Scramble for Rocky’s crown

Who'll be next champ?
Patterson? Old Archie?

Can age survive? Is youth prepared? In many instances a Yea answer to both of
But when it comes to choosing the next heavy-

eries would be soundly correct. .
=e a afhrmative and the other negative.

weight boxing champion, one answer has to be re ot!
which is Oe and you've got yourself a brand new world champion. But just one
: be too hasty in judgment, because unless your choice tallies

word of caution — don’t
‘with the outcome of the final
clash within the squared ring it-
self, you will be scored absolute
zero.

This rather enigmatic situation
where youth meets age In a bat-

tle to the finish, victor and van-}

quished, has been created by the
recent abdication of king Rocky
Marciano, Leading claimants for
his crown are ancient and wily
Archie Moore, king of the light-
heavies, and young and promising
Floyd Patterson, envisioned by
everybody as heir-apparent to
somebody’s crown. New York's
Hurricane Jackson and Pitts-
burgh’s Bob Baker are given out-
side chances for the honor.

Moore is certainly the lead-
ing qualifier for the heavy-
weight prize, but whether the
durable contender has suf-
ficiently eluded the ravages of
advancing -age is the question
lurking in the back of every-
one’s mind.

Archie, placed) anywhere be-
tween 39 and 45 agewlse, has
been a wayfaring battler in the
ring for 20 years. He has an
enviable record of 120 wins, 19
losses and 5 draws, and though
bypassed for championship honors
until past his peak, is rated one
of the fine fighters in ring his-
tory. Credit it to durability, ten-
acity and perserverance that he
finally managed to eke some dol-
lars and honor out of a profession
which thumbed its nose at him
disgracefully for most of his life.

With mediocre and untested
opponents around today it 1s pos-
sible Archie can spot the field
some 15 to 20 years and still walk
off with the title. Certainly, on
the. basis of his performance
against Rocky last year, he 1s
best equipped.

But how long can you last ?

Age for most people is like
a sneak-thief. It is a special
enemy of athletes past youth’s
bloom — creeping upon them
steathily and stripping them of
talents and skills. Reflexes re-
fuse to respond, legs go weary,
aches and pains easily tossed
off in early years remain to
plague and plunder.

At Archie’s advanced age In @
demanding sport like boxing, a
few added years can be enough
to thrust: him over the hump,
down the precipice into complete
decline.

Take Ezzard Charles, one of
the most accomplished fighters
in the ring a few years ago. Sud-
denly after the second Marciano
contest he didn’t have it” any-
more. The toll of Marcianos
block-busting punches was an lm-
portant factor in his demise, but
give Father Time and the cumu-
lative effect of years in the ring
a powerful assist. Ber

Ironically, Charles was the only
fighter who seemed to have the
hex sign on Moore, whipping him
in two encounters when bot
were in their prime. Now Charles,
though younger, is washed up and
Archie is leading contender for
the heavyweight title Charles
once held.

Archie has certainly retained

marvelous skills long past the

time when much younger fight-
ing talents have hung up the
gloves, but all good things come
to an end.

NEW YORK

Pick

Saas

NINO VALDES

When Archie puts his light-
heavyweight title on the line
against Yolande Pompey in En-
gland this month, we'll get a
glimpse of whether its later than
you think,

Patterson, 21-year-old Brook-
lynite who seems to have blos-
somed into a.bona fide heavy-
weight, has ben selected by
virtually everyone as a future
champ. But one big unanswered
question remains around the
young phenomenon: Has he been
adequately tested by availavle
heavyweights to allow full esti-
mate of his present ability ?

Since turning pro Patterson
has scored 30 victories and suf-
fered one dubious loss to ex-—
lightheavyweight champ Joey
Maxim. Twenty-two of these
successes were via knockouts,
1% scored in his last 13 outings.
Quite an impressive record —
but the only victory. over a
heavyweight of real conse-
quence was his knockout of
tough Jimmy Slade.

This is no slap at the cautious
manner in which the youngster
has been brought along by his
manager, Gus D’Amato. There
are .enough shattered -fighting
careers and battered pugs lying
around as a result of do-it-quick,
greedy managers, to recommend
caution for any fighter.

A few years back another
potential champ, handled with
similar caution, proved ready

when the moment arrived. This)

was Marciano. The question is,

BOB BAKER

4

FLOYD PATTERSON

can Floyd make history repeat
itself ?

His June 8 bout with Hurricane
Jackson will go a long way
towards answering this query.

