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On Second Thought A Matchmaker Changes Tune By BARNEY NAGLER NEW YORK N Y May 8 Jack Bar ¬ rett who makes the matches at St Nicks for the International Boxing Club was philosophical about it Friday night He sat at ringside as an Argen ¬ tine paddled a Cuban to the greater glory of the good neighbor policy and said What the hell Great phrase maker this fellow fellowIn In theory if not in fact the two Latins not from Manhattan who were trying to de ¬ capitate each other in the ring were the last maineventers to be matched by Barrett The IBC is abandon ¬ ing the St Nicks it says here to the London Sporting Club and Monday night fights Hereafter Barrett reverts to low ¬ boy on the matchmaking totem pole He is henceforth just plain assistant tp Billy Brown BrownSo So Friday night at St Nicks Barrett was at ringside watching Eduardo KO Lausse do just that to Chico Varona in seven rounds of earnest competition In the course of the fight Barrett went from patting himself on the back to en ¬ dorsing Lausse as an important middle ¬ weight human While running the gamut Barrett never once felt pain History doesnt record the single name of a sole matchmaker who winced under a right to the jaw The same cant be said either for Lausse or Varona VaronaNot Not mind you that Barrett is an in ¬ sensitive young man Rather he is a softie who averts his gaze when one of the young men he has put to work is knocked for a loop Hes allergic to upturned toes toesYou You got to bring those young fighters in here and give them a chance Barrett said when Varona climbed into the ring This Varonas going to get plenty of work around here hereWasnt Wasnt he fighting around Philly a lot before Barretts neighbor asked askedSure Sure he was getting a lot of tough fights and wasnt getting on TV Barrett explained So we went back to Cuba Bobby Gleasons got that Valdes and hes got connections in Cuba so he brought Varona back here hereNow Now the two fighters were coming out to meet each other and Varona threw a few punches forcing the South American back in a swaying elusive motion Var ¬ ona pressed forward through the first three rounds during which Lausse bided his time even while hitting his tormen ¬ tor with solid counterlefts to the head headIn In the fourth round and thereafter Lausse got to Varona who was tiring under the pace he had set in selfdefense selfdefenseLook Look at that Lausse Barrett said Hes got a real good left hand and his right is good top See the way he punches Lausse pivoted on his right foot and pull ¬ ing his left side away from his opponent landed a solid left hook to the jaw jawSee See that Barrett exalted He pivots on his leg and gets all the leverage he can into the punch hy switching his body Hes a real good puncher this fellow fellowOnly Only with his left the neighbor said saidNo No either hand Barrett said Hes got a tough little guy in there with him You know this one goes the distance and weve got two fighters we can throw in there Thats what we got to do in this business keep the fighters working to develop cards cardsNo No sooner had Barrett said this than Varona backed against the ropes trying to regain position The courageous little fellow had been tiring for several rounds and now in the seventh he was in re ¬ treat pulling away from the sweeping arm of the enemy This time he pulled back just a little too far A left hook caught him on the chin He went down on his back His head thumped the can ¬ vas His right left twisted behind his haunch He was a grotesque little hrown fellow fellowThere There was need to count but referee Barney Felix is an academician of the ring He is concerned with mathematical pro ¬ gression and by way of establishing his knowledge of same he went through the full count countI I told you Barrett said this guy Lausse is a hell of a puncher puncherHe He got up from his chair Ive got to get the last fourrounder into the ring he said I mean the last one here for the ijIBC He went1 about his business
