Show Walter Winchell ll BROADWAY GOSSIP Max 1 Baer as ns a n Columnist As soon as I get through with Jimmy Braddock Im I'm going to be become become become be- be come a columnist It will be de devoted devoted de- de voted to the doings of columnists that I see In the night clubs I m will print it myself and the mailing mailing mailing mail mail- ing list will be made up mostly of ot columnists' columnists wives emperor of oC Rome just before the dawn of the Christian era was a pugilism enthusiast He imported gladiators from Africa and Campania matched them in cestus duels and to the winner he gave a captive e maiden as a prize I like to capture and tame my myon own o Up to the time I was 19 I never had a girl friend never had worn worna a boxing glove never had swung a fist at any human and when I Iwas Iwas Iwas was in difficulties my older sister fought m my fights for me I was than a buttercup Paddy R Ryan an won von the bare knuckle championship of oC the world in his first fight beating Joe Guss of England in 1880 1830 Paddy lost the title in his next outing when he took on John L. L Sullivan in 1882 He was beaten in a return engagement with Sullivan Sullivan Sullivan Sul Sul- livan his fourth bout was halted b by police police and and that's his complete ring rIng- record Still they say us moderns are sissies I own only 30 par per cent of myself my my- myself self The first girl I ever courted sued me for breach of ot promise promIse- and won The next girl In my lifetime became my wife She sued mo me for divorce divorce and and won After that I was sued by another girl for breach of promise but I dont don't remember meeting the girl Irl Could it be that I am a sleep sleepwalker sleepwalker walker I am not going o ng to be married to toMary toMary toMary Mary Kirk Brown on June 13 Until I was 1 19 I always feared that if It I were hit in the face or orthe orthe orthe the head that it would crush as if It it were an eggshell Thousands of people still think it is as empty as that Imagine what I think when I see them paying 20 to get a look at me swinging punches At 19 I went along with some of ot the boys from our neIghborhood neighborhood neighbor neIghbor- hood in Livermore Cal to a dance that was being staged In Inthe Inthe Inthe the suburbs We Ve didn't go to dance lance None of us had a girl I couldn't dance and I didn't drink The boys bos went so they could borrow borrow borrow bor row wine from parked cars They made one error They nipped a bottle belonging to a steeplejack who saw them do it That's That why Im I'm champion of ot the world The other boys got away The steeplejack caught up with me trapped me between parked autos swung for my chin chin and and landed landed- with about pounds behind the punch It was the first time in m my life that I had ever been hit by a fist For a second I was numb with terror I thought I Iwas Iwas Iwas was sure to fall over dead But there wasn't even any pain Then came that crazy grin grin expression expression of oC the realization that I couldn't be he hurt hurl Every bit of oC fear was gone from me A miracle had been wrought I was yellow no longer The steeplejack was rushing me mo again I picked up a right hand closed my fist swung the first punch of Df m my lifetime lifetime and and when I say that Im I'm telling the truth The blow landed on Jhc he mans man's cheek cheel bone He went down down and and out I walked away The next morning I sent gent 2594 2504 which my mother gave me to New NewYork NewYork NewYork York for a big punching ba bag and told my pals that I was going to become a worlds world's champion They laughed at me they me-they they knew mew mo me only as a terrible coward They taunted me When I whipped half the neighborhood they were ivere convInced con con- vinced Myrna Loy Lay is a sweetheart I wish she were mine No 11 of the Marquis of oC Queensbury rules bars fighters from using shoes with springs in inthe inthe inthe the soles High divers even cven then ch The hardest punch I ever was hit was escorted to my nose by Max I received around 2000 for an exhibition two months ago with Eddie SImms in Clev Cleveland land He blackened my eye and I injured both hands which wont won't be mended mend mend- ed by the time timo I m meet Jimmy Braddock I have so many managers and so many assistant managers that the last time I tried counting them I got as high as 26 and had to stop Just why an armful of oC girls Is bad for a prize fighter but okay for a columnist is something I cant cant can't understand I I. I Copyright 1935 Daily Mirror Inc I |