did" he told me-
Sometimes go back to the corner and don't know knock
guy out with right hand don't think Just punch Now
see opening got to think about it. then it's too late"
IT WAS THAT WAY when Rocky Marciano knocked him
out Joe laceraed Marcano with his left hand but his right
opponent But then Marciano knocked him down and
was all
1t disgusts to read those foolish systems that
evaluate fighters in all Those who compile such
inflicted with amnesa and make their silly lists
Louis had started fight when he discharged
the Army and began his decline with Billy Conn He beat
Conn., but he the fighter he had been and this
the memory that survives.
Robinson in with the best but the Tiger
fight is the the bus discuss when his dropped
into conversation. Seldom have great fighter
helpless Robinson that night He had no stamina
and his marvellous combinations followed sequence and
he beaten badly There is honor in his knockout
Of Bobo Olson This guy down by his wild life
and those punches Robinson hit him with diculed
thought that the likes Of Fumer would be favored
him by the gamblers
Rich people only poor people with money. The
investments Robinson made turned wrong and after
ceding he finished ne had to do 1t all again
SO Patterson should himself for the night that
must He has 70 distinguish between the counteets
and the genuine The champion dwels wonderful place
but he only migrant in that land It's soon
him. at a. to be searching the horizon Of the years He
should Gene Tunney and Rocky Marciano did get ready
FOR the hour when he quit punched around
This gag All Patterson has to do is ask Louis
Robinson Willie Pep and Henry Armstrong They the
greatest Of their age.
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