A Memorable Fight, an Even Greater Quip

On the night of what had to be the greatest disappointment of his life, Billy Conn, with a wry smile, could still give the 20th century one of its memorable sports quips.

This was a man who moments earlier had the world heavyweight championship in his grasp--and blew it.

It was moments after his amazing effort against Joe Louis. Conn, listed at 174 pounds to Louis’ 199 1/2, had boxed Louis silly for 13 rounds. Then, when he began showboating and playing to the crowd--and even worse, trying to trade heavy punches with the champion, Louis knocked him out.

When sportswriters charged into his Polo Grounds dressing room afterward to ask him why he didn’t carefully protect his big lead, he said: “What’s the use of being Irish if you can’t be dumb?”

Conn, who had fought brilliant for 12 rounds, suddenly became dumb in the 13th.

His first 12 rounds were a demonstration of pure boxing.

Before 54,487, he befuddled Louis, who couldn’t escape Conn’s hit-and-run jab. Nor could he catch the former light-heavyweight champion, who danced away on feather-like feet from each Louis assault.

It came out later that Conn actually weighed 169 pounds that night, promoter Mike Jacobs announcing 174 for fear Conn would be badly beaten by the much bigger Louis.

Also on this date: In 1956, in Detroit, New York’s Mickey Mantle became the second player--Ted Williams was the first--to hit a ball out of Briggs Stadium. Mantle’s blast bounced once on the right-field roof, 110 feet above the playing field, above the 370-foot sign. The second bounce was on Trumbull Avenue. . . . In 1967, at Springfield, N.J., Jack Nicklaus beat Ben Hogan’s U.S. Open record of 276, shooting a 275 to secure the $30,000 winner’s check. . . . In 1956, Tom Park of Long Beach swam from the Marineland Pier at Palos Verdes to Emerald Bay on Catalina in 9 hours 10 minutes 30 seconds, easily breaking his own record of 13:25. . . . In 1960, Arnold Palmer came from six shots off the lead with a last-round 65 to win the U.S. Open at Denver.