By Michael Marley

Who says that good friends can't or shouldn't fight each other?

They call themselves prizefighters, don't they?

Joe Louis, heavyweight champion and seemingly unbeatable, knew his friend, light heavyweight John Henry Lewis, was desperate for money. Louis also knew that the smaller man was blind in the left eye.

So the Brown Bomber arranged a fight with his pal, knocked him out quickly and their friendship continued onward.

You could look it up, Jan. 35, 1939, another KO 1 for Louis, who would hold the biggest prize in sports (in an era when really only baseball and boxing matterd much in America) and, while it wasn't a competitive bout, it made history as the first heavyweight title match between two black men.

Rarely has a boxer been so happy to take a beating and a decent payday.

I'm on to this topic because of the continuing speculation that super middleweights and bosom buddies Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell are hesitant to square off against each other.

Amidst much confusio and speculation, and to the consternation of paymaster network Showtime, it seemed like one or the other was hesitant to fight.

But now money talks and they say Andre fights Andre come Nov. 27, which gives us a jampacked two weeks starting Nov. 13 with Margarito-Pacquiao, Nov. 20 it's Williams-Martinez II and then the two Americans who may be the top two 168 pounders in the Showtime tournament battle.

It won't be the first time two pals have crossed gloves.

Another example of friends, longtime friends, fighting came when Muhammad Ali fought fellow Louisvillian Jimmy Ellis in Houston in 1971.

I was there and so was a hatless, bald Bert Randolph Sugar (I've got to locate that Instamatic photo for Ebay purposes.)

This was a fraternal fight as Ellis, who had fought Cassius Clay three times in the amateurs, went off the sparring partner payroll and became the Astrodome opponent.

As part of the charade, Ali trainer Angelo Dundee worked Ellis' corner, giving the logical reason that he managed Ellis.

Ali won easily but his heart really wasn't into giving Ellis a pounding. (I was reminded of this years later when former Ali sparmate Larry Holmes showed compassion in the ring against a totally shot Muhammad.)

But perhaps the most glaring example of a non fight between friends is the fact that Smokin' Joe Frazier and Ken Norton never crossed gloves outside of the gym.

Circa 1974, Frazier was without the title and Norton, who never won a heavyweight title fight, was looking for a foe who made dollars and sense.

Big George Foreman looked fearsome, having scored smashing KOs over both Frazier and Norton.

Ali was going to fight Foreman in Zaire but the consencus was that he, too, would get stomped on by steamroller Foreman.

They did have a deep, abiding friendship and, while some will jump to the conclusion that Norton avoided Smoke because of his well known fear of big punchers, I don't think that was really the case.

It was Frazier who vowed never to fight Norton. Now Norton didn't dispute the notion, he seconded that emotion but so what?

As far as Andre vs. Andre, when the money is piled high enough by Showtime, they'll fight each other.

They can be pals before and after the bout and, when they collect their paychecks, go celebrate together.

Isn't that what friends are for?

Michael Marley is the national boxing examiner for examiner.com. To read more stories by Michael Marley, Click Here.