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FROM THE BOOKS
Now, there is
another thing I would like to talk about. In the July issue of
THE RING, there was a story by Jack Johnson, maybe the
greatest defensive fighter we ever have had, and certainly a
master.
Johnson is an honest critic. Johnson is a negro. You might have
expected him to go crazy about Louis. So many whites did so. But
Johnson saw Louis with the expert eye of a man who knew a lot
about fighting.
Johnson criticized Louis' style. He said that with his peculiar
side stance, Louis would be easy to hit for a man who had a good
right and the faculty to study the thing out.
Well, I read THE RING. The article struck me as being just
what I had studied out for myself. I discussed it with Max
Machon, my trainer. I said to Max, Johnson has an important
message in this story. I know that the way Louis stands, I will
not find it difficult to hit him with my right by crossing the
punch over the negro's left as he shoots it from that sideways
stance.
With this discovery I worked hard at Napanoch, and it turned out
splendidly.
You know, when Louis misses a punch he is off balance. The Paulino
fight showed that. Johnson's article verified my impression.
I worked out all these problems and they did a remarkable thing for
my morale as well as my technical preparation for the fight. I
knew I had him. I knew that when we weighed in.
Max Schmeling-THE RING Sept. 1936
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FROM THE BOOKS
Now, look at
me in May, 1936. I look back and get mad at myself. I think I'm
Mr. Big Shit. I know I'm going to win anything I want. My record
speaks for itself. I married a fabulous woman, I bought a
beautiful home for my mother, I'm sending my sister Vunice to
Howard University to study teaching, women are running me crazy,
big, important people are my friends. Shit! I can't go wrong. I
got the money, I got the power.
I took my clubs to training camp with me, and some writers, Hype
Igoe and Walter Stewart from Memphis, Tennessee, and me started
playing together. They took me on the Lakewood, New Jersey, golf
course for the first time. Good God, I was really in love with
the game.
When I entered training camp, I had the idea that I was going to do
a lot of hard work for nothing. I thought I could name the round
that I would knock Schmeling out. Instead of training as I
should have, I'd cut my training short and jump in the car and
head for the golf course with Stewart and Igoe. Instead of
boxing six rounds, I'd box three. Punch the bag one round
instead of two.
I'd even sneak off to Atlantic City when I got the chance to see
some girl whose name I don't even remember.
Instead of gradually working up to a physical peak, I began bearing
down and melting off weight. Could take it off easy enough, but
couldn't put it back on. That weakened me.
Joe Louis-My Life
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