OCR Text |
Show r """kng of S)orfv- Dearth of Real Foes Ends Big Gates for Louis Cy ROBERT McSIIAXE ; Released by Western Newspaper Union ) THOUGH the hue and cry to "break up the Yankees" seems to have diminished to a mere whisper, whis-per, the active endeavor on the part of several second-rate pugilists to "break up Joe Louis" has sunk to even lower depths. Joe refuses to be broken up. In fact, he appears to be shatter-proof. At least he's impervious to the attack at-tack launched by pretenders to the heavyweight throne. It is true that some of them had no attack, others were paralyzed by fright and the rest relied on a divine providence to protect them from the black scourge. But that wasn't Joe's fault he fought them as they came, drawing no line and refusing no bouts. The Brown Bomber's last two fights clearly indicate his standing in heavyweight ranks. lie Is miles ahead of the field, from which no one battler can be chosen as a serious threat. True enough, Arturo FOELESS CHAMPION Godoy managed to go the route, but in so doing he relied entirely upon a defense which was a weird combi-nation combi-nation of the bunny-hug and a reverse re-verse heel-and-toe. Joe couldn't knock him out there wasn't enough room to get a fist between Arturo's chin and the canvas. His crouch seemed to defy all laws of gravity. Frightened Warrior The recent Johnny Paychek fiasco was a black mark against Promoter Mike Jacobs. Shirley Temple could have offered more competition to the champ than did the semi-bald, 25-year-old Iowa lad. who lasted until 44 seconds after the start of the second round. Jacobs knows now that he was wrong in matching Paychek Pay-chek against Louis. Paychek was frozen with fear. He didn't throw a single punch worthy of the name. His only consolation was that the crescendo of boos was split three ways. Most of them were directed at him, but the rest were meant for Promoter Jacobs and Louis for having anything to do with the legalized le-galized robbery. The gross gate of $62,481 smallest small-est cash register total Louis has attracted at-tracted since he won the title three years ago proved one thing. The public no longer is interested in seeing see-ing Louis fight unless he is given a fit opponent. That gives Mike Jacobs something to think about. Where can he find a fit opponent? He'll be forced to dig into boxing's bone yard and resurrect resur-rect a former opponent or else take a chance on another unknown if Louis is to fight a September match. Of the two evils the former appears to be the less malignant. Who's Next on List? Shall the winner of the Tony Ga lento-Max Baer Bght meet the champ? Remember that Baer quit to Louis, and that Galento. though courageous, is physically a travesty on the sport. Both of them were knocked out by Louis, so where is the interest in either again facing a superior foe? Another Godoy match would be a financial washout. A contortionist doesn't draw sufficient box office for championship fights. Bob Pastor has a better reputation as a bicycle rid er than as a fighter, due entirely to his speed in keeping out of Louis' reach. There isn't even a remote possibility possi-bility of a "natural" fight in the near future. Any present-day brawler would be a punching bag for Joe, and the public knows it, which makes the situation even more embarrassing. em-barrassing. All in all. it's a problem prob-lem that will tax Jacob's engenuity. The question is in Mike Jacobs lap. No one can answer it for him. The day of Louis' big purses seems to have passed. Lacking adequate compensation and the stimulus of serious rivalry, it would not be surprising sur-prising if Louis decided to quit the ring. , Billy Conn, one of the more highly touted fistic performers, is advanced in many quarters as the coming white hope. But Conn is having difficulties diffi-culties in reaching heavyweight proportions. pro-portions. He's a light heavy, with small bones and a streamlined framework. Old-timers don't give him much of a chance. The young Irishman always can topple big. slow-moving targets. Ring records are cluttered with the names of fast-moving light heavies who made short work of big bums. But Joe Louis Is no bum, and he s as fast as a lightweight. |