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Show Si I MttJk 1 IT IS quite apparent, after taking a look at Bivins and Mauricllo, that some part of the war services will have to provide a challenger for Louis and Conn, if these two are still on top when the smoke clears away. Bivins, however, is a good light heavyweight There Is no reason why some of the various services shouldn't come through with a fine heavyweight parade. For there is no comparing the quality of instruction the army and navy is receiving for this war over the other big roundup. Army, navy, marines, air force and coast guard now have most of the outstanding talent around, teaching the uniformed uni-formed millions how to jab and hook, feint and block, use feet and hands, v. .v.; . j V.'fl TfV, L; y fj : r Li? GENE TUNNEY handle a right cross and the various other details that make up a pro boxer's trade. They have been called in by the hundreds, and while they may not all be the best Instructors of all-time, all-time, they at least know the rudiments rudi-ments and most of the fundamentals. Not So Many Professional boxing Is one of the hardest and most intricate of all sports all competitions. So there won't be many who will finish around the front rank. It Isn't often that nature produces a heavyweight heavy-weight champion meaning one who has the alse, the strength, the speed, the skill, the dm ability and the coordination co-ordination required to top the list. You get a Dempsey and a Tunney together with no one else close. Vou get a Louis and a Conn, who stand alone where other games may carry a flock of stars well matched. It Is man against man in the ring not team against team. No pals can help to carry you along in times of trouble and distress. There is no rougher road to the top. But from some 10,000,000 fighting men, well taught in the way of ring skill, the harvest should be unusually un-usually large. The Other War Only two good heavyweights came out of the service side of the other war. These two were Rob Martin and Gene Tunney, although Gene at the time was a light heavyweight. Tunney's record is one of the ring classics. But I have always thought that Bob Martin might have gone a long way if he hadn't figured In a motorcycle accident that left him with a badly injured head. I have been told, by those who should know, that Martin suffered a blood clot that effectively wrecked any chance fcr co-ordination. Big Bob was a fine-looking prospect when he came back from France. In the meanwhile, it took Gene Tunney seven years before he was ready for Dempsey, then ranked os unbeatable. I doubt that any ring-man ring-man ever worked as long, as hard and as smartly as Tunney worked to reach the top. He was certainly no flaming ball of fire when lie faced Soldier Jones on tne Denipsey-Carpenller $1,600,-000 $1,600,-000 card. Getie then was Just another n;wnc on the program. He was never a natural athlete In the way of speed and power. But ho more than made up fur these defects by his determination deter-mination to learn and keep In condition. con-dition. There was never any doubt about his smartness and his courage. A combination of head and heart Is always something to linnk on, no matter what the game. Head, heart, speed, skill, power and durability arc not so easy to locate in one lone human system. This present war, when it is over, may leave us a better answer than I wo have known before, with so many more having so much the better chance to move up. Crouds H ill lie There Sports' winter campaigns, Fast and West, have shown the crowds will be there. In boxing, basketball, hockey and Indoor track the turnstile count has ballled even the leading opt, mists bf the r ports world. The vost fan crowd, whatever the sport, apparently no longer demands big names. Thry carry a yearning to are good competition to see almost any game that has action. |