12 Sports Aces, May 1943 — page 96: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

94 12 SPORTS ACES high as a fending guard against it. Buddy bounced a trio of lefts, circled, 'and hit his stride. He had te win or he was through, he knew. He got in a pair mere and a right. He got in another left, and as the crowd howled, he decided this was something that needed looking into. Slatterty was wide open to that left. He shot in the left... Slatterty’s right exploded in Buddy’s face! Buddy’s gloved hands groped wild- ly. He hung on while Slatterty punished nis body. The blows drove him loose. Buddy’s legs were out of kilter. Slatterty held his arms low now. He put his body behind every punch. Buddy experimented with a left and Slatterty’s ringing right caught him with his mouth open. Buddy’s teeth guard went winging out to the 5.50 customers. Buddy wobbled to his stool as the bell intervened. “Nice going,” said Moe, “Yeah. Nice going.” This Slatterty was. unbeatable. What was to be done? “Tt mean it,” said Moe. “You stood up there and gave him sass. So he won the round, which I don’t even think. So what? Just take your time.” From some place he had gotten back the mouthpiece. Moe stuck it in at the warning whistle. To Buddy, the rest had hardly begun before it ended. Slatterty came out toward him looking for trouble. His mitts were held low, dis- dainfully low. His right counter to the head sent a bell ringing in every.cell in Buddy’s brain. Buddy danced away, sniffed his nose to clear his head. Buddy fed his left glove to Slatterty’s mouth and Slatterty ate it. He ate it with relish. He ate it with relish because every time that left came he sank his own right below Buddy’s heart. He came in hun- grily, looking for more of the left, Buddy hooked the left and it surprised Slatterty. He gave Buddy a leok, “Oh, so ' the punk knows tricks!’ And he made threatening gestures. Buddy stopped a hook with an elbow, but his own right was waste motion. Siat- terty’s right flew and Buddy felt a kittle deadly cocked right, He kept his shoulder gray mouse creeping up beneath his left eye. UDPY’S footwork slowed. His teeth stopped a couple right hands and he felt httle euts in his mouth. He spit blood to the apron of the oanvas as they clinched near the ropes. He was breath- ing teo hard for only the second round. Slatterty moved around on pre-war tires. He saftened Buddy with rights be- iow the heart and lefts and rights to the head. He watched Buddy carefully, ana- ty tically. Buddy speared a left and hooked the same left. Slatterty’s right expleded and Buddy woke up on the canvas. He caught the count at eight and climbed wp. He tried to hdid. Slatterty shook him off. He sensed that thirteenth kayo, He batted down Buddy’s guard, seeking a breakthrough. Buddy back-pedated. Slat- terty caught him a hard hook and a drive en right. Slatterty pounded another right. Buddy’s upper lip split with the blow. Moe had little to say in the corner. His fingers were very busy with surgical tacks, with cotton and collodion. He mend- ed the lip while Shiny applied ice to the eye. He said, “This guy’s a tough monkey. Stay away from him. Rest yourself.” Buddy went out again and Slatterty promptly paid his respeets with a right bomber. He played beanbag with Buddy on the ropes. .He cornered him and drummed at his body. Buddy clutched Slatterty’s strong arms, swung him away and escaped the trap the ropes had be- come for him. He clinched and his blood was red on Slatterty’s sweaty shoulder. He punched a right and a Jeft and ex- citement ran strong in his veins as he saw them shake Slatterty. He thought te | himself, I hurt him. I can beat this guy. I will beat him. And then Slatterty’s ripping right smashed in to shut his left eye complete- ly. Buddy floundered as another right clipped him. Moe could do nothing for the eye. It war tight. Buddy went out for the fourth, COMMGCEOOOKS (E@)