Joe Louis Stands Over Billy Conn
“BROWN BOMBER’S” FAMOUS QUOTE STILL VALID!
Charlotte, NC– While now the title of a book by bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman, the phrase “He can run, but he can’t hide” is originally a statement attributed to the great Joe Louis in response to an interview question about his upcoming bout with Billy Conn, who had said his fight plan was to “hit and run.”
ONE REASON BOXING IS SUPERIOR TO ANY OTHER SPORTS
You can run but you can’t hide is also a truth about the ring that I love. There is something about pugilism, about the raw nature of the sport, that will, sooner or later strip its participants down to their very core of their bare essence. The ring is a relentless bulldog from which, if you stay in long enough, no fighter can hide from forever. It recently exposed David Haye as a “Wanna-be.” Yes, Haye has skills, but when he finally went up against someone th tat didn’t fall for his hype, wasn’t backing down, and was hitting back, Haye was exposed, and he will never be the same in the ring.
EVEN THE TOUGHEST FIGHTERS HAVE BEEN HUMBLED BY THE RING
The ring melted the glare of Sonny Liston, George Foreman I, and Mike Tyson, and revealed them as bullies and actors who relied on intimidation as much as anything. Yes, they had skills, but once that melting was done, Liston and Tyson were done, and George underwent a ten year rebuilding program before he was ready for the intensity of the ring again. And even now the ring is peeling away the layers of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Perhaps showing us that unlike Muhammad Ali, there won’t be much more than a narcissistic big mouth with fear that his once superior physical skills are fading? The ring, you see is tireless and relentless as it gnaws away at human facades until it finally get to the truth. And in time, the ring will find out the truth about all who climb between it’s velvet ropes, because you can run, but you cannot hide.
THE SQUARED CIRCLE HAS IT’S CRACK WHORES!
The ring, even with all the cancers and leeches that hang around it defacing its beauty, still calls to something deep within, still has that allure that cannot be resisted. For many that allure is the age old dream with the age old siren song, “Four Rounds, Hundred Dollars, Win, Lose, or Draw.” But for others, either those with with special gifts, or those that live behind carefully constructed layers, the wait can be a bit longer, but it always comes, because you can run, but you cannot hide.
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ROCKY MARCIANO, EVERY DOG HAS HAD HIS DAY
Later or sooner, in that certain moment, the right opponent, the right night, the right punch, the right combination of all, and the ring will peel away the carefully crafted layers of facade, and expose the naked truth about who you are. And there is no one else there to hide or protect you from yourself. Just you and the honest-to God bare naked truth. Maybe everyone else sees it. Maybe only you see it. And sometimes, lamentably even you miss it, but the ring, for at least one glorious, brutally honest moment, will tell you who you are. And hardly anyone in the world will do that for you anymore.
You can run, but you can’t hide, and I love that!
Professor Chuck Marbry