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Show Released by Western Newspaper Union. THE extremely sad state of th heavyweight boxing situation was brought into the limelight recently re-cently with Lou Nova's defeat at the hands of Lee Savold and Bub Pastor's failure to gain better than a draw with Tami Mauriello. Despite unimpressive records, Nova and Pastor were looked upon as outstanding contenders for the title. When they were tripped up so abruptly by a pair of underdogs they proved all over again that today's to-day's heavyweight (with the exception excep-tion of Joe Louis) is no more than a mediocre fighter with a sharp financial eye. From John L. Sullivan to Joe Louis, a total of 15 men have held the heavyweight championship. champion-ship. None of them fought bo often as Louis, and none of them had so little trouble with their competition. Whyf Not because Louis is a greater fighter, but because today's field can't compare com-pare with that of former years. Sullivan, "The Boston Strong Boy," was a champion for 10 years. He whipped all comers, fighting barehanded and with gloves. In 1892 John L. lost the title to James J. Corbett, perhaps the greatest boxer and smartest fighter in ring history. When Sullivan lost, he lost to a man. How would Nova and Pastor rate in such company? Deadly Puncher Bob Fitzsimmons came along to win the title In 1897. An excellent boxer and a deadly puncher, Ruby Robert had the legs of a lightweight and the body of a heavyweight. He was 37 years old when he lost the title to James J. Jeffries. The latter lat-ter was one of the best. Jeffries was a good boxer and a hard left-banded left-banded hitter. His lasting qualities outweighed his attack. Jeffries was followed by Tommy Bums, who held the title from 1906 to 1908. Burns, who doesn't rank high in the records, was followed by Jack Johnson, the best defensive boxer of the lot. Johnson, overly cautious, was able to hold the title from 1908 to 1915, mainly through defensive strategy. Jess Willard, a mine-run heavyweight heavy-weight whose size saw him through, held the title for the next three years, losing to Jack Dempsey on July 4, 1919. In the eyes of many, Dempsey was the greatest heavyweight in ring history. Certainly he was one of the most spectacular. A crowd pleaser, Jack was a savage, hard-hitting champion, always ready to slug it out with an opponent. Dempsey whipped such fighters as Billy Miske, Bill Brennan, Georges Carpen-tier, Carpen-tier, Tom Gibbons and Luis Firpo. Gene Tunney, probably the smartest smart-est heavyweight of all time, was a top notch boxer and packed a better bet-ter wallop than many observers believed. be-lieved. His retirement in 1928 brought an end to the most magnificent mag-nificent era of boxing. After Tunney, Tun-ney, the heavyweight class went into the steepest tailspin of all time. Der Max Comes Along Max Schmeling fought Jack Sharkey Shar-key for the title after Tunney retired. re-tired. Schmeling won the title with Sharkey lying on the canvas screaming scream-ing "foul." Der Max never was regarded as a great champ. In a return engagement he lost to Sharkey Shar-key on a decision. Primo Camera won the title from Sharkey In 1933. Camera was a physical freak a Joke champion. Now back in Italy, Primo managed to make a fortune for his board of managers instead of for himself. Max Baer, always the playboy, whipped Camera in 1934. Max had more possibilities than any of the latter-day fighters, but all were wasted. He was a clown at heart. A hard puncher, he had the best build in the ring. But Max wasn't interested in hard work. Jim Braddock proved his courage when he won the title from Maxie. But courage, a fighting heart and ring wisdom compensated only in part for slowness and lack of youthful youth-ful assets. Today's champion Joe Louis-ranks Louis-ranks with the greatest fighters. He Is the best two-handed puncher of them all, and the most active. His record is Impressive In spite of the fact that a good share of his opponents op-ponents have been ham and eggers. Joe wasn't, and isn't, responsible for that deplorable condition. Other contenders would be better off if, like Pastor and Nova, they eliminated themselves-at least temporarily. SPORT SHORTS C Pitcher Ace Elliott, formerly with the Phils, is managing a semi-pro nine in Mount Clemens, Mich. C The first World series was played between Boston and Pittsburgh in L The New York Giants of the National Na-tional Professional Football league had the least points scored against them in the 1941 season-a total ol 114 Former Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson is a door man at a New York cafe. |