THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 28, 1989
Unless They're Wise They Keep On Fighting Until They're Reduced To State Of
Page
By Leo Fuller
PUNCH THE
DRUNKENNESS..
AFTERMATH
ONE
their trade.
·
'.
Until something clicked in his mind two middleweights were engaged in a NE evening in New York City battles that had left the fatal blank at a fight one night in New York when Friday?" I walked along the street spot in his mind.
Punch drunkenness, for which there blinding battle. Both were on the can- he hadn't remembered a thing since the
of the ed out!.
Realised Danger with an ex-fighter. He was once is no real cure, is caused by lack of vas several times; both were savage Friday evening when he'd been knock-
started light heavyweight champion of care before and after fights; by taking sluggers. About the middle
Luckily he was sensible, realised the the world, and as great à battler too much punishment in an unfit con- contest one of them dropped from a
dition; by stopping too many smashes furious hook, and Donovan Sud-
this counting. Suddenly he felt a tug at too often. Lots of fighters go
forever. Few fighters are like him, as the division ever saw.
asked the however. Out of conceit, thick-head- denly he stopped, and turned, way, champions and third raters alike, his trouser leg, and looking down saw danger in time and hung up the gloves
"What's the time, pal?"
.} edness, or, more tragically out of sheer facing a lamp-post. In a burst and around the boxing halls, gymna- the fallen warrior gazing up at him.
"Time you quit fighting," Donovan necessity, they still keep going, pathe of fighting fury he attacked it, siums and promoters offices you can
There was an afternoon in a little smashing away until his naked see the men who have been ruined by fighter, conversationally.
You could see men who've been answered grimly, and stopped the con- tic gladiators in a. merciless arena. hands were broken and bleed-
broken by the cold-bloodedness of their test at once.
a pretty ing.
managers. There's the type of boxing The crowd booed their fool heads off, East End gymnasium when in rolled a pilot whose only concern is his end of little knowing that a few more fights celebrated character, the butt of the
has would have changed this boxer into a gymnasium wits. He was
fair fighter in his time, but now he'd He was punch drunk, They've a lot of names for box the purse. He knows his boy
I remember a Madison Square Gar- gone the way of so many. In a halt- ing's tragic malady. They call the taken enough, and that he should re- jibbering idiot.
tire. But all he says is:
Australian show for himself, and wanted to know boys slap-happy, slug-nutty, pun- more fight, kid. That one more fight den bout in which a veteran Australian ing, mumbling voice, he told those pre- The boys are pretty chy, on their heels, and often they never finishes, not while the boxer can lightweight had a sensational set-to sent that he was getting up a benefit make fun of the afflicted fighter, stand on his trembling legs. Soon he with an American. The
reaches that numbed condition wherein was knocked out in the eighth round, if they'd help. who has taken too much punish- he can't feel the sledge hammer blows but appeared to be quite allright a few good hearted on the whole, and to- This man went around the East End ment in his brief ring career, whose that catch him on the jaw and in the minutes afterwards. All this happened gether they fixed up a good bill, some nerves have been deadened by a face. His manager knows that he is on a Friday night. On the following of them fighting for mere expenses. thousand smashing gloves, whose on the way to that demi-world of half- Monday the boxer turned up at Still- mind has been paralysed by merci. forgotten fantasies, knows that he is man's gymnasium to do a little light for three weeks, selling his tickets. knocking on the door of mental paraly- work. He had one of those managers and at last came the day of the show. less punching.
sis, the dull eyes, slavering lips and who would have thrown him in a lions' In the late afternoon he stumbled up writ large on his battered, broken fea- When they asked him what was dragging feet. But the kid's still got den for five dollars, and he was boxing the stairs of the gymnasium, misery
Suddenly he stopped his skipping, tures.
the matter he stuttered, tears in his one more good fight in him, so let him again on Tuesday.
and turned to the trainer, Whitey Bim
eyes. stein.
'Just
Finished On Heels
one
But it isn't very funny. Three years ago I sat in the Old Bailey and watch ed the judge don a black cap as he go. sentenced to death the French Canadian fighter, Del Fontaine, for murdering
Some of the greatest have finished He was a rarin'
The famous Ad his ex-sweetheart. tearin' man in the ring, a veritable up on their heels. wild cat, but he Iad to take a lot of Wolgast, wonderful world's lightweight the defence champion, trained every day for seven punishment to win brought in his punch-drunk condition, years for another title fight with Willic they urged he wasn't responsible for Ritchie. His mind stopped after their
all the time Del last battle!
and say his actions.
