“YOU RAN AWAY’’

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 31, 6 February 1937, Page 11 (Supplement)

“YOU RAN AWAY’’

JIM LONDOS ACCUSED WRESTLE WITH VAN HER WALT ANONYMOUS LETTERS It is not generally known that Jim Londos received a number of abusive letters after his recent match for the world championship belt against John van der Walt, the South African champion, says the Rand Daily Mail of December 23. Naturally these were anonymous, but the general trend of most or them was that London had shirked the issue and fled in terror from his younger opponent. One letter writer declared: “If there had been one more round, there would have been no more Londos.” Another accused him of “running away from a better man.’* And these samples were quite the mildest of the epistles which Londos stated yesterday that he has received. “It seems to me,” said Londons, “that Van der Walt has a lot of hotheaded followers and it is a pity that some of them are inclined to go too far in their enthusiasm for their local champion. “Still, I cannot say that the experience is really new to me. “There is always a tendency for supporters of the home champion to see only one side of a match. In several parts of America, after wrestling the home champion in some town or State, I have received abusive letters.” On the Defensive Londos admits that he acted on the defensive for most of the contest against Van der Walt. “But almost any other notable heavyweight wrestler in any part ot the world could have done no more than I did and that was to remain unbeaten. “I had not anticipated that Van der Walt would give me such a great match. I had not been in Johannesburg long enough to make real friends with the altitude, and towards the end of the contest I was trying to muster extra energy—but my system simply would not respond. Jimmy Erwin, manager of world featherweight champion, Petey Sarron, came into Ralston’s Gymnasium while Londos was still going through his exercises. “He looks as if he is stronger and better now,” he declared, “than in America. This trip to Africa seems to have done him a tremendous amount of good.”