view raw text
AT THE RINGSIDE By Barney Nagler NEW YORK, N. Y., June 4 The other day, which would be the day before yesterday, Floyd Patterson was encountered on the sidewalk in front of Gene Leones shop in West 48th street, leaning against, the newly painted pink exterior taking his sun, and listening to three or four others asking him questions. The world heavyweight champion had come , down from Greenwood Lake, where he is training, to find out what he was training about. A while later, after lunch, he was told he would be fighting Hurricane Jackson at the Polo Grounds, Monday, July 29. "Thatll be different, having a real fight," a man said to Patterson. "I dont mind not fighting," the champ said. "Doing what Im doing, its almost like fighting." " "Doing what?" AAA "Working with the kind of sparring partners Im working with. A fellow like Howie Turner, hes a fighter whos with me. He makes me fight all the way even if its only sparring." "Is he the only one you work with?" "Theres another. I forget his name, but hes real good too. He makes you think. I learn a lot sparring." "You mean," someone asked incredu lously, "you are still learning even if you are world champion?" "You never stop learning," Patterson said. "Only if youre stupid you stop learning." A man came along and said, "Hurricane1 over there is trying to give you the evil eye." Patterson lazily cast a glance in the direction of the unhappy lad he will be fighting next month. "He dont bother me," the champion said. AAA A few minutes later, Jackson annoyed Patterson in the pocketbook. Speaking to the assembled - devotees of shrimp a la Leone, Jackson said, "Id fight this one for nothing just to make the world happy." In rebuttal, but without the cosmic reference, the heavyweight champion said, "Im not going to say what Jackson did." In this little exchange, Patterson marked the difference between himself and nature boy, Floyd has grown up. He is a pro suddenly concerned with money. Hitherto, Patterson has been only mildly involved with swag because his interest was academic; he had a few brushes with currency, but remained fairly unencumbered by greenbacks because his proprietor, Cus DAmato, was fighting a battle of principle; I DAmato would not permit his athlete to fight for Jim Norris. Now a new day is dawning, Patterson is going to fight under the flag of Emile Lence, which is a pure white banner unsullied by the influences which defaced Norris, according to DAmato. At long last, boxing luckily has come upon a pure-at-heart, Mr. Continued on Page Forty I AT THE RINGSIDE I By BARNEY NAGLEIt Continued from Page Two Lence, and he is indeed welcome. There are so few of us left. Mr. Lences presence on the fight beat is a blow to the garment industry. He has largely been engaged in making frocks for frails, but silk and satin apparently are less beguiling than canvas. At that, he has at least helped the state cut down its unemployment insurance payrolls. Mr. Lence has put more people to work than the W.P.A. Vic Marsillo, an ex-officio member of Lences outfit, said he toted up the ages of some of Lences hirelings: Jimmy Bronson, Sam Taub, Ned Brown and Joe Arata, all concerned with public relations and publicity. "They go all the way back to the Declaration of Independence," Marsillo said. "All they need is a young courier." He nominated Joe Woodman, who is 75, going on 80.
