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AT THE RINGSIDE + + By Barney Nagler ■ NEW YORK, N. Y., June 21.— There had been a notion here that Joe Brown was a second-rate lightweight champion, even in this time of tin-t late titleholders, but all is changed now. He may not fit with Gans and Nelson and Leonard and Canzoneri, but he will do until reincarnation sets in because he is, at least, a fast puncher, a power puncher and a fine competitor. And alive. Joe Browns fitness as as 135 i6i - - pound pound cham- as as 135 i6i - - pound pound cham- cnam-pion was manifested the other night, on the TV screen, as he scored a knockout in the 15th round in defense of the title. The victim was Orlando Zulueta, which was too bad from one viewpoint because the Cuban is a nice young man who is happily married and good to the folks around him. AAA There even was a disposition in this corner to root for Zulueta, not only because lie has been around our town for a long time, but largely because his manager, Hymie Wallman, the mink man, had a champion coming to him. He has put time and gold into the fight game. He is, it must be written, the true amateur, although he does run with the pros. 1 Some will say that Wallman is only a front for Frank Carbo, which cannot be proved, but none can say that he does not live and die with his fighters fortunes. Out in Denver the other night, he came close to cashing his ambition to handle a champion. Right before him the dream fell away. It happened because Brown proved more than a one-handed fighter, which Zulueta is because his left hand really is his only weapon, although a right to the jaw stunned the champion in the second round. Brown won the championship from Bud Smith, the one from Cincinnati, and the way he did so left the citizenry bored to the point of total indifference. j Indeed, magazine writers were moved to despair when Brown* became champion. Confession is entered here of authorship in a national magazine of an article deploring the state of the lightweight division and the status of* the championship. Gans and Nelson were reported twirling in their tombs, which is, at best, a figure of speech, as though you had not guessed. Now it can be reported that all is peace in the entombments. Brown was frisky enough against Zulueta to compare with champions of the past. He may not be Leonard, but neither was Ambers. He may not be Gans, but neither Continued on Page Sixteen I AT THE-RINGSIDE I By BARNEY NAGLER Continued from Page Two was Williams. He may not even be Williams, but Ike had his moments of mediocrity. What was even more impressive than Browns performance* in the ring was his post-fight willingness to take another giant step toward proving himself a real cham-pipn. He said he was in accord with those who insisted he should fight Kenny Lane, the southpaw contender, as quickly as possible. "Ill fight him in 90 days," Brown said. "Well do it," said Browns manager, Lou Viscusi. Doing it, Brown will at least spark a division that has been lacking in interest since they began passing the championship around. It is not enough for a champion to be effective. He must be active as well. Joe Louis proved this when he was the peerless hevayweight. His championship tour was misnamed as the bum-of-the-month club when, in fact, it was based on a willingness to fight all who wanted to make war. There is no disposition here to suggest that Brown go on a bum-of-the-month tour. He should, however, keep busy, taking on all comes when they come along. Lane shQuld be confronted as quickly as possible in order that Brown establish firm title to the championship. The good impression made knocking out Zulueta should not be lost. If this is too much to hope for, then boxing is not worth worrying about, or saving, that is, for the time when title bouts will be held in Madison Square Garden once again, stead of in sky-high Denver, where Brown knocked out Zulueta. Only then will boxing really be saved.
