Show Speaking Sneaking of 0 Sports Conn Is Sure Of Ability to Defeat Louis By ROBERT McSHANE by Western Newspaper Union B BILLY r ILLY CONN a slender good Lt looking Irish kid only three or four tour years away from his pork and bean days has done more to capture cap ture the fight going fight going publics public's fancy than any other boxer since Joe JoeLouis' JoeLouis JoeLouis' JoeLouis JoeLouis' JoeLouis Louis' Louis early days When Conn present he light heavy vy weight champion of the world de des defeated defeated tested Melt Mello Bettina for the pound title he weighed pound pounds five fire ye under the title limit timers Old-timers immediately conjured up visions of Gentleman Jim Corbett who wrested the worlds world's heavyweight champIonship championship championship champion champIon- ship from John L. L Sullivan when Jim weighed only pounds pounds about about tour lour pounds more than Conn weighs today Corbett was looked upon as an impudent upstart when he challenged the mighty John L L. According to gamblers Jim lacked the weight the punch and the intestinal fortl- fortl tude to make even a dent on Sulli Sulli- Sullivan van who held the same opinion He lie r ta r CONTENDER HILLY DILLY CONN was ridiculed by those who knew him best Even Patrick Corbett his father thought it was blasphemous for him to point at the great ring god The world was pop eyed when Sullivan Sullivan Sullivan Sul Sul- livan fell feU before Corbetts Corbett's blinding speed That was natural natural no no one knew that for three years day and night Corbett had been a slave to the thought of unseating the champ He lie concentrated on It so much that defeat to him was absolutely un un- un thinkable Points for Louis LouisIn In the same way Billy Dilly Conn has been pointing for Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis lie He Is obsessed obsessed obsessed ob ob- with the Idea that he be has bas Joe JoeLouIs' JoeLouIs JoeLouis' JoeLouis JoeLouis' JoeLouis Louis' Louis number lie He doesn't sound olT oft for the press and call Louis Loul a bum a pushover and a setup But Dut Buthe's Duthe's hes he's quietly confident that he will be bethe bethe bethe the next heavyweight king of the world There are a large number of Conn critics wise ring wise ring men who feel that Conn lacks the weight and punch tobe to tobe tobe be a serious contender for the Louis throne They feel that he hasn't got gol and never will have what have what It takes to beat the Drown Brown Bomber Domber Even more authorities however have confidence In Billys Billy's ability to beat the champ They know him to tobe tobe tobe be a rangy clever fast boxer who loves to fight lIe He is yearning for a crack at the title and Is absolutely sure that the outcome of the hoped hoped- for bout would see the coronation of ofa ofa ofa a new heavyweight king When Louis won the heavyweight title wise men of ot boxing were al almost almost al al- most mast unanimous In their opinion that only a slugger would topple him from his position Now they're no not so so sure of ot It Sluggers have proved easy game for the champ And after arler watching Louis take far too much time to dispose of Bicycle Bob Pastor many of them feel that speed and not power will lie des decat teat scat cat Louis Louts Speed peed Is Unquestioned Theres There's no argument about his speed He delights in slapping his hiso o opponents around particularly around particularly if they're big His speed and accuracy have accounted for far more victories victories victo victo- victories ries than any punch which he possesses pos Conn remembers that Jack Dempsey Dempsey Demp Demp- sey weighed only pounds when he fought Jess Willard Willard scaled at Many fans thought it was criminal to send Dempsey against such a giant If you ber Jack the Giant Killer flattened battened Willard in three bloody rounds Billy Isn't unduly cocky lie knows be he must pick up 10 or 12 pounds But when be he has tucked away way enough steaks he figures on brewing up op a storm torm of ot trouble for Champion Joe Louis Conn realties realizes that It Isn't the easiest thing to rain gain weight He Ue Is small boned and even now may be at his best possible fighting weight An ideal way to solve the whole problem would be for Conn to fight tight Pastor That bout would furnish a thorough check on Conn's Conns ability as compared with Louis' Louis If It Conn could deliver a knockout wallop to Pastor Pastor Pas Pas- tor in perhaps even less time than it took Louis to do it it there would be a rapacity house on the Conn band wagon That particular fight Is by no means an Impossibility Johnny Ray Hay Conns Conn's manager has bas been angling angling an gling since last November for a match with Pastor He lie may get it It- It with the blessing of Mike Jacobs |