Punch drunk fighters do Fontaine stood in the dock, his head bowed, tears streaming from his eyes. some crazy things. The American re- Behind him were a hundred battled, feree, Arthur Donovan, was officiating
"What day is this," he asked. answered Whitey. "Monday,'
the boy "Did I fight on Friday?" asked in a puzzled tone.
"Sure," said Whitey. "You remem- The skipping rope dropped from the he muttered ber, you got stopped.' Australian's hands as
"My God! Where have I been since fearfully,
Southern Cricket RELAXATION
Challenge
This year there is more than a chances. Alternatively it might be sug- some Southern gested that the county of Yorkshire possibility of
side suffers less, when several stars county butting in to what has be-is so rich in cricket talent that the are away from the side playing for some counties do England, than when even one star, or two at the outside, are taken from them.
come almost a Northern monopoly of the County Cricket champion- ship.
THE WILL TO WIN It isn't very flattering to the Sou- thern counties to recall that the last
Apart from this seemingly con- time the championship was won by
different one of them was as far back as stant supply of good players for 1921. In that year Middlesex fin the Yorkshire side, many ished on top of the county table. In answers could be given to the ques- the intervening years Lancashire and tion of what are the secrets of their Yorkshire have mostly divided the success. First, and foremost, per- in their honours between them, with Notts haps, is the grim determination. They and Derbyshire each slipping in with leave nothing to chance a single success, Yorkshire, of course, efforts to win, and for such an at- there can be nothing but have won the championship in each titude
In the field of the past two seasons, and will praise. Again, as a team, Yorkshire naturally be anxious to add another are excellently drilled. "hat-trick" to the many which appear each man seems to know his job in the list of championship winners. without being told. However, it Of all the counties Yorkshire, stand won't do for the other countries to he conclusion that Yorkshire alone in this connection they are the come to the
have can't be moved from their pinnacle, only ones who can claim to
shire's consistency.
GRAPHIC GOLE
POINT CHIN BACK
OF BALL
STAND
IN RELAXED
...POSITION
HANDS KEPT"
FAIRLY CLOSE TO BODY
1-24
won outright more than half the Certainly it won't do for the South-players, such as Len, Wilkinson, de- matches: since the beginning of cham ern counties to leave the Northern valoping, they may hold out a serious That is ones in undisputed possession of the challenge to the other Rose county. pionship county cricket.
York championship monopoly which they Nor must Middlesex be left out of another way of pointing
have held for so long. There seems the reckoning There is plenty of to be a real chance of a definite variety in the Middlesex bowling, and FIVE TO ONE
Southern challenge in this season, young batsmen, such as Bill Edrich Now the question is: Which county which already holds out some pro and Denis Compton, threaten to fill and mise of being gamble. Surrey, the shoes of Jack Hearne and Patsy Hendren, two men who did so much to is likely, to hold out a real
other days. Rective challenge to Yorkshire have made an encouraging start supremacy_this season 7. It was They have some coming players, such "make" - Middlesex, Ing
Nor does the foregoing necessarily as Jack Parker, who promises to be written the other day that a
Much my, real asset, and if the opening exhaust the list of possible challen-
gers to Yorkshire. of batsmen can give the
ally, on the sort of star
the with fair consis
to be there
rienced finish
ver had laid odds of 5.
County
he end
ide
"I-T-I-I f-forgot to b-b-book the hall!"
And that's what happens to the boys. who don't know when to quit, to the fighters who listen to those tempting, terrible words—
One more
"One more fight, kid.
fight.
"
(COPYRIGHT) (Series Concluded)
By BEST BALL
The skillful performer at any sport is one who can relax not only in practice but also when the pressure is on. Possibly this is truer of golf than of any other recreation. In other games there is more bodily motion, the nerves have no time to go on strike and thus make the body taut, because the action of the body neutralizes. the strain on the nervous system. In golf however, where controlled power is necessary, the situation is reversed. Here the player is supposed to control his nerves so that no sign of tension will ap- pear, and throw the stroke me- There is not chanics out of gear. enough action to keep the mind from thinking about the result as a rule and worry over this score is transformed to tension as the shot is made.
The player's problem is to cre ate an attitude mentally and physically in which tension has no part. For example let the golfer start the shot in the manner of -Jones' above and it may have a story book ending. Assume à re- laxed stance, with kness slightly bent and the hands holding club firmly but not tightly. Then point- ing the chin back of the ball, the left hip turns starting in motion the left hand, which pushes the club back. Keep the club, going straight back and the path of a swing is started, which only needs continuation of these fund mentals to be uniformly
Filday
Maintaining Balance.
With. Nussein it is always the stroke in the rally? Bude in the wh career, has never met
in controlling
of the
lous term
and ng
championship In.
when
ht