Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-03-26
Sugar Tired Champion
After Win Over BosiIio

Continued From Page CT
many Of the experts thought
was going to happen last night
At least Basilio was a 2-to-l
favorite. although at 80 he
was seven years younger than
Robinson. Carmen couldn't get
past that ink.
Battered and Tired
Basilio took no stock in that
ink talk. but the superStitious
will say that several jinxes
worked against him, Robin
son has lost only one of IL
fights in Chicago-that to Tiger
Jones. Bssilio now has lost
four Chicago fights.
Robinson is a battered and
tired champion this time. He's
not as battered as Basilio. but
he also was in pretty poor
shape when last nights battle
finally ended. He had to be
helped to his dressing room and
needed a sedative to help him
unwind. Actually. he looked
more played out than after his
knockout loss to Joey Maxim
the only KO against him
when he went for the light
heavyweight championship in
all that heat back in 1852.
Basilio was a real wreck,
though. His left eye was closed
completely and swollen to ire
mendous size. His right eye
almost was shut. and his whole
face was bruised and pulled
out of shape. He looked ter
rible, as well he might.
Carmen was able to summon
up some spirit, though, as he
kissed his father in the dress
ing room afterward. Don't
worry, pop" he said. Every
thing is okay. 1t was a helluva
fight, and that's all that mat
ters."
Basilio said he couldn't see
out of his left eye after the
fourth round. and that that
was the reason he lost the fight.
He wants a rematch, of course.
Jim Norris. president of the In
ternational Boxing Club. said
he would be willing to make the
rematch, but that this wasn't
the time to talk about it.
Norris displayed no great en-
thusiasm for a third Robinson
Basilio match. There are
others in the picture who might
draw against Robinson, and
Sugar Ray may have sent Ba-
silio right on back to the well
terweights. Basilio. like Rob-
inson before him. gave up the
welter title by taking over as
middleweight king.
Robinson had no plans for
the immediate future, except
rest. Others, though, are
thinking that Rory Calhoun
would make for a good gate
as a Robinson challenger, or
such as Bob Boyd, Eduardo
LausSe, Charley Humez, or
Fullmer again. Holly Minis of
Washington wants to get in
the picture. and he was on
hand to get introduced from
the ring last night.
Holds Press Conference
Sugar Ray refused to see
newspapermen in his dressing
room, but later held a press
conference at his hotel suite.
Lying in bed in pajamaS, he
answered questions softly and
briefly.
1T was one Of my toughest
fights" he said. I'm tired,
very tired. I haven't made up
my mind what I'm going to do"
When asked about the pos
sibility of a third fight with
Basilio. Manager George Gain
ford said: 1--WE don't have any
contract for a third fight. You
guys are talking to a man who
just swan the English Channel
and now that he's through
you're asking him if he's going
to swim back"
Gainford ended the confer
ence by saying. Hes very tired
gentlemen. Would you please
leave and, let him get some
rest?"
Hanging On at End
AS for the fight, Basilio didn't
appear quite as good a fighter
as in the New York affair. It
may have been that Robinson
made him appear that way.
Basilio's stand :. up attack
wouldn't 60 against his taller
opponent, and from the crouch
he couldn't get at Robinson.
Sugar Ray. ringwise and crafty,
made BaSilio fight his kind of
fight this time and all of Ba-
silio's supposed strength of
youth didn't help him-or at
least it didn't help him enough.
Basilio probably wouldn't
have lasted Is rounds against
the Robinson of several years
ago. with the punch Sugar Ray
used to have. Robinson, his
refexes slowed, missed with his
right all too often last night,
and when he did connect, it
wasn't with the old authority.
BaSili0 still had Tn he a tough