Zanies Of The Ring-9
TH
By GILBERT ODD
"BUMMY"
it was all over.
THIS is another Zaulo fighter story, but there's nothing his rival was on the cunyas and
funny about it. They laughed at Al Davis all the time he was alive because he acted queerly and went crazy every now and then when provoked to unger. He was a born clown but didn't know it. His brief life had its gay moments but was a real tragedy,
He was born Abraham Davidoff in the tough market quarter of Brooklyn known as Brownsville. It's a neighbourhood where kids ure kleked around, and only the physically insensitive can survive, where fighting of some sort or the other is part and parcel of the day's routine.
Perhaps this youngest.
member of an impoverishes! prison or the other. Like Jewish family got dropped
maDy mentally backward on his hend as an infant, kids, he was bright in some maybe he just get a rough directions. For the thing he upbringing. Whatever that was good at buying and cause he was mentally back- selling ward and never really grew up.
The friendly neighbours sidn't improve nutters by calling him "Bummy" which in Brooklyn slang avan
the daft.
Hel trudge over to New Jersey, buy
box A
of tomatoes, rarry them bark and sell them at a small pro. it in the streets.
Soon he 345,4 Niring # Bush e1 CHERY all the tomatoes Young Davidoff resented he needed He'd pile item
the bartow and tell this it made him mute! tough on
"I gotta well hear it. He suw red and of the housewives
the quate I'm givin' em always #sex away** Bist among the street trädets to sell cut.
course, that only made the name stock even lighter.
His father kept a liny and in the tobacco shop Prohibition days Wasn't
above selling illicit liquor fo
a good customer.
was
Stop Laughing
11' a great aty that Al Davis didn't stick to buying and sell-
Mayl he 14
whil the around today, perhaps owing a
11's string of shops
Kwa Lily TCH?
Tw suddenly
A bettle was always kept. beneath the counter for It was such emergencies. Rummy's job to keep watch are a left hook at the door for any sign of the cops.
If you do wril al anything Diete as always somepfir who want, to musele in, who wants
Then he'd dash in, grab the bottle, und dart off out the back, returning when The const was clear.
Wats
One
day HIN making a swift gelaway a lafer in a doorway stuck out his foot and sent the swiftly moving boy hurtling into the gutter The bottle When he realised
that the precious whisky was wasted Romany went berserk.
WAN
broken.
Backward Kid
custy it on your effores Rummy found others bringing tomatoes; they tried to steal his patch
i
When that happened Bummy Arw into blind Page No didn't stop to argue of reason. And he got went in punching usually the other guy went out
Soon Buming had a reputa- ion for Battering anyone wan was foolch enough to cross his
Ce dlay one
others, who happened to be a tree man for a while AOW AH knock another street tracer void with left hook to the chin Be sluck around until Bummy
#
Next day at his statt Al found himself quite a hero. Ho liked that
He was down at the club asking for another light as soon by he'd sold its stock.
THE CHINA': MATU, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1957.
It's an
old friend
Grants
*STAND FAST'
SCOTCH WHISKY
... now in the tall triangular bottle
Je was lo be paid 10 dollars wil u was explained to him very carefully how there would be deductions The match- kick-back; maker had to have a he was now munaged by his two brothers and the old man willed
cul There were "expenses" and all that.
Bunny didn't mind The fight monty, whatever it was, Besides he likeli knocking guys Oul People didn't laugh at him any more
was exa
He had dozens of new friends,
NOOTS jy
Another Aghi promoter was
after
The hiz services. went up fest had to ke terrine punishment from many of his opponents, especial-
ly when he met inen of greater experience,
Bummy Davis (loft) with Fritzie Zivic lon ropes)
over the
maltered
H was it bigger draw than the Arsight and they had to Lise the New York Polo Grounds for 11. But it was a poor match,
Next day totally oblivious to Suspension? That But he was res tough us tenk the stale of his features A little to Uncle Mlku. He didn't feel the punches It went into a sweet shop for would have been better if he
The Some candy
mas(stuni, had
Sooner of Jater in the thinking to be funny.
asked fight that
that he him if he'd been fighting, left hook kept tossing would get home on
Bummy reache. the target, and Bummy woult swagger back to his comer, a counter, look the fellow by the hread grin on his bruised face. tie and pulb»»<! him into a test book A few minutes later ke was in a cell with bail fixed of Toral hay who
a thousand dollars very jealous of Bum - ny's growing reputations A class boxer named Bernie Filed- kin ite came up to Davis in the market one day und called hun "Bammy."
