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Show Two Bouts May Put Conn At Peak ofLight Heavies By LAWTON CARVER INS Sports Editor NEW YORK, May 10 (INS) In the event Billy Conn, the willowy wil-lowy young Pittsburgher, bests Solly Krieger, the New Yorker, here Friday night he will be matched with Melio Bettina, New York commission light heavyweight champion, and If Conn Wins this one he will be generally recognized as light heavyweight cham- pion of the world. Thus the cuts and boyish Irlsher stand within two fights of the title and probably will win it. He has If John Henry were armmd with two good oyee be might make it entirely too tough tor Cane, who shea could get no better than Mew York recognl-Uon recognl-Uon through a victory ever Bet-tana. Bet-tana. John Henry has been turned dowa by two commissions when he applied for a license for recent fights, and that should be enough to cause the National Boxing association asso-ciation to withdraw its support of him. If his eyesight is that bad they can't very well go along with him as a champion, and if they can't go along with him they almost al-most certainly will have to throw ions that distance dis-tance in only two p'r e v I o u a start, on Now fork's big time both victories gver Fred Apoa-toli Apoa-toli of San Francisco. Fran-cisco. In fact, C e n n lias traveled farther far-ther in two bouts than many fighters fight-ers do in a lifetime, life-time, portly be-csuse be-csuse he is extremely ex-tremely good and nartlv because of '-Jt w I their backing to Conn or Bettina, depending upon who wins their proposed pro-posed natch. Chance Favre4 So there you are with a good-looking good-looking young Irishman almost sure to win the title and surer than that to keep It for a while If be does get it. He is clever and fast and getting better all the time. Lest we forget, he Is tbe guy who is to fight Joe Louis for the heavyweight title In a couple of years If he keep on growing. Before we declare him In on that, however, It might be a good Idea to wait and aee first how he makes out with Krieger In their belting bee Friday night. In two previous starts against each other, they broke even. Conn winning the last time. He will be favored to repeat, although K rigger's claims to the middleweight crown wont be at stake. Conn can't make the weight c I r c u matinees B.Uy Conn working in his favor and evident today from the trend of things; around here. likely Csndldata In the first place, he apparently is ths only man In the business now really capable of heading the 175-pound division. It just so hsp-peno hsp-peno that Bettina Is only a fairish aort of fighter and John Henry Lewis is partially blind. The latter factor la the big thing In Conn's favor. fa-vor. While Bettina la recognised aa champion by the New York board, old John Henry stUI has the backing of most other commissions, but probably will never fight again. Hence, one obstacle and the biggest big-gest one automatically is removed from Conn's) path toward giving the light heavies ths first undisputed titleholder they've had In months. |