QUICK DECISION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 June 1939, Page 5

QUICK DECISION

IN HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BOUT LOUIS HAMMERS GALENTO F'GHT ENDS IN FOURTH ROUND. ON TECHNICAL KNOCK-OUT. 3v Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. NEW YORK, June 28. In the title bout, witnessed by a crowd exceeding 50.000, Joe Louis defeated the challenger, Tony Galento. by a technical knockout in the fouiti round. Louis' was floored by Galento for a count of two in the third round. Louis had been floored only four times in his career, and no one had knocked Galento off his feet before. The contender fought a courageous fight, and against any other than the steely-nerved, lighting-fast Louis he would probably have won, but, as hard as Galento' could hit the champion. he was unable to hurt him sufficiently to more than momentarily slow him up. The referee undoubtedly saved Galento from serious injury. Galento weighed in at 233.31 b, and Louis at 20031 b. • Galento came out plainly intent on taking the fight to the champion, -and he landed a series of lefts and rights that drove Louis to the ropes, but the negro responded with a couple of hard rights. It was Galento’s round easily. The second round found Louis taking the upper hand, and he hit the challenger at will, opening bad cuts over his eyes and causing Galento to bleed profusely. Galento was floored from a right and left to the face, but he arose without a count and hung on as Louis tried to finish him. It was Louis’s round.

In the third round Galento landed a hard right, flooring Louis for a count of two. This was the high point of the round, which saw both administer considerable punishment to each other. It was Galento’s round.

In the fourth Louis landed a hard right, and blood spurted from Galento’s face. The champion then jabbed the contender with his left, crossed with his right to the head, and then put Galento back against the ropes with a hard right, where he hammered him with rights and lefts to the head. Galento began to sink to the canvas, and the referee stopped the bout.

The boxing editor of the Associated Press of America says: “When the champion arose in the third round from the canvas and managed to stave off Galento’s rush for the rest of the round, Tony’s hopes came to an end. “Galento at this point was within one punch of the world heavyweight championship. Had he been able to land one solid smash when the ‘tan terror' arose from the floor —had he been able to charge in and connect with Louis in the latter’s dazed condition—he would have brought to a climax one of the most amazing vises fistiana has even seen; but he just didn’t have what it takes." Galento said after the fight:. “I had to get careless and let dat bum stop me.”