There beate
Was i
A
There
After rial
I was they'd been separated
agreed that the pair should light "Why st out in the local arean don't we settle it right nował demanded Al of his brothers "What do we wunt to wall a fortnight for? I might not
mad at him by then."
"You'll light him when པཱ་ "You they snappi don't paineh ne mere guys for nothing
Kity
"
ber
Soon The maleh taught on the prumbler had to change has ions and hire the local base*~ ball park to take all the fans
wanted to see it
that
"It's funny but-
as the welter-
Davis sow the
He billed it hatt sald out and then took Him weight championship of Brook-
neighbouring the lyn, and when club.
posters he put his barrow down and went tearing round to the
He cried. battered his tra fists against the pavement, banged his head on the kerb.
he pointed out promoter's office. On the way A crowd quickly gathered to the bersuad Bummy how and Inughed as That crazy
Davidoff youngster spent want
to fight without "Wassa big Idea. stickinst getting pood for A don't Bummy on them bilis," he to be laser, but he roared. "I ain't fighting until out his frenzy The local -toalen't think of al argument of them are taken down ** kids jeered at him as he against it He was quite happy.
tearfully male his home.
way
re-
No one made any attempt. to keep him in school a day longer than the law quired; they didn't mind when he failed to torn up sometimes. It was a waste
of patience and temper in trying to educate him.
selling tomatoes
But before he iɛhow where he was he trad been swept into to fight game
Three
"Quiet, mug," said the match- maker "There are dozens of Al Davis's around here there's only one Bunny Davis, und that's you. That's a najne you can make tamOUR
11 stays
wns
Tw chit matchmaker gave up
a four-rounder for Sukur- dow glu Al 196k Br owful Al went off satisfied humig
Tounts be- funny
he found but whenever cause he had no real idea of fault with what other people how to defend himself
were doing about him I was al ways pointed out that it wdy The crown ropred with quite all right. Why did he laughter at his crude efforts; have to have things "explained nore than his to him? Why didn't he see it the jeers hurt two
opponent's punches. 1η the thair way t the Mart? He brothers were
small-time fourth round Bummy saw red shrugged his shoulders and gangsters, usually in some and midway through the round went about his business.
His parents let him ful his own means of earning a
Bummy's living.
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It rained on the day of the Aght. It rained when they fad a new date. Three lines the weather interfered with it.
Finally he promoter sold out to Miko Jacobs and Bummy found bimseir scrapping TI Madison Square Garden,
Friedkin was too clever for him. He jabbed A silly with In stiff left hand and dodged hia left hooks with such ease that he had the farts rouring
Brooklyn's Boy
The champion had been keep- ing busy and was in fine fight- ing trim, wherens Davis hadn't had a glave an for seven months and why a mere punching-bag...]
The crowd roared Os poor Simultaneously, Mike Jacobs
Bummy took an artistic lacing was survey lag a rough poster which the referee halted in the for his next Madison Square 10th round, when Al waa bired- Garden show The main event ing badly from the mouth and was { 10-rounder between unable to defend himself. Fritzie Zivie the world's welter-
It was a year before he weight
champion and At lured back into the ring. For (Buminy) Davis, the idol of LL ilme he did well against Brooklyn
Achters of his own class-in places like
Philadelphia, Chi- cago, Washington and Jersey City
Getting Out
Thus telephone rang and Some- one told him That Davis was 1 #tak Within an hour he was out had within five minutes be wis on the telephone To the promoter.
was
him But they woudn't have
they back in New York until wanted a mug for Bob Montgo- inery. But to the great G:13- prise of thient all Al beited out the favourite in the first roundi and he was a loral Fero oct again.
got bigger. "Wass, big ide advertising bought a bar in Brooklyn and that I'm fighting Zavic?" he there was a flashing neon sign yellcin Uncle Mike, "You Boross the front. Now can go chase yourself cuz I ain't didn't mind people knowing he thighting tany
more I'm getting
The purses
my tomato out and going back was A "Bummy" Davis, to the market.”
