| Show 41 A FEW days ago I 1 ran into lou nova and the point came up concerning the best of the college athletes who tried out the pro boxing game and what rank they held nova a graduate of california tech also one of its best athletes has at least done about as well as any other ex collegian he has been good enough to get a fight with joe louis and also good enough to beat max baer twice he was also expert enough to beat tommy farr fair nova is now u under the canny guidance of jimmy johnston a lou nova fight manager who knows his trade and who at the age of 69 at least knows most of the answers ive won my last 18 fights nova said 1 I know I 1 am a better bette r fighter today than I 1 ever was before whether you call that good or not just at the moment I 1 have a broken hand but that wont keep me away from the ring long I 1 still hope to work my way to a spot where I 1 can get a crack at either joe louis or billy conn and to reach that spot I 1 am more than willing to meet anyone who might be in the road few collegians or ex collegians have made good heavyweight fighters from john L sullivan james 1 corbett and jim jeffries jeferies on through to joe louis there has been no campus competitor who ever won the title the champions came up harder ways over rougher roads monte munn the big nebraska football player was among the best of the collegians so was steve hamas of penn state a first class fighter but not a great one ive always thought A al lassman star tackle could have won the title with a chance lassman was probably the best college boxer of any year not only a good boxer but also a terrific puncher few in heavyweight college ranks could stay a round with him he was fast game and a fighter who could take it but his boxing career ended late one afternoon in pittsburgh cheit where NYU was playing carnegie tech lassman was carried from t the he field with a blood clot on the brain al was 6 feet 3 weight pounds the big mystery gene tunney has been expecting some college athlete to make the grade for a long time but gene is still waiting I 1 asked jack dempsey why this was some years ago maybe they are arc too smart jack said to take that much of a beating I 1 can recall more than once in my earlier days when I 1 was on the floor door and want to get up but I 1 had to eat and I 1 wanted a p place lace to sleep I 1 needed that extra dollar or two I 1 had to get up and keep going few college men are ever put on that spot the road from the start to the top of the heavyweight division is the roughest in sport and 1 I dont care what the game is dont forget there have been a lot of good amateur college fighters who care about turning pro and many of those who tried out the pro game started too late also I 1 dont think people realize the great number who have tried and tailed failed weve had something like 14 heavyweight champions from sullivan to louis just 14 in over 50 years but there have been many thousands who tried to get there and make it some could punch and yet t not be able to take a punch others could take a punch but punch most of them never had a chance they were too slow or they train I 1 asked jim braddock what he considered the most important feature in the fight game there are three things braddock said youve got to be able to punch to take a punch and to know something about box boxing ws certainly it if you cant take a good punch you wont have a chance ive seen many a good looking prospect fade out on that account good boxers such as corbett tunney and conn dont have to take many beatings but there are only a few close to such boxers as these joe louis has been a great champ tor for several reasons joe could punch with e ither either hand and he could and can box they say he take a good punch around the head well while he went down several times for a short count he always got up again all but once in the fight the first one he made up for that roger bresnahan A great catcher has heard game called by darkness his name is roger bresnahan who helped form one of baseballs immortal batteries mathewson Blat hewson and bresnahan john mcgraw al always ways believed that roger bresnahan was the greatest catcher that ever lived show me another catcher who could hit over who could handle any type of pitching and in addition be the spark plug of your team he once said |
