European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 8, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday nov Webere. 1988 the stars and stripes Page 23 bbb Mph Chi hip by a fans fall for boxing rope a dope by Rusty Bryan a couple of months a of five Yew. That fellow tight too is what die people whose Bank balances depend on it have determined our attention Span to be. When sugar Ray Leonard imprudently ends hit second retirement and climbs into the ring to face marvelous Marvin Hagler for us wac  of the world next april 6 in la vegas Nev it will be just under four Yean and 10 months since the promotion artists and financial wizards induced Many of us to pan with $30 a ticket10 a closed circuit telecast of Gerry Cooney s impersonation of an ambulatory but Only just heavy bag against Larry Holmes in june of 1982, reason told most of us Back then that Cooney Holmes was a mismatch. Our eyes took in the spec Tacle of the challenger s plodding style and the no names he decked on nil Way to the title shot and informed our brains that Holmes Cooney would be a bout that we would be Lucky to forget and that Coo Ney would be Lucky to remember. But the Sharp peace folks who arrange these mat ters were smarter than we fans. That s Why they arrange and we watch. They knew they possessed a never fail bin Fogger that would make us doubt what we had seen. They had hype. When they unleashed it Box ing s most lucrative rope a dope to Date worked us Over. Experts never tired of telling us of the superhuman punching Power in Cooney s left Hook. They pointed to Cooley s youth and his opponent s age and punishment absorbed. They described the Chal Lenger s hunger and enthusiasm which contrasted so vividly with the complacency of a Champion who it was suggested might after so Many years on top begetting somewhat Blase about being heavyweight Champion of the  of us bought it. Not completely of course Fiat enough to overcome common sense for the time it took to buy a ticket. Deep inside we knew that nothing had really changed that Cooney s chances of becoming heavyweight Champion were Only slightly lest than ours of seeing what the gambling crowd Calls a live Light still As we sat Down in the theater we tried to persuade each other. They would t guarantee Slu million to a bum someone reassured us. Who knows if Cooney can land some heavy stuff Early to slow Holmes Down this thing might get interesting. Then the fight began and we watched what we knew we d be watching All along an outclassed challenger showing admirable courage and execrable ability during the 12-plus rounds Holmes pounded him. Afterwards we reminded ourselves to remember. Well the smart Guys Are now betting that we a forgotten. They re talking about a s10u million Gate for a fight Between the middleweight Champion of the world and a popular challenger who looked past it in the Only Light he s had since Bufforf Holmes sen Cooney looking for another profession. They re convinced we be forgotten Homes too Ney a Jisoo million Gale Means they re going to pop us for s50 or so this time. No Way we respond. We know better this , Leonard in his prime was a Betler Boxer than Cooney Ever thought. About being. Fast. Quick hands. Power. But it s been four years since he s been an everyday Boxer a competitive one. A Case can be made that a four Yew Layoff poses no problem for the Superior athlete. Ted Williams left baseball to Fly fighters in world War ii an later in Korea and resumed to the lop of his game. But Williams was something More than  hit .406 using half the Field. Williams hit .388 when he was 40 years old. Williams was to misfield what the Mozart and einsteins were to theirs. One of a  april we re going to be asked to bet $50 that sugar Ray Leonard is the Ted Williams of  in the spawning Stream of Longshot players where this fight is to take place that proposition just might be off the Board worse Leonard is coming Back to face Marvel Ous Marvin Hagler a fighter so redoubtable that he came late to his title for the simple reason that the people who preceded him As Champion were Sensi Bly afraid to fight him. Hagler is a Boxer who has t even been in trouble in any bout in memory a fighter who s been throwing leather at the Best of his generation during the four years Leonard s been pitching seven up. The smart Money Touk All that into account on the Day the fight was announced. It made Hagler a 4-1 favorite. But we re not bookies we re fans suckers for the promoters rope a dope. It s already begun. Both fighters appeared on the morning talk shows the Day the fight was announced to open the Selling Job on Holmcs-cooney11. As the Winter goes on the hype will intensify reminding the wafers among us How different Prospect Leonard is from Cooney. Refreshing our memories about the indisputable