Jug,"
You'll go back to the thundered the promoter, got you out and can put you Get down to tho gym- you're fighting Zivic
hack. nasium;
Friday week."
chain-
So Davis fought the pion to a packed house, Wher He realised what an important bout it was Al went into it wholeheartedly He'd always thought he could lick Zivie.
But it was too one-sided for words, Fritzin had been boxing for over 10 years. He had just beaten famous Henry strong for the title
many
Ho
ho
But the fans liked seeing Davis beaten, and the promoters knew it. He was put in with Henry Armstrong who cut him to ribbong in two rounds.
Bummy's last fight
They stuck him in with tear- awny Rorty Graziano. who punched him into an unconscious Soon he heup in four rounds. was all washed up as a fighter. Burny became a paler. He kept talking about getting out the tomato barrow, but he tricks never did.
Arm-
There weren't that Zivie dicht know All ho Sone he had spent all his
knew he tried on Davis in the savings. He sold the bar but Arst round, including the one they kept the sign up, and Al where you riak your thumb in used to grift along there of an your rival':
eye and give it & evening and sit clown with a twist.
beer, kidding himself he sull owned the place.
Bummy's hasty temper was soun aroused, He complained of the champion to the referee, and to his seconds when he got back to his corner. Nobody did anything about !
Fouls Galore
So Al look the
Othe vening while he was talking to an off-duty police- a four men walked in. They shepherded the proprietor along 10 the cash Tegister
The frightened man handed over the
takings.
Was out of his seat and He neress the room in a flash. pulled the Arst gunman on jo s him
knocked 10w into his felt hook that
own hands Soon after the cold, then the others Started start of the second round Zivic shooting. gave its opponent the old tře treatment again.
That did it.
Bummy knew
it was a foul. Well, the champ was fouling him like nobody's business, so he started to break the rules himself.
He swung A left between Fritzie's legs that made him gasp with pain. Al swung another, then a right. Seven Umes he fit the champ in the forbidden territory, and he would have gone on punching him below the belt if the reforee hudn't wrenched them apart,
The louder they jeered the more angry Bummy became. In the forth round he came out in furious temper. Ho
This WILS interference, 50 was just about to toss his left
Davis hit the referee. Then he hook when he remembered that
hit Zivic's chief second, s It would only fetch moro
manager, then his own seconds, laughs
HE PUT OVER A then a cop or two, and Anally RIGHT INSTEAD AND it Arished
up with the ball- BERNIE WENT OUT LIKE A demented Bumrny being wrestled 10 the floor under a pile of
LIGHT.
Al Davis was now heading people. for the big time, 'The big ile go e susponsion. He promoter used him as frequent couldn't box again so of course y as possible for the whole of ho was no longer a hero. Broolely swarmed on to Broad- People in the street feered at way whenever Bummy was on him again. He couldn't face the bill, Soon he was a mhin then. In the market. He joined avent Bghter, mocking out the Army. Tony Canzonorl in three rounds, Tippy Larkin. in five, Joo Ghnóuly in seven.
Although his country, was, at war, it did not take, the mili tary authorities long to realiso that it would be won quicker without Bummy's help.
M
Lou Ambers made a monkey of him for 10 rounds. Al tool a". Heking" that would have broken the hearje "of most ¦ They gave him all the leave fighters Both eyes were closed he wanted when Mike Jacols when he got bucle to the deers, decided that in return. Davip 9. ing-room:
Elvie, bout two called for.
were policemen
The
firing behind
Lable. from
The bandits grabbed their com- panton and hurried out. Bun.. my enggored to his feel and followed them.
From the car they poured a stream of lead into him and Al had fought his last fight.
POCKET CARTOON [by OSBERT LANCASTER
sebaser soare broad-
· oust there'd be a grape risk
of loring that quality of:
dawling spontaneity,
Grant
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