Survivor

Until one night last week, any man who could go into the ring against the milk-chocolate-colored fighting machine called Joe Louis and survive ten rounds, would have Done Something. But when a 22-year-old former college footballer named Bob Pastor had eluded Louis for 30 minutes and come out of Madison Square Garden without a mark, the U. S. fight public began to wonder.

"I told you so!" shouted Pastor's promoter, James J. Johnston, who had promised to explode the box-office prestige of his rival Promoter Mike Jacobs' Joe Louis. "Louis is a terrific hitter but he's not a great fighter. He can't hit a moving target. Pastor didn't fight him because he followed instructions to keep moving and keep out of Louis' way."

One strange thing had marked the Pastor-Louis fight. It was a weird tribute. Had any other pair of fighters circled the ring for 55 seconds without letting fly a punch, boos, programs and perhaps chairs would have rained over the ropes. Such was the respect for the sudden death in Louis' left fist, such the sympathy for Pastor, outweighed 203 Ib. to 179 and regarded as a rabbit in a box with a rattlesnake, that the crowd lived the dread of every second with Pastor, watching the quick twitching motions of Louis' fists, starting, like a snake's tongue, only to draw back. Such was the suspense that a cheer rose with the gong that ended the first round. When Louis did start hitting, the agile Pastor made him miss, right, left and right again (see cut). The suspense continued right through the nine remaining rounds despite increasing boos at Louis for not being able to overtake the retreating, ducking Pastor. Loudest boo came when Louis got the decision.

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