Jackson, in contrast to Patter-
son, has been seen against enough

of the current heavyweights to}

get a pretty good estimate of his
ability.

The 24-year-old challenger is
possessed of old and unpredic-
table temperament inside and
outside the ring. Inside, he is
a perpetual flailing machine,
can withstand thunderous blows
and hits with the power of a
cream-puff. He has compiled
27 victories in. 32 bouts, on
amazing stamina, constant un-
orthodox motion and the cum-
ulative effect of incessant taps

But absorbing punishment and
lack of punching prowess were
never recommendations on. how
to win fights and influence cham-
pionships for long. Jackson on
his record, shouldn’t be belittled,
but against a sharp-punching,
dazzling fast Patterson, his tal-
ents are apt to be found wanting.

Of course, a complete unknown
might zoom onto the’ heavy-
weight horizon and ascend the
coveted heights.

. In any event, once a new champ
has been crowned, watch for
Marciano, lured out of retirement
by a million dollar gate, to try to

‘of the

regain his title.
“Taint so.” : : |

“Now look,’ he didn’t “eae

‘THAT much money !”

Bert White's

 SPORTLIGHT

UNE 9 is the big day for Van-
J couver fans, who will prob-
ably jam Empire Stadium to
overflowing to get a look at two
outstanding Old Country soccer
teams in combat — Bverton and
Aberdeen.

Soccer. is the most universal of
all sports,draws bigger crowds
internationally than any other
game. In Canada, where normal
league games attract only one
or two thousand spectators, we
tend to forget this.

x * *

Over. 80 nations play soccer,
and the amazing thing is that
all countries follow uniform
rules.

It had its beginning at the time
Roman occupation of
England, its official beginning,
that is. Sports historian Frank
G. Menke suggests that possibly
Adam kicked around an apple
in the Garden of Eden for the
amusement of Eve. :

Homer, that garrulous old
story-teller,, mentions that
Greek maidens played some sort
of a ball game, running, passing
and kicking. The young men
also played football of a sort, in
which two sides sought to. carry
a ball over opposing goal lines.

The Romans had a game in
which a big inflated ball was
kept in the air as long as pos-
sible, and headwork presumably
played a role.

Ke ak

Football crowds, unlike crick-
et spectators, are noisy, and this
aroused the wrath of Edward II
back in 1314. He issued a royal
proclamation banning the game
as leading to a breach of the
peace “forasmuch as there is
great noise-in the city by hustl-
ing over large balls from which
many evils might arose which
God forbid.”

In 1349 Edward III tried to
put an end to football because
it was proving more popular
than archery — and the king

‘wanted good archers for the

army.

The same statute was raised
again by Richard II and Henry

IV, and in 1457 James III order-
ed that “footballe and golfe be
utterly cryed down and not be
used.”

Kings came and went, but
football rolled merrily on.

In 1779 the lads were ever
booting the ball about on Sun-
day (Vaneouver City Council,
take note) and one chap named
Join Wonkell of Durham was
sent to prison for a week and
ordered to do penance in church.

ee ee
Shakespeare seemed quite fa-
miliar with the game in his
time. In his Comedy of Err
Act I, he says: ;

“Am I so round with you as
you to me

That like a football you de
spurn me thus?

You spurn me hence and he
will spurn me hither;

If I last in this service you
must case me in Jeather.”

* * *

Racing has been called the
Sport of Kings, but football was
always the sport of the working
people. It flourished despite per-
secution by kings, queens and
bishops, spread from country:
to country until it became a
universal sport.

In Canada hockey in winter,
baseball in summer and rugby
football in the fall all outrank
soccer in attendance, but there
are encouraging signs that the
grand old game is on the up-
grade. Attendance has improved
this year and the bringing in of
English and Russian teams will
undoubtedly stimulate interest
among wide circles of hitherto
casual soccer fans.

With the exception of British
Columbia, soccer is strictly a
summer game with Canadians.
The sport is entirely amateur,
and many of our best players
are still citizens who have come
from the British Isles.

The future of soccer here rests
with its young players. Develop-
ment of junior leagues, plus
careful attention te coaching the
youngsters, is the key to a

healthy soccer situation im the
years to’ come.

Behold soccer with a ballet touch, caught by the camera

in a game between two Italian teams. An attempt at a
reverse kick has just been blocked by another player's head,
while a third player tries to get into the play.

June 1, 1956 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 11

ith