Clay Vows to Canvas Jones in Fourth Round

Cassius Marcellus Clay has amply demonstrated the biggest mouth in boxing. Tonight before a sell-out crowd of 13,000 in Madison Square Garden, Clay is a 17-5 favorite to back up his boasts with a victory over highly ranked heavyweight Doug Jones.

To listen to Cassius, they might as well carry Jones into the ring on his back to save him the six-foot fall. Clay has this remarkable habit of calling the round in which his opponents will be carted out-"They all must fall in the round I call." He has called 12 in a row beginning in April, 1961.

Clay declared yesterday, "I am the greatest, the strongest, and the prettiest, Jones has got me sore; he may go in four."

Last week Cassius predicted Doug's demise for the sixth, but when Clay saw Jones reading a book entitled "The Rise And Fall Of Cassius Clay," he decided Jones might as well be spared a few rounds of misery.

Cassius has been taking up poetry recently. For example, he claimed, "I'm changing the pick I made before/instead of six, Dough goes in four." Earlier, Clay had warned Jones, "if you start any live you'll go in five."

Some fight-fans think that for once the cocky clay is talking scared. Jones, a beefed-up light heavyweight at 186, is no doubt a fine boxer and a solid puncher. But his only claim to fame is a seventh round KO of Zora Folly last December.

The Folley victory looks impressive on paper, but to anyone who saw the fight it was apparent that Jones was suffering more than Folley until that lucky punch. Also, Jones was outpointed by Harold by Harold Johnson in a light heavyweight title fight last year. Ballooned to 186, Jones may have trouble matching the speed of flashy Cassius.

Even ignoring public relations, Clay has all the obvious advantages: strength (at 208 pounds), speed and reach. Cassius has won all 17 of his fights since turning pro in 1960; 14 have been by KO's. Still, the perfect record would prove much more if Cassius had taken on some better boys. Ancient Archie Moore toppled swiftly to the canvas, but it took Clay a distressingly long time to finish off Billy Daniels.

In any case, Jones may just surprise Cassius; he may fall in the seventh instead of the fourth.