THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 1, 1989.
KING LEVINSKY AND
ROSENBLOOM FIGHT FOR
By Leo Fuller
THE CRAZY CHAMPIONSHIP
OF
HE irrepressible Slapsie-Maxie Rosenbloom has taken part in some rare contests, but few of them are more colourful than his grudge fight with King Levinsky. Levinsky is a celebrated screw ball, and most of Hollywood think Maxie is nuts. so when the two were matched the forthcoming fight was blazoned as the Heavyweight Crazy Champion- ship of California! The fighters
were referred to as the Screwy Sluggers, and the stars gleefully an- ticipated the clash.
Nor was anyone disappointed. For weeks beforehand, both warriors loud- ly promised to wreak the worst possi- ble vengeance on each other;
right
"I'll knock that Rosenbloom back into his night club," snarled Le- vinsky.
"I'm going to hit Levinsky so hard that the punch'll travel round the fami ly and knock his sister out," grated Rosenbloom.
CALIFORNIA
LEVINSKY
KING EVINSKY
"snarled Rosenbloom, as
before the opening bell. Maxic and way King were pulled, struggling, apart, he jabbed his thumb in King's eyel and held in their corners until the of- "Stop that," croaked the reforce, al-
ready hoarse from shouting" admoni tions.
"Sorry, I won't do it again.... answered Levinsky!
ficial start!
They met in the centre of the ring like two colliding locomotives, and the crowd started roaring the minute they touched gloves. Levinsky, 21. tough He had been guilty of so many in- slugger, let go with both fists. Maxie fringements he automatically took the parried and slapped a few lefts into warning for himself. his foe's face. Suddenly King started an overarm right, missed by inches, and staggered off balance. He present ed a beautiful target, and Rosenbloom stepped neatly in and flattened him with a clean, crisp, left hook.
In the ninth round, Rosenbloom put Levinsky down for à count. Leaping Lena swooned; Lupe Velez toro Johnnie Weismuller's hair; George Raft did an Indian war dance on his seat But Levinsky lurched to his feet. As Levinsky bounced on the canvas, The tenth and last round was fought the spectators howled, but, rising above out in a swirl of blood-soaked gloves, their noise was the piercing, strident breathless curses, shrieks voice of Leaping Lena. She almost spectators and hats thrown into the had hysterics! Jumping up from her ring! seat, she lived up to her name, and staggered across to the ring. Leaning right under the bottom rope, she shriek ed at her brother to get up
Levinsky Revives
Maxie Wins
!
from the
leg
Both men. were so arm and weary they could scarcely stand, but still they flailed away, falling on each other for support, yet still managing There must have been some peculiar to hand out full damage. The din was ing a hair cut and a shave by way of quality in her voice, because Levinsky so great that the announcer couldn't serious preparation! As he had adopt- seemed suddenly galvanised into action, make himself heard a minute. He just And so it went on, the publicity ed the same training tactics for his jumped to his feet and was pressing a waved dramatically in Rosenbloom's drums booming louder and louder, and soventeen years of battling, no one took surprised Rosenbloom against the ropes direction. fantastic tales circulating concerning much notice.
and swinging mightily.
"Maxie was Crazy Champion of Cali- Maxie and King. Levinsky's sister,
Leaping Lena was forcibly put back_fornia : In the evening Maxie roared up to known to the fight fans as "Leaping
rakish to her seat, and the fight proceeded. It With a leer of triumph at the loudly Lena', and a fierce Amazon of a wo the entrance of the hall in a
sports car, filled to overflowing with was one of the dirtiest, savagest, most protesting Levinsky, Maxie
giving blondes, and saw a heaving, pushing, illegal affairs ever seen in California. away to the dressing rope,
around the The only reason Rosenbloom didn't bite Leaping Lena a very wide berth. Des- excited throng, milling door. As a rising movie actor, Maxie Levinsky was because he was saving pite her bandages she was ready to tear
But Levin- him to pieces! was sure this was a demonstration on his teeth for screen work!
Maxie led a wild and triumphant behalf of his public. To his annoy- sky really went to town on these lines.
didn't party back to his night club-'Slapsie- ance he found the crowd was surround- There wasn't a regulation he ing Leaping Lena, who was being as- break, there wasn't a rule he did ob- Maxie's' where the packed guests greeted him with their own theme song, sisted into the building, covered with servel
King was warned repeatedly by the written by his own pianist for the oc- banbroiled in some kind of a brawl, but referee, but he took little notice, and casions when Maxie does his act. It bandages. Apparently she had become not even a broken back would keep her the pair of them scrapped in the centre begins-
of the ring like alley cats.
"Rosenbloom you're' louzy out of her brother's corner.
man, lent her strident voice to the pre- battle threats. Amongst other things, she vehemently denied the truth of the story of Levinsky's visit to England........ He came to London to box Jack Doyle, and at a sportsmen's dinner, when the toasts were being drunk,, and the toast master intoned:
"Gentlemen the King!" Levinsky rose to his feet and shook his clasped
hands over his head.
