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AT THE RINGSIDE By Barney Nagler NEW YORK May 14 There was a visit j to Houston last week the night Joe Brown handed Ralph Dupas lagniappe right on the kisser and for one who had not seen the lightweight champion in the pelt since he won the championship it was a revelation Joe Brown is all the way a titleholder perhaps as good lets say as Ike Williams was in his time or as good a puncher as Lew Jen ¬ kins was There had been un ¬ til the knockout of Dupas a notion here that Brown was a Chinaman in on a punched ticket He had been around many years during which time he had been beat ¬ en 14 times and once he had been knocked flat at St Nicks by George Araujo just when it had been said he had turned over a leaf of happiness happinessSo So going down to Houston there was an unwillingness to accept Brown as any thing but a latterday development of chicanery in boxing He had won the championship from Wallace Bud Smith a hambone from Cincinnati and those who know about such things said at the time that Smith could have been beaten by What was found instead of a second rate champion was a saucy 32yearold man who knows his way around in and I J out of the ring In the fight Brown showed amazing agility and skill and punch Dupas tried to steamroll his way to the title mov ¬ ing on swift legs but Brown just moved him at will without exerting himself Then like an old pro Brown slowed Dupas down with left hooks to the body and bounced him with left and right to the head There were three knockdowns but only one mattered the first one Ref ¬ eree Jimmy Webb had to handle the count gingerly because Brown eagerly refused to go to a neutral corner cornerReferee Referee Webb had good reason to be scornful of Browns manner When he was a lightheavyweight contender 15 or so years ago Webb was being moved toward a title bout with Gus Lesnevich Webbs proprietor Chris Dundee matched him with one Mose Brown in Pittsburgh PittsburghA A A A AMose Mose Brown no relation of Joe knocked out Webb in two rounds Dundee was un ¬ convinced and unafraid He put his hero back in with Mose And once again old Mose kicked the bucket He knocked out Webb in five rounds Still unconvinced still unafraid Dundee put Webb back in with Mose This one went six rounds roundsHell Hell my mans improving Dundee said wistfully wistfullyWell Well who should turn up in Dupas cor ¬ ner in Houston the other night but Angelo Dundee Chriss brother Webb did not wince He worked the fight as though he was possessed of nothing but admiration Continued on Page FortyTwo RINGSIDEI AT THE RINGSIDE I By BARNEY NAGLER Continued from Page Two Twofor for the brother of his former manager the bravest of fight men Chris Dundee DundeeAt At any rate Joe Brown proved he can fight as a champion should fight Appar ¬ ently championship status has done a great deal for the Baton Rouge veteran He carries himself as a titleholder in the ring and in the dressing room speaks freely and honestly honestlyHe He has found success late in his career and with it some money but not much and now his manager Lou Viscusi says Brown will finally get to earn some real money He needs it He has four sons a home a Chrysler Imperial and a sizable mortgage mortgageHis His wife Dorothy visited Joe in the dress ¬ ing room after the bout accompanied by three of their sons Browns dad and his sister This was a departure A lady in a fighters robing room Nobody minded The champion still wore the sweat of hon ¬ est toil toilBrown Brown they say is a dandy It is re ¬ ported he pays 550 to have his hair waved that he has 25 suits of clothes many pairs of shoes and a warm way of life Well at least he can now afford some luxury His purse in Houston came to some 36000 and while he is cut rather deeply he can still wind up with a real whack from the take Enough that is to marcel a lot of hair hairHe He also has a big money match ahead a title defense against lefthanded Kenny Lane As an old Bayou boy from Louisi ¬ ana he should have little difficulty with southpaws He is not going to let Lane bite the two hands that feed him Well at last
