Evening star., 1961-03-12
WIN, LOSE OR
DkAW By FRANCIS s7Anu
Prelude to Fiuht

MIAMI BEACH, MAR. 1.-THE fighters wait and
mediate The 48 hours until ring time are an eternity
There is nothing more to be done or undone Floyd
Patterson and Ingemar Johansson ready physically
as they'll ever be.
The light mob the characters mill about the
beach, forming clusters and separating, like talking
amoebae There the bg-name shills like Doc KearnS
Max Schmeling and Joe Louis. The sparring partners
out OF Jobs now The newSpapermen the historians the
CRITTERS.
q. and he's learned few things he didn't do
before Kearns says. The old con artist who managed
Jack Dempsey and Mickey Walker drops pearls of wisdom
Santed in JohanSSonS favor part of the selling program
He holds his right higher and is down in crouch"
Docs heart doesn't to be in it, Deep thinks
the Swede is an amateur and questions his courage
I'm with the champion" Freddie Blades says. lingo
don't impress me as champion" Freddie Blades? He
was one of Jchanssons sparrng partners Palm Beach,
THE MOB TALKS of how the fighters trained and of
little incidents that happened Ingos brightly coored
shirts and toreador pants when he wasn't in the ring
The time running along the golf course he nearly was
conked by stray drive.
They talk of how Patterson almost called the whole
thing off and wonder it true Floyd to Florida
to train at Homestead about 80 miles away He objected
to the segregation policy and pulled out beach hotel
the Deauve offered ballroom in which to train and for
$4,000 he rented house for less than month.
He amt used to all this fancy stuff" Buster Watson
OFFERS goomiy regarding the pastel opulence the royal
palms, the pools and the flow of Cadlacs Watson is
Floyd'S roommate and confdant He dreams Of Ehsans
dirty lonesome training site in New jersey and the
spooky abandoned roadside joint in Newton Conn., where
Patterson prepared for the first two fights.
II got to like Johansson any other puncher against
Patterson" says Foyd's too easy to knock down.
Everybody puts him down."
80 THE FIRST THING done when got here"
Whitley BimStein repeats S throw out all them Sparring
partners and get guys who'll do my good"
Bimsein IngoS chief corner the only American in
the outfit He preends he is running the show for the
challenger but he is deluding himself. JohansSon is
ming the show.
Billy Stephan of the Swede'S sparmateS When
photographers asked for pictures after workout Stephen
impishy suggested picture Of lingo the floor with
Stephan standing him. JohanSSonS lips coldly tight
ened The next day he belted out Billy then fired him.
When the bit players out of topical items they
revert to memories Dan Foro is Patersons chief second
He is loud belgerent tough guy when the business is
serious But when he relaXeS.
$50 this manager takes his bum out to Long Island
for fight" Forio relates land he gets stopped in the
fos The manager picks up the purse, calls cab and
stuffs the meat in it, Hallway to New York the fighter
wakes up and wants to know what happened Nothing,
says the manager it raned and the fight called off,
"'Oh' says the fighter and he goes back to Sleep
He don't know the manager has collected all the money
JOHANSSON IS NOT especially popular but not be-
cause the Internal Revenue Service figures $5981
in taxes The mob figures Uncle Sam look out for
himself The rap against lingo that he is too tempera
mental. He agreed to work out week Miami
Beach but quit in huff after single appearance because
spectators hooted when young CaSsus Clay the Ompan
made him look clumsy.
"Jess Willard the way" Doc Kearns remem-
bers "He training for Dempsey in 19. One day in
the middle of sparng he stopped and told the people to
stop talking loud 1T interferes with my thinking he
tells EN-"
KearnS another parallel between Johansson and
willard fondness for money willard hated to let go
of dollar" Doc says "He managed himself and trained
himself And when he couldn't out for the fourth
round against Dempsey he tossed in the towel himself
Sonny Liston the No contender walks on the fringe
Just for something to do this week he beat up push
over in what billed contest. LSton wants the
winner but Keans is hoping Johansson prevails because
he thinks the Swede will give Archie Moore shot The
Doc has piece of Archie. Hes about done" Kearns
admits "but these guys amt world-beaters either He
would prefer lingo to Patterson opponent for
Moore.
THE MOB AS 1T WAITS, speculates as to whether
lingo is heavy He appears feshy but Johansson
he ended training 2O3 pounds claimed he felt stronger
than at the 1876 he weighed when Patterson knocked him
out last June.
The form players do not dwell Floyd's condition,
which is accepted perfect, but they wonder
Ingo for the third time, will hit him with his right hand
and how the champion will react. Once he went down,
once he didn't Nobody to think the fight will
go the limit
Such elements as weather provide basis for specu-
laton Convention Hall is which
reminds Kearns of another anecodte.
"It was ia degrees when Dempsey fought Willard at
Toledo I'll tell you how hot it Battling Nelson, the
old fighter in camp He supposed to be covering
for paper threw him out of camp The night before
the fight it hot Nelson took bath IN the big tank
of lemonade the concessonaires had fixed up to SELL
Everybody knew about the bath but they bought the
T1,o+Bc hot