The Great Night
from The fans were hanging
the At last the great night arrived, and thousands poured into the Olympic rafters when the big fight started. crammed Stadium in Los Angeles. Maxie had Every Hollywood celebrity
had been done most of his training, night club the ringside seats. There bing with the Ritz Brothers, never get quite a row about the size of the gloves, ting to bed before four a.m., and hav- and the men had nearly come to blows
ENGLISH SOCCER TEAMS ON CONTINENT
ENGLAND DEFEATED AT BELGRADE
Belgrade, May 19.-Inability to over- come the handicap of playing in a sweltering heat and oppressive atmos- phere, which severely taxed their phy- sical resources, coupled with an early injury to their left back and captain, Eddie Hapgood, was mainly responsible for the English F. A. team losing to Yugoslavia by two goals to one, on the Club's ground this Belgrade Sport evering.
the critics con- Yugoslavia, whom sidered played better football than they had ever done before, thus had the dis- tinction of beating England in the first international encounter between the two Hapgood, countries. The injury to sustained in the melee which preceded Yugoslavia's first goal, undoubtedly weakened the defence, but England had only themselves to blame for their de feat.
The English forwards really had enough chances to win the match, but they were frittered away. They were inclined to overdo their movements and delay their shooting, which was fatal against the quick-tackling Yugoslav defenders.
It was an interesting match, but the play did not reach a particularly high standard. Playing in the heat, which was equivalent to a glorious August afternoon, had the effect of slowing up the Englishmen particularly in the second half, when the atmosphere be- came very "sticky."
The ground was filled to its capacity of between 35,000 and 40,000, among Yugoslav the spectators being the Prime Minister, M. Žvetkovitch. Hun- dreds of people clamoured outside for admission, without very much hope of getting in. Ticket touts were busy, and exhorbitant prices were paid.
Teams:
England-Woodley; Male and Hap- good; Willingham, Cullis, and Mercer; Matthews, Hall, Lawton, Goulden, and
Broome,
The fighters' tactics and tempers be- came worse as the bout raged on its spitfire way. Halfway through Levin- sky lovingly rubbed the lace of his glove across Maxie's cheek.
"O.K. If you want to fight that
AUSTRALIAN TEAM FOR S. AFRICA
South African lawn tennis au- thorities have asked for a team from Australia to play there be tween August and October. They name McGrath, Schwartz and Gil- christ as prospective members of a team of four or five, to include women. They propose to pay all expenses and 15 shillings per day allowance. Further consideration has been deferred until word by letter
from comes
the South African authorities, If the air mail is used this should not be long deferred.
Mr. N. E. Brookes will repre- · | at sent Australia the annual meeting of the Davis Cup nations in London on July 6. He will be visiting England at that time.
and Yugoslavia-Lovritch; Dubac Pozhega; Manola, Dragitchevitch and Lecher; Glisovitch, Vuyadinovitch, Petrovitch, F. Matoshitch, and Per-LAWN TENNIS litch.
Referee, M. Capdeville (France). LEEDS UNITED WIN IN DENMARK
Oxford Beat Cambridge
(COPYRIGHT)
swung
"
Saturday. Maxie Baer, Clown Prince of the Ring.
INTER-UNIVERSITY WALKING RELAY
Cambridge
London, May 21. beat Oxford by about 150 yards in the inter-University walking re- lay match from London to Brighton -the first event of its kind in Uni- versity sport yesterday. There were five stages, each of about ten miles, and the Cambridge team covered the distance in 8 hr. 33 min. 47 sec.
I. R. Menzies gave Cambridge a one- second advantage at the end of the first stage at South Croydon, but F. Pickering put Oxford into the lead on. the way to Redhill, and their next man took over 2 minuter in front of his rival. However, F. S. Carter (Cam- bridge) went right away from the Ox- ford walker on the way to Peas Pot- tage, and reached that point over eight minutes ahead. Then came a great effort by the Oxford fourth man, F. D. K. Williams, who reduced his team's deficit-by-nearly five minutes. J. R. C. Boys continued to make up leo-way, but reached Brighton 61 seconds be hind F. J. G. Marley.
who is an Australian and Oxford'a
Copenhagen, May 19.-Leeds United The hero of the match was Lubomir Lovritch, a young law student, who was F. C. won their first match in Denmark
London, May 21-Oxford beat making his first appearance in a full, to-day, beating a Jutland team by three international.. Lovritch, who
was goals to one at Aarhus. Henry (out- formerly a centre forward and only side right) scored two for Leeds, and the famous Spanish goal-keeper, Zam-Jorgensen (outside right) scored: Jut- nis match on Effley Road courts captain, and G. Nicolaidis (Pembroke). took up goalkeeping on the advice of Hodgson (centre forward) one. Alfred Cambridge in University Lawn Ten-between L. E. King (New College). Cup player for Greece, Nicolaidis won orra, got his chance to-day through Jand's goal-Press Association. Glazer,
one of the Croats, dropping EVERTON DEFEAT SWISS TEAM yesterday. The issue was settled the visitors' captain, and former Davis when three doubles remained to be fairly easily with superior backhand strokes and fine volleying on a score May 19.-Everton F.C.-beat Combined Servette and Grasshoppers' decided, Oxford having won eleven of 6-0, 57, 6-2, J. R. Briggs the Oxford secretary, won the key game team by 4 goals to 2 to-day. At half-out of eighteen games.
against H. T. Grut (Trinity Hall, Cam- Chief interest centred in the singles bridge) 46, 12—10, 6—1,
out of the team.
Glishovitch, the outside right open-
ed the scoring for Yng minutes. Broume - equi
utes after the interv
time the score was 1-1 Press Asso-
on.
"