Show I Kingfish levinsky Now YV Tops fops Tie Salesmen I y JACK SACK CUDDY I NEW YORK Jan 6 UP We UP-We We were standing in the back ourt urt rt at Stillmans Stillman's gymnasium talking to o Lieutenant Benny a Le nard onard of the U. U S. S maritime service when we noticed noticed a big bigy fy y in m a gray ray suit sult drift in m through the entrance He carried a arge rge flat pasteboard box under his arm y Ve We lye knew we had seen the big bigI I now lIow some place before Then dawned We asked asked Eg ruy that The King tules Yes that's The King all right that's the Old Kingfish himself Benny replied I Kingfish Levinsky came over to with a strange shuffling walk d shook hands He was so fat fathe fatIh fatie he seemed bloated He looked as Ih ie U tf f he were packing about pOunds rounds pounds We a ask asked s k e d Hows Sings Sings' things Things is all right he he I mumbled with a rather vacant smile He talked like a man with wooden lips and as though his hist t tongue ngue were too large for his mouth i What was The Kingfish doing these these days the chap who who fought in the rin ring for t or r 11 H years yea Sellin neckties see neckties see Proudly he Je opened the box and displayed fits lIS wares King Levinsky specials specials he said pointing at the little ittle tag on one of the cravats As the big scarred battle-scarred fellow wandered away through the throng with his box Lieutenant L Leonard eonard nard said as as Usual a note isn't it Theres There's a man who made a fortune I with kith his probably probably more than And now hes he's selling n neckties Why is it that fighters cant can't keep money You should know Benny we told the former lightweight champion champion champl cham cham- pl pion n in the blue greatcoat with th the gold on n the shoulders You bl blew w plenty r I didn't blow my money Benny denied I lost it in invest- invest m mints ments But it adds up to the thes s same game ne Its It's lucky for me I 1 did pretty well on my comeback l You know Ive I've figured out that fighters always wind up broke bec because be- be c cause uSe most of them were very p poor r boys to start with Then th they y make a lot of quick dough doughen yen when en they're too young to have any brains You take Levinsky over over ver there Ill I'll bet youre you're think think- thinks s ing hes he's punchy Hes He's not punchy He always acted that way Hes He's got more brains now than he had hac wh when n he was fighting fighting because because hes he's older and more matured Two Choices Hes been making a living selling sellIng selling sell- sell Ing neckties for about a year now He tried wrestling after he quit quil fighting And when he quit wrestling the only thing he could do was sell ties or go into one of the rackets He took the ties And youve youre you youe e got to respect him for his choice We contacted The King again and Benny ask asked d him point blank blank- Say King what was low down on your fight with Louis at Chic Chicago go Did you quit that night Levinsky grinned and muttered muttered- Huh I 1 dont don't know know honestly honestly Guess I just went on a sit-down sit strike They were talking about the night of August 7 1935 when Levinsky Levinsky Levinsky Le Le- Le- Le vinsky suffered a technical knockout knockout knockout knock knock- out In the first round while sitting sitting sit sit- ting on the ring ropes In Chica Chicago's Chi- Chi ca CaETO'S cagos os o's Comiskey park nark Louis T had hari I flo floored red him three ihre times Wh e When The King rose the third time he settled back into the ropes like a m man seeking rest in an arm chair I r I dont don't think you actually quit said Benny A A fellow who had as many fights as you have against tough guys like Lomski Slattery Hudkins Paulino Mickey Walker Maxie Baer and even Dempsey couldn't have been afraid of anyone I think you just froze up from nerves because you'd been hearing so much and reading so much about what a killer Louis was Ive I've seen a lot of boys freeze up like that that boys boys who had plenty of courage plenty of heart Did it ever happen to you Benny we asked The lieutenant shook his head thoughtfully No I l' l cant can't recall that it ever did I was never very imaginative |