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, . . . r . . , ■ • : j -j . • I i l 1 : ■ • . t , f l r - First of Title Fight Series This Friday Gavilan, Bratton Tangle for Welter Crown; Three Other Championship Bouts in Month By JACK CUDDY United Press Sports Writer NEW YORK, N. Y., May 12 UP.— Spring will begin "bustin out" Friday with the first of a series of title fights as Kid Gavilan of Cuba and Johnny Bratton of Chicago toss fists in Madison Square Garden for the welterweight championship. Three other tilts are slated for May, and one already is scheduled for mid-June. Those listings presage the busiest warm-weather championship season in years. Gavilan, 25, will be favorite at about 2-1 to beat 23-year-old Bratton, who is recognized as the worlds 147-pound champion by the National Boxing Association. The New York boxing commission has agreed to recognize Friday nights winner as undisputed world champion — successor to Sugar Ray Robinson, who had to give up the welter crown when he won the middleweight title from Lake LaMotta. To satisfy the New York commission, Fridays winner must defend within 90 days against Billy Graham of New York or have his crown vacated. Its unlikely that the British boxing board of control and the European boxing union will recognize the Gavilan -Bratton winner as champion until he has met and defeated Eddie Thomas of Wales, who licked Graham two years ago. Lightweight Go May 25 The other three May title fights are slated as follows: 25th, lightweight cham- pion Ike Williams of Trenton, N. J., vs. James Carter of New York at Madison Square Garden; 30th, heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles of Cincinnati vs. light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim of Cleveland for the heavy crown at Chicago Stadium; 31st, bantamweight champion Vic Toweel of South Africa vs. Luis Romero of Spain at Johannesburg, S. A. Ray Robinson has agreed to defend his middleweight diadem against Laurent Dauthuille of France at Paris on June 15. Dauthuille is the lad who almost wrested the title from Jake LaMotta at Detroit last September, but who failed when he forgot to duck in the 15th round. If Robinson beats Dauthuille as expected, he may make July and August defenses against Randolph Turpin of England and Dave Sands of Australia at London. Meanwhile, in the United States, Joey Maxim has tentatively agreed to defend his light-heavy laurels against Bob Satterfield at Chicago in case Maxim fails in his May 30 challenge for Ezzard Charles heavy crown. Officials of the International Boxing Club are confident they can arrange an August title fight between featherweight champion Sandy Saddler and ex-champ Willie Pep. It would be their fourth fight for the 126-pound bonnet. In addition, at least two very interesting brawls will have no titles involved. Joe Louis and Lee Savold are slated for 12 rounds at the Polo Grounds, June 13; and light heavies Bob Murphy and Jake LaMotta will sign soon for a knockdown- drag-em-out brawl at Yankee ■ Stadium, June 27.
