CHANGING FORTUNES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 86, 12 April 1941, Page 6 (Supplement)

CHANGING FORTUNES.

THE FIGHTING BAERS. Buddy Upholds Family Laurels When Nova Eliminates Max From Championship Contender.

Varied fortune has attended the attempts within a week of the Baer brothers to gain recognition in the selection of opponents for Joe Louis. Last Saturday Lou Nova for the second time battered Max into helplessness to get a technical knock-out decision over the world champion of 1934. On Wednesday last brother Buddy "pounded Galento into a bleeding pulp" and, according to the cable, earned the right which Max had lost, to meet Louis this Below is a typical story by the noted American sporting critic John Lardner, giving his impression of the brothers.

pACH shipment of Baers from California is better than the last one, by weight and volume. This time the load totals 4801b, and every inch of it is Baer, with the exception of a thumb print on Buddy's left eye, which seems to belong to somebody else. The Baers were dropped on the freight platform at Lakewood, New Jersey, the other day at sundown. Experts from all parts of the Atlantic coast rushed over to inspect them. Naturally, no kind pf fruit can be shipped Ironi coast to coast, without bruising. Buddy, the junior Baer, was bruised in several spots, chiefly the. left eye of which we just spoke. All of Maxwas in good condition, including the stylish pneumatic tyre which he wears around his waist. Max i« never out of fashion. Whatever the wcll-drc.s<-ed man is wearing around the wai>t. Max wears. It used to be cummerbunds and sarongs. Now it is tlcfh. The Isaers have come eaM to tight a double-header—Buddy against Tony <;altuito, March '2f>, and Max against bm Nova. April 4. It take* us back to tinsame town of Lakewood this time three years ago when the Imys were training for another double-header. They like to train together. Max talks and Buddy sings, and there i> seldom a dull moment or a quiet' one. Is It An Omen? In the last, double-header Max won hifight, (from Tommy Karri and Buddy lost (to tiunner Barlundi. Maybe that's, an omen—though the hoys insist that they will sweep the. next twin bill without drawing a deep brent h between them. "I softened up (ialento for Buddy," -ays Max modestly. "Buddy will kill him. As for me, I got a score to settle with this Nova, and his life is not worth a nicko.l."

Grand Strategy, But — Inspired by those; word*. young Buddy charged olf and got himself a bout with lidw7ird Blunt, an elderly African who lias seen so much of the world that he is roughly the r-ame size and shape athe world. "I couldn't lind a Wetter man to murder, since 1 am training for Tony f«alento," rellectcd Buddy. They are both globular." This was grand strategy, and all would have gone well had not Mr. Blunt he 2un hitting Buddy at the start of the fi"ht and continued to do so till the end. "Much of hi* attention lie devot< d to Buddy's eye, which, to Mr. Blunt's way of thinking, was not nearly big enough or purple enough. He adjusted these details ti the satisfaction of all concerned, except Mr. Baer himself. A little thing like a licking from Eddie Blunt is not going to interfere with Buddy's plans for hi* fight with Galento. nor with the promoter's plans. After all. the chances are that Blunt could lick tialento, too. which makes the match even better. A natural, you might say. If nothing else, the Baer-Oalento fight will unveil the largest duster of avoirdupois to be seen'in one ring since Prinio Camera devastated Bay Inipellitticre in 1 As we go to Press. Mr. Baer weighs 2->fl and Mr. Galento 240. If t hev fail to prove anything, the two hoys will be subdivided into six bantam-weights and entered in the UoUlen Cloves ii• ■xt autumn.