Hamas v. Schmeling

Two years ago when a referee at a Madison Square Garden bout gave Jack Sharkey a decision over Max Schmeling for the world's heavyweight championship, Schmeling's manager swore never to fight for the Garden again. His vindictiveness had two results: 1) Instead of Sharkey, whom he might have beaten, Schmeling last summer fought Max Baer and was knocked out. 2) Instead of aging Tommy Loughran, whom he might have fought in Miami, Schmeling was matched in Philadelphia last week with young Steve Hamas, onetime Penn State footballer.

A three-to-one favorite, Schmeling started slowly, landed three hard rights on Hamas' jaw in the second round. For six rounds thereafter, crouching to keep his left shoulder between his chin and Schmeling's right hand, Hamas amazed the crowd by outboxing and outpunching the onetime champion. Until the ninth round, Schmeling wore the smile that a worried fighter puts on when he is trying to look as if he is biding his time. Then Hamas opened a deep cut over Schmeling's left eye. Desperation made Schmeling time his punches better in the eleventh but the best he could do was graze Hamas' chin with three more short painful rights. After the twelfth round, the referee shouted, "The winner--Steve Hamas!"

Last week's decision made it look as if Madison Square Garden, whose Miami bout between Loughran and Champion Camera was postponed until Feb. 28, had temporarily ceased to be an important promoter of fights. It also indicated that Schmeling had finished his career as a first-rate fighter; that young Hamas, who took up boxing four years ago to help pay his brother's doctors, was a possible opponent for ebullient Maxie Baer next summer.

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