boxing skills Leonard once possessed. The hype will hint that those skills have been recaptured that Leonard is still a Young Man Wilh it Young Man s resources. Hagler it will be endlessly repealed was on the verge of retirement before Leonard and the promoters made him the historic offer. Could he have lost interest in his title lots of us already know what s going 10 Hap pen. By the Lime Spring Rolls around our reason Wil have punched itself out against the rope a Doc and Holmes Cooney will be expunged from our memories. The smart Guys just As they knew the would will be depositing obscene amounts of our Cash in Baha Maman Banks while we Muse on the Prospect of Leonard As he was against Hagler. Leonard was a terrific fighter Well be remind ing ourselves on april 6. And Hagler s a great one. We could have something going Here save me a place in the ticket line. 4gave if my Best shot says vet amputee finishes Marathon new York up it took Gianni poli 2 Boon 1 1 minutes and 26 seconds to win sunday s new York Marathon. Bob Wieland finished thursday. It took him 4ean is Days 2 hours 48 minutes and 1 7 seconds. He did it without any leu. He did Ion Bis Knuckles swinging his body for Ward about 3 feet at a time 46,000 swings to Complete the 26 Miles and 385 , a Vietnam Veteran whose legs were blown Oft when he stepped on alive mortar Shell in Vietnam it years ago started the race in Back of the other 20.000 marathoners. The Pasadena calif., physical Educa Tion instructor had already proved him self in a four year 2,800-mile trek across America he completed in May that raised $3 1  for w ild hunger. But the big Apple s Marathon was for Bob Wilandt by sunday meat he had made Lott Miles into Brooklyn where the sheer guts of the 40-year-old Parana magic brought crowds of people out to watch him Ong through Brooklyn a Bunch of kids followed along with me he said. We and Abo lost time stopping off an talking to handicapped kids along the Way. A however i go i always want to  l5d report enat the tone. Hts Island finally stopped w sleep Mon Day night after 40 hours and 14 mtg. He slept again Early wednesday after reaching the Willis Avenue Bridge Over the Harlem River 6 Miles and 385 do it again airs morning be was coming Down the curving by drive through Central Park. Joggers and runners passed him hustling along each with two arms and two legs running easy in the raw wet no vember morning. Along came Wieland in his Blue an Gray sweats driving along on his muscled arms. Swinging his body Forward like amen on crutches Kuddes Down fists grip Ping the handles of lie rubber shoes that hit the pavement and carried his weight. The stumps of his legs were encased i heavy leather chaps with a Rocker shaped to idiom so that be could get a rhythmic stride about a steady walking Pace. Around another Bend and past the Bare Blue bleachers coveted with Yodlow Maple and pin Oak leaves that add sunday Imming crowds. Past the Mother wit babies in Stuen the traffic cops and the rubber neck  the finish line came into sight with its red White and Blue Banner he started to . The Small crowd gathered at the finish line burst into applause and  official air cd Marathon Thermal Sheet Over Wir Imd s shoulder covering the faded and wrinkled numbers on in Chest c783.he looked up at the crowd of reporters photographer and to people unwinding him and miled."1 wanted to give it my Best  be said. "1 want to thank the people of Newyork for encouraging us. People in the nigh rises were Yelling out the windows god bless you and go for it asked what he is going to do not he answered tin running in the los Angeles Marathon , he added to coming Back to do Holmes from Page 21 of racism on both sides. Holmes i Cooney in the 13th round june ii. 1982. The previously unbeaten Cooney was Given an excellent Chance of becoming the first White heavyweight Champion since Ingemar Johansson in 1939-60. As for regrets Holmes said. "1 did twant to fight Muhammad Ali because he was my  on oct. 2. 1980, Holmes beat Al when a badly faded the greatest failed to answer the Bell for the i lib  also said he regrets the things i said about Rocky Marciano. People wanted to punish  Aba from Page 21 within 9s-9s with 1 1 8  led sq-75 after three quart in. But Lancaster Gordon scored six Point in a cd cars 12-2  Reserve Al Wood scored25 Points and Mark Aguirre had 24 As Dallas beat  Mavericks raced to an 18-6 Lead and shot 14 for 18 from the floor in the. First Quarter leading 44-27., Denver acc English scored 36 Points dance Walker added 24 and la Fayette lever had a triple double As Den ver beat , who bad scored a total of 21 Points in the nuggets first three game this season was five far five from the floor and five for five from the foul Linein the second Quarter As Denver took a 65-55 Lead at bal Tome