Sport: Heavyweight Handiwork

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When a coffee-colored Negro boy named Joe Louis Barrow graduated from Detroit's Bronson School in 1931, his teacher gave him a report card to take home to his mother. On the card was written: "This boy should be able to do something with his hands."

Last week in Chicago, Prize Fighter Joe Louis lived up to this dubious compliment. In the presence of 45,000 spectators in Comiskey Park his hands knocked out James J. Braddock in the eighth round of their bout for the heavyweight championship of the world. Major results of Louis' handiwork were two: it made him the first colored man to hold the championship since crafty Jack Johnson allowed himself to be knocked out by Jess Willard in 1915, and it started a new regime in pugilistic finance, by which shrewd, bald-headed Michael Jacobs succeeded Madison Square Garden Corp. as the industry's No. 1 promoter.

When the heavyweight title changes hands, as it has done five times in the past seven years, the U. S. sporting public anticipates 1) dissatisfaction with the fight, 2) confusion after it. In 1930 Max Schmeling won the title from Jack Sharkey on a foul. In 1932 Sharkey won it back on a decision which many experts considered erroneous. In 1933, Primo Camera knocked out Jack Sharkey with what looked like a gentle push. In 1934, clownish Max Baer knocked out Camera in an eccentric bout. In 1935, Braddock outpointed Baer in a hopelessly dull bout. Last week's fight left the heavyweight situation in some respects even more confused than before, but the major difference between it and its predecessors was that this fight was ably fought to an unbeatable conclusion. When it was over, Braddock had attained more esteem in defeat than he had ever enjoyed as champion, and Louis had restored respect to the historic line of champions.

Fight Major defect in Joe Louis' fighting equipment, as shown in his defeat by Schmeling, was an inadequate defense against a right to the jaw. Major defect in most of Louis' opponents has been simple fear. Last week, as soon as the fight started, it became obvious that Braddock was not afraid and that Louis could still be hit with a right. After forcing the fighting through most of the first round, Braddock, pinned momentarily against the ropes, caught Louis with a short right uppercut that knocked his opponent off his feet. Louis jumped up without a count, managed to keep out of trouble for the rest of the round.

To the crowd, which had installed Louis as a 1-to-3 favorite but hoped Braddock would win, that knockdown was a happy surprise. It was the last surprise of the fight. Braddock thereafter fought aggressively as he had promised to do. Louis, his confidence restored since his Schmeling defeat, fought as he always does, with a cool, poised cruelty that turned Brad-dock's aggressiveness into a painful demonstration of his ability to absorb a beating. By the end of the sixth round Braddock's eyes were nearly closed, his nose was smeared off line, blood dripped from a long gash on his upper lip and he knew, as he said later, that unless he could land a lucky punch, the end of his career as champion was at hand.