It became astoundingly clear Wednesday evening that Ted Husing knows next to nothing about boxing. If he does, he managed to conceal it with immense skill during his commentary for the television audience of the Louis-Charles fight for the heavyweight championship of the world. Husing's performance was especially unfortunate in view of the fact that 25,000,000 people watched the hout on television, while only 25,000 were in attendance at yankee Stadium, the scene of the fight.

The job of the fight announcer on television in a relatively simple one. He trends the fight may follow. Between rounds, he should supply background material such as past records and historical data. The rest is there for all to see.

Husing normally conducts a record program twice a day over a New York radio station. He is considered rather good at this. But his Wednesday night broadcast was peppered with meaningless and inane statements:

"Both fighters have the proper equipment. . ."

"Charles is showing an aggressive amount of energy."

Louis is beginning to breathe." Charles, presumably, never did begin to breathe.

"Charles boxes with agility, skill, and fluency."

"Louis' left eye being closed, when he throws a left it must be with some speculation."

"As each round progresses into the second minute, both fighters seem to get more tired. Charles has amazing recuperative powers which carry him through a minute and a half of the succeeding round."

"Claret has appeared from Louis' nose."

"Just what effect a bloody nose has on a fighter, I don't know."

Husing also saw numerous fight "patterns" which evidently escaped the boxing writers. Perhaps his most objectionable habit, which he shares with a number of announcers, is the heavy-handed commercial: "The crowd roars its approval, as you'll roar your approval when you try Pabst beer." And, between rounds, "I'll bet they (the fighters) could go for some Pabst beer right now."

It is difficult to see how an announcer can broadcast a 15-round fight and not use once such terms as uppercut, bobbing, right or left cross, and hook. And it was indeed unfortunate that the Pabst people could not have acquired the services of Bill Corum or Sam (no relation) Taub.