Good Old Gus

"Yes," said Gus, "it's almost time to hang up the trunks." That was about a month ago, when he was feeling his age. At 33, he was an old man among boxers, even though the sportwriters had just crowned him 1947's Fighter of the Year. Last week, as Light-Heavyweight Champion Gus Lesnevich climbed into the ring at Madison Square Garden, plenty of eyes in the house were on his opponent--Billy Fox. Fox was only 22, and had won 50 of his 51 fights by knockouts. Fox, everybody said, looked like a possible contender for Joe Louis' wobbly heavyweight crown, if he could only whip Lesnevich, the only man who had ever whipped him.

But that night it was Blackjack Billy, not Gus, who looked like the old man. Old Gus charged out of his corner, missed with a right, then landed a paralyzer. A few more rights put Fox on the floor. At the count of six he got up, his legs rubbery. Gus belted him again. That did it--in 1:58 of the first round. Grinned Gus: "It was like taking candy from a baby!"

Feeling young again, Gus guessed that after one more light-heavyweight fight he would go gunning for the heavyweight crown. After all, Bob Fitzsimmons was a Methuselah of 35 when he became heavyweight champ back in 1897.

Billy Fox wasn't the only young fellow to drop out of the running in a hurry. There had been a lot of talk about a young hopeful named Coley Wallace, 20-year-old Golden Glover who looks a little like Joe Louis. But Wallace didn't look like a young Louis in the ring last week (while winning the eastern Golden Gloves championship), and talk about him hushed.

In England last week on an exhibition tour, Joe Louis was having his own troubles. He fired a British sparring partner because he couldn't get him to throw mere than one punch a round. His weight was up to 225 Ibs. and a second chin was beginning to show. Joe rode to the House of Commons in a borrowed Rolls-Royce, listened to about 30 minutes of debate ("I got there in the middle and I didn't quite understand it. ... I couldn't hear it too plain").

Louis didn't seem to be worrying much --or doing much--about his June date with Challenger Jersey Joe Walcott. But Jersey Joe, 34, was already in training, hitting the road twice a week.

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