LOUIS KNOCKS OUT BURMAN IN FIFTH ROUND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 51, 1 March 1941, Page 5 (Supplement)

LOUIS KNOCKS OUT BURMAN IN FIFTH ROUND.

LOSER A STRONG FOE: OPENS EYE OF CHAMPION IN FIRST ROUND, BUT HAMMERED IN FURIOUS ASSAULT.

AGAINST sterner opposition than he had encountered since he won the heavy-weight title from James J. Braddock in June, 1937, Joe Louis last night retained the championship in his thirteenth defence of it, writes James P. Dawson in the "New York Times," of Saturday, February 1.

The famed Brown [Somber from Detroit knocked out Clarence (Red) Kurman, Baltimore's husky, stouthearted challenger, in the fifth round of a bout that w;iK scheduled for 15 rounds and was witncsM-d by about 1.5.000 wildly eiithusia.-tic fight fans in Madison Square Garden.

Tho linish eatne after tho lifth round hud gone two minutes 4!( seconds. Uurnian, panic to the euro, after lighting like a man who realised he had the chance of a lifetime before him and was making tho inor-t of it. had gone .is far as ho could and tailed with his bewt.

He lay there, draped aoro>s the lowest ring rope near his own corner. paralysed and gasping for breath after Louis had shot terrific right-hand smashes to hi> midriff. Blood gushed from a cut over Hurmnn's left eye. Ho hung there limply, swinging with the motion of the rope. Referee Picks Up Toll. Referee Frank Fullman, after first having chased Louis to a neutral cori>»r, came over and picked up the count, of the knockdown timekeeper, .led Gahan, at "four." , Hurman was powerless to rise. The count went right on through to its fatal lini.-h—five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten—and out. And still Burman didn't move.

Almost as the count finished, however, he sagged further toward the canvas as handlers hopped briskly through the ropes to his aid.

Burman had to be carried to his corner. He almost fell off the little chair there as hie handlers sought to revive him. Dr. William IT. Walker. State Athletic Commission physician, climbed the ring steps to the side of the stricken fighter and supervised the restorative routine.

Water was doused on Burman. His head was vigorously massaged after he had been righted on hU chair. Smelling salts were applied and his wounds bathed. All this time Burman was in agony from the (paralysing rights to the body which finished him. Finally Burman gave evidence of coming to. Manager Max Waxinnn poured water on his tighter from bottle* and bucket*. Crowd Fears Serioue Injury. It was several minutes before the lighter was able to leave the ring. That h<» left under hie own locomotion relieved the excited crowd, which thought the conquered challenger was hcrimisly hurt.

quickly enough one way or another. And Burman, eatliko, sprang- from his crouch, hooking a left Folidly to the risht .-ide of the ehampion'a f.iee, ju-t lli.L'li of the jaw. Louis' right eve.lid reddened and bled immediately. ]( started swelling. Then •loe. lost his amazement in a furious assault in which lie hammered Burman severely about (lie head with powerful lefts and rights as the challenger plodtied into cl«ve quarters. Charges In Heedlessly. With the clialle.uErer charjiinpr in a rei-kle.-s assault, Louis calmly battered and pounded him with c-nlid, rapid-fire I.lows about the head and faee that contributed to Hurmans downfall. With the first ptineli of the li»ht, a ilartinjl left hook for the jaw that lande,l hifrli, liurinan oponwl a cut on Louis' rijlht oye an<l started a .-wellinir. The lijjlit patron present could not recall that I-ouis had ever been cut by a foenian. lie had l>iyn knocked down and even knocked out, hut, according to Julian Mlaek. one of iiis manap-ers, this wns the (ir.-l time in l.ouif*' pn^i!. istie life that he had been cut about the eve bv a blow.

! EVEN BAD DEBTS ARE ■ • FALLING OFF. j I coaching practically con- 2 ■ "* fined to young members and • I no open tournament*, mott of the J I professional golfer* of New I ■ Zealand are having the reverse ■ ■ of a prosperous season, and a J ■ number have taken up other ■ * occupations than the teaching of J I golf and the selling and repairing i J of clubs. But even in lean ■ I times the average professional j ■ golfer does not lose his sense of ■ J humour. "Business is really * I bad," said one this week. "Why, J ' even those who never intended I I to pay have stopped ordering ! I goods." I

It wae in flic third round that the. crowd thought Burnian floored the champion. The challenger hud charged repeatedly, as In- had done through the fight, and l.ouis was backed into Burman's corner, a wait ing another charge. When it oame -Toe tried to check it with a left hook that had hack of it till the power of his pivoting body. Burnian's driving right mixscd. So did his left, but LouU' left hook wont wide, too, and the champion, carried forward and downward by the power back of the blow, eailed through the ropes, almost striking his head before the middle strand arrested him. A few fleeting moments Louis swayed there while the referen thrust Burmau aeide. Louis came erect to pound his foe, who was spurred to action by the frenzied ahouts of the crowd. Those, were some of the highlights of the battle, surpassed only by the gallant stand of Burnian, who was held at 1 to 10 in the betting. If anything, the contest reflected greater glory on the heaten challe.nger than on Louis—this without wishing in the least to disparage the Bomber. Hiwon and iu entitled to the victor's acclaim.

The picture of Burma na finish docs not by any means toll the. tale of th>> battle, which was Louis' second in the short space of seven weeks.

Before he succumbed to the wicked power in the pile-driving blows of the titleholder, Burman had brought the crowd to its feet to jell encouragement.

Burman raced across the ring to meet Louis before the champion wae out of his corner as the opening bell clanged. Louis was caught flat-footed. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't move