Billy Conn

I had heard of the boxer Billy Conn from the film "On the Waterfront" when Marlon Brandoe, in the famous taxi scene, tells his brother "it was you, Charlie, it was you.... I could have been another Billy Conn...." I realise now that what he meant was "I could have been another white contender for champion heavyweight of the world" as Billy Conn was.
Sitting in the doctor's surgery this morning I picked up a Reader's Digest booklet and came to an article written by Billy Conn on the death of his good friend and opponent in the ring, Joe Louis. Then I looked at the front of the booklet; it was dated 1983 - which brought to mind Tommy Cooper's joke about just having come from his dentist, having read something there, and saying: "Isn't it terrible news about the Titanic?"
Billy Conn writes (well) about his fight with Joe Louis, how he was winning on points, how his trainer was shouting at him, urging him to avoid Joe's fists, that all he had to do was get through the next two rounds and he would win. Not Billy Conn. Billy wanted to knock Louis out so he went at him swining blows. It was then that Louis came up with two left hooks and a right hand that sent Conn to the canvas and instant, temporary oblivian. They did fight again, and again Conn was floored and lost.
Yet he loved Joe Louis: the most sensitive guy, the most humble, the nicest person anyone could meet. They became firm friends and here was Billy Conn at his friend's funeral.
Wonderful stuff though he didn't mention Tommy Farr's bout with Joe Louis, remembered in South Wales to this day: "Tommy should have won." I recall Tommy Farr telling a TV commentator about his fight with Louis; he said "he hit me here on the forehead with a blow that was like a sledge hammer". You could see in Farr's face the sort of admiration for the man that was in Billy Conn's encomium.