Table of Contents

AN SI SPECIAL: THE GREAT U.S. POOL BOOM 46
Everybody's in the swim these days. In a 14-page report (five IN COLOR), FRED R. SMITH and JO AHERN describe pool building and living and poolside fashions designed for SPORTS ILLUSTRATED by award-winning Designer CLAIRE McCARDELL

APRIL IS FOR THE YOUNG IN HEART 8
Tony Kubek awaits his chance as other youngsters shine

SPECTACLE: THE HORSE SHOW THAT IS ITALY'S PRIDE 12
It is in Rome, of course, and one of the reasons for its success is the brilliant riding of the D'Inzeo brothers, introduced by LUIGI BARZINI JR.

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SPORT 18
The rough and eminently body-contact sport of lacrosse.... The felling of an umpire by a whisky bottle. . The controversial mouth work of Lew Burdette

IT'S SUGAR VS. GENE AGAIN 28
Gene Fullmer is favored, by the odds and by MARTIN KANE, to keep the middleweight title won from Sugar Ray Robinson

THE TEX RICKARD STORY: PART II 61
In BOXING IS A GIANT'S GAME CHARLES SAMUELS tells how the rising promoter brought together Gans and Nelson and Johnson and Jeffries

THE DEPARTMENTS

•COMING EVENTS 6
•EVENTS & DISCOVERIES 22
•SCOREBOARD 31
•FISHERMAN'S CALENDAR 33
•THE 19TH HOLE 71
•PAT ON THE BACK 72

•Hotbox: JIMMY JEMAIL asks: If women were admitted to Yale, what effect would they have on athletics? 3

•Harness Racing: Trotting's political battling is in temporary abeyance as a new season begins. By JEREMIAH TAX 34

•Bowling: At the ABC tournament in Dallas VICTOR KALMAN finds a pair of tyros grabbing the spotlight 40

Acknowledgments on page 33

COVER: GENE FULLMER AND SUGAR RAY ROBINSON

Photograph by Hy Peskin

Sugar Ray Robinson has won and lost the middleweight title (in the ring that is) more times than any other fighter in history. Having lost it again to Gene Fullmer in January he will try to get it back a fourth time at Chicago Stadium on May 1. For an estimate of his chances, see Martin Kane's PREVIEW of the fight on page 28.

TWO PHOTOS

NEXT WEEK

DERBY PREVIEW CALUMET vs. BOLD RULER
As a rare crop of 3-year-olds prepares for Kentucky, Whitney Tower analyzes their chances, and leading experts make their picks. Also Churchill Downs in color

PLUS: TEX RICHARD'S MILLION-DOLLAR DECADE