Tonight every Jewish youngster in the country will be asking his dad in awed whispers, “Pops, old boy, why is this night so different from every other night?” To which the old man will reply, “Sonny, tonight Barney Ross meets Poison Jimmy. Tonight we as Jews will be hoping Barney Ross will come through and knock the stuffing out of that Irisher. Tonight we are with Barney Ross from the moment he steps into the ring and pairs off against the welter-weight king, and we pray that he will avenge the defeats of Goldstein, and Singer and Kaplan and Terris and Leonard and Glick.”
TONIGHT TELLS THE TALE
The Milk Fund Bout tonight between Ross at 138 pounds and McLarnin is a “natural.” It does not need any more ballyhoo because it is the old story of youth against age, of speed pitted against hard hitting, and of the Jew against the Irish in the ring.
If Barney comes through tonight he will be “THE” Jewish Idol of all time. He will have succeeded where even the great Leonard failed. He will have done what no man in the history of the ring has accomplished before. If he wins he will be the holder of two championships-the lightweight title and the welterweight crown.
WILL ROSS DO IT?
The question is can Ross who has the youth advantage, the height, the reach, and the fact of having fought continuously in the past year take Jimmy McLarnin, who has been in the ring but a couple of minutes in the last few years, yet has the experience, the finesse, and who is known as the hardest hitter for his inches in the fight game today?
As an observer with an impartial point of view, we think that the fighters are evenly matched. The betting odds at ringside should be about even. Both fighters are clever. Both are hard hitters. Ross has TNT in his left and McLarnin carries dynamite in his right. Impartially we say it is a case of the immovable object meeting the irresistible force BUT, Ross has the youth advantage and he has the speed. Folks, in the fight game these two things make for the final payoff and that is why we say Barney Ross should win.
THE JEWISH ANGLE
That was an unprejudiced side of the case. Now let me step on the platform and say my bit on why I am prejudiced in Ross’s favor no matter how good they tell me this McLarnin boy is McLarnin to us is a soap bubble that will be smashed under Barney’s terrific onslaught. McLarnin met Goldstein when Ruby was through. It was butchery to send that young kid against the Vancouver tiger, as we noticed when the Irish lad started to pound broadsides into Goldstein’s chin and ribs. Leonard was old and fat when he met Jimmy, yet he lasted seven rounds. Singer and Terris and Kaplan and Glick all had hopes behind their punches but there really wasn’t much to their punches besides hopes.
Ross has pepper and “gism.” Not only has he the hopes of winning this fight in his mind but he also has the conviction that he will do it. Not one of the other fighters whom we have mentioned stepped into the resined arena when they were to meet Jimmy with such firm and arrogant confidence in their breasts. That’s why we say Ross will win.
ALL NEW YORK WILL BE THERE
It’s no great surprise to us that the East Side is all gaga about this fight and that the seats from the ringside tier to the last row of the bleachers will be taken by a Mr. Ginsburg or Kantrowitz from Avenue A or Cherry street. But even the Brooklyn section is all hepped up over this fight.
It’s the talk of the town. Not since the last time Leonard fought Tendler was there so much fight talk in the air. Usually the fans are this way over a good heavyweight fight but for a lightweight tussle to gather such publicity is something really out of the way.
The fight is sure to gross well over three hundred thousand dollars and top the receipts for the last Tendler-Leonard scrap some ten years ago.
Well, so long folks, we’ll be seeing you in the Ross cheering section!
FIRST MACCABI CHAPTER INSTALLATION
Milton Magid has the honor of seeing his chapter, which he organized and developed, installed as the first Maccabi chapter in the United States. Ceremonies will take place tomorrow night at the Hebrew Institute of University Heights.
Magid has over one hundred men and women in his organization at present and has been making splendid progress since he called his initial meeting of this group at the Hebrew Institute Association some time ago.
Although the United States Maccabi Association was chartered in February, 1934, no official chapters had been formed until Magid’s group came to the front. As a result of Magid’s tireless efforts he will see the rewards of his labor honored tomorrow night.
Milton Magid’s group meets at the Hebrew Institute of University Heights. It is here that the formal installation and dance will take place. A special program will be given to mark the event. Nathan L. Goldstein, president of the U. S. Maccabi Association, will be the principal speaker. David White, executive secretary, will deliver the Maccabi pledge to the members of Chapter 1 of the American Division.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
