BOXING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 103, 12 February 1936, Page 2

BOXING.

BOUT AGAIN POSTPONED. SYDNEY, February 11. The bout between Ambrose Palmer and Fred Henneberry lias been further postponed for a week owing to the death of Palmer’s mother. JACK DEMPSEY ON JOE LOUIS. HOLDS BRADDOCK IN HIGH ESTEEM. Joe Louis is one of the greatest fighters the world has ever seen—perhaps the greatest, though he hasn’t proved it yet, writes Jack Dempsey m a New York Journal. I saw him at work oil Baer when I seconded Max against him, and he reminded me of my fight against Jess Willard at Toledo: he looked smaller than Baer and moved so much faster. He has fine balance and speed; lie keeps cool and hits like a. bullet. He slides in and out of hitting distance like a shadow, and he has a smash m his left hand that is sure poison. His right is even better. What he showed that night convinced me that he might become a great champion, that it may take years to develop a man to beat him.

By that I don’t mean that I’m convinced lie will beat Jim Braddock for the title. Jim is different from any of the men Joe has beaten thus far ; ho has a knowledge of boxing that neither Camera nor Baer or Levinsky ever had. The best thing Jim has is a sure belief in himself and the strength to go on fighting, no matter how hard he is hit. When I say Louis hasn’t shown championship stuff’ yet, I mean that he hasn’t shown what he can do under heavy fire—or any kind of fire. If he had a fellow in there against him who would throw a shower of rights and lefts at him, crowd him off balance, sting him good and hard —well, we don’t know just what he’d do. From what I saw of Louis that night and what I’ve seen of him in other fights, I’ll say that he seems to have everything. No other man in the history' of the game lias ever come so far at the age of 21. Six feet tall and 2001 b of lively bone and muscle, he had natural strength, speed and balance to begin with. And you can see that he has been very carefully .schooled in tho art of fighting. Louis has improved steadily in all his battles and has learned to read the mind of his antagonist, to know by the movement of his feet, or the way he shifts his shoulder, or by any one of the many signals a man unconsciously gives, just what kind of a blow he intends to strike. And Louis is quick enough to start his punch a fraction of a second ahead of the other fellow’s. All this is the result of a great deal of intelligent work. I’ve been asked how Louis would have made out against me when I was champion. That’s like asking whether Sullivan or someone else was the greatest fighter of all time. I fought every man they brought me, and I guess Louis will do the same. That’s all anyone can expect. If ho does win the title, they’ll be a long time finding a man to beat him—that is, if lie continues to live the way he has lived so far. But Louis is a long way from the title yet. No one is going to take it away from Jim Braddock without a fight. There are 6ft and 2001 bof Braddock, and a heart that will never say die. A man who lias a heart like that may lose some day, but lie’ll never lose without making a fight you can’t forget. Louis is good for the figlit game. He has put .new life in it. If lie should win the title, hundreds, of new men will begin to try for the honour—and the ducats —of beating him. Even this far ahead there’s a whole army of them new training in gymnasiums and fighting wherever they can, with the idea of” becoming challengers some day. That means a new interest in boxing all over the country, and a new crop of high-class fighters. Some of them will be topnotcliers. No second-rater would have a ghost of a chance with Louis —provided he goes on in the way he has come thus far.