Braddock Over Lasky

Six years ago, Light Heavyweight Champion Tommy Loughran thrashed a hopeful but clumsy young contender for his title named James J. Braddock. That beating, most people thought, would end a career in the ring for which Braddock's aptitude had never seemed particularly marked. But Fisticuffer Braddock continued to fight any opponents he could get. Putting on weight as he grew older, he graduated from a first-rate light heavyweight into a second-rate heavyweight. A few surprising victories over highly touted prospects like "Tuffy"' Griffiths and John Henry Lewis did him more harm than good by making managers of other fighters wary of him, limiting his adversaries to third-and fourth-raters. Several minor victories in a row brought Braddock's name up for discussion this winter in the heavyweight elimination tournament currently being conducted by Madison Square Garden Corp. He received the unexpected honor of being judged worthy of testing the qualifications of a promising young Jewish heavyweight named Art Lasky, whose handlers have been grooming him carefully for a bout with Champion Max Baer.

In the first round of last week's fight, Lasky bruised his left hand, injured before the fight, so severely that it was useless to him in the 14 rounds that followed. But to the crowd, which had made Lasky a 3-to-1 favorite, it soon became apparent that the injury had little significance. Steady, savage, relentless, boxing with the enthusiasm that characterized his style ten years ago, the skill he has acquired in the course of a long and dismal career, Braddock was fighting the bout of a lifetime. The judges' decision, awarded to him at the finish, meant that Braddock had overnight become the kingpin in the current heavyweight situation, may well be chosen to fight Champion Max Baer next summer.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.