Show z I S th I II I S E Robrt D Dempsey is offered with a percentage privilege to box Tommy Gibbons July 4 d or Labor day This ought to be he plenty of ot money to pay Dempsey f for 1 all tile the work worl hed he'd have to do In a ring against Gibbons Tom has enough speed and cleverness cleverness cleverness clever clever- ness to give Dempsey a a. busy five live or six rounds unless rounds unless Dempsey hits him himI I before that amount of ot time had I elapsed 1 One One only has to go back bade four tour 5 years ears I I to recall the first time In ring history I I that any champion was offered j 1 for a n. fight That was when Fill Wll- lIard lard met Dempsey and Willard fighting fight fight- I ing Dempsey for was quite different from Dempsey fighting Gibbons for In proportion to the risk and the beating beatingS Willard should have been paid a couple of million I Purses have been climbing during the past twenty-five twenty years When I Jim T m Jeffries fought Tom SharKey a terrific twenty round battle for forthe the tho heavyweight hea gut championship Jeff and Sharkey together drew down The purse paid both fighters when Jeffries knocked out Corbett in twenty-three twenty rounds back in 1903 was I and that stood as s a a. record for a a. big purse paid a 11 couple of ot fighters fight fight- ers era until 1910 when Jeffries fought Johnson at Reno fleno This was when Tex RIckard appeared appeared ap ap- ap- ap as a promoter of heavyweight championships He offered a purse of ot f an and save gave each fIghter a bonus of or for signing articles I making a total of When the fight was proposed It was to be winner winner win win- win win- ner take all but allbut but In the end the tile purse was split spilt 50 EO so each man drew down and about an equal amount In moving picture mone money Again a world record for purses This stood until Rickard Richard ran the Willard-Dempsey Willard fight at Toledo with a new record purse Willard ard received a flat fiat which at that time was considered likely to lo be the biggest biggest big big- gest p purse purse ever paid any boxer Dempsey Demp Demp- Dempsey sey received d making the total total to to- to tal purse Later Dempsey received for fighting Bill ElU Brennan in Madison Square Garden the the only big fight Rickard Richard ever lost money on op v I NOBODY COULD DRAW THAT MONEY NOW Then in 1921 came the Dempsey Dempsey- Carpentier fight at Boyles Boyle's Thirty Acres Ip Jersey City with the amazing ing ingo purse of half halt a million dollars of which as stakeholder I paid Dempsey and Carpentier They both got the exact amount advertised to a dollar doBar It was a real purse For or that matter I believe bellee Rickard never has padded his purse announcements for tot advertising advertising adver adver- purposes as some other promoters pro pro- motors have done at times Umes There were surrounding cIrcumstances circumstances circum cIrcum- stances that made it possible to offer a great reat purse for Dempsey an and Carpentier Car Car- and it Is unlikely that the half dollar purse ever will vill be exceeded or that conditions will Justify offering such money to boxers ever again Dempsey was a great champion but I he made a poor showing in the early rounds of his fight with Brennan suggesting the possibility that he might be losing his speed d. d which would give the Frenchman a chance Carpentier had knocked out the English En En- glish gush champions Wells and Beckett In a couple of oC punches each and had easily outclassed LevinskY the light heavyweight In his one American ap ap- ap- ap Georges was the most picturesque figure In the ring noted not only for a brilliant ring career but as a thrice decorated war hero hero who who as a French flier had performed fea teats feats ts of rare valor in low battle night flights over the German lines locating hidden batter- batter le Ic I The fight had an international thrill that wont won't be seen again unless un un- less some really rea great heavyweight I is 5 developed a abroad road and comes here with wit witha a real chance to beat our champion champlon a for world honors In that case Rickard Rick Rick- ard may go over the million half n mark for a a. new record But such a 0 happening Is la unlikely Theres There's nobody in sight who could cool C draw anything like the Carpentier Carpentier- Dempsey crowd when matched wit with ii Dempsey so Dempsey isn't likely to 0 draw any more purses this thi 5 year The offered for Dempsey Dempsey- Gibbons is big biff money tOcla today A Wills Vili 5 fight would draw a a. crowd of curious S people but would entirely lack hack th the e sentimental Interest that made mad e Dempsey Dempsey-Carpentier such a card I. I Wills doesn't class clas I with Langford o or r Johnson at th their lr best As for the rest of ot the bunch a all a that could be hoped for would be a hard fought bout for a few rounds round I with a slim sUm possibility that the challenger chal chal- lenger might put over a winning wInnin g punch That wouldn't bring an any y gate One thing that has to b be figured figure 1 with these big JIg purses Is that the old old- time champions really got their thel r money There was no crushing Income In In- In come tax in their day Jeffries an and Johnson having no managers to split t with and no Income tax to pay dl did 1 fairly well But when Dempsey got his 0 he had a a. manager to divide with an and S an Income tax to pay that made hi his 5 look more like the traditional 1 thirty y cents Carpentier was no better ort oft to for r I I besides splitting 50 30 with Descamps Descamp 5 he had an Income tax to pay here ani and 2 a D. second tax on his purse in France i which must have left him about abou t enough to buy a rattle for the bab baby CHAMP SHOULD BE ABLE TO HOLD TITLE Pancho Villa a lasted long enough a as S flyweight champion to give the class clas a great boost His fight with Genaro Genar 0 was close enough to cause a a. lot o of ot f criticism If it Genaro had any tage taKe it was merely a sha shade e Some Som e critics e even en said afterward that a Fl title titie Iti shouldn't change hands on such Ii L a margin of or points points shouldn't shouldn't I In fact change hands unless the chal lenger gave the tho champion a complete and decisive beating I dont don't hold with that The de decision should go o to the winner even If 11 the winning margin is slight And the title should g go ge to the winner too There is no reason for giving a aI titleholder the tile best of It He should I be bo able to hold his title through his own ability and if he cant can't he might as well lose It Some fighters think the they own a title as aR soon as they've thee won It It ft and that their property right In the title should exist as long as they can walk without crutches and put ut on on a collar without assistance Villa and Genaro will meet again You Tou cant can't keep the two best boys In the class apart An Ansi next time ought to bring out a decisive winner A Pittsburg paper paper prints a sensational sensational sensa sensa- story quoting Harry Greb to th the effect that Harry gave to New York t- t sporting writers to boom booma a fight between Greb and Dempsey The effect Is spoiled a little by add add- lag ing that Greb distributed the graft under protest Anyone who tosses off orr these da days s without offering anything more I violent than a protest In defense ought to have his head examined I Greb a man mart with a a. family to support too And imagine paying for a chance to have the did old bean walloped I by J J. J Dempsey Dempe If It its it's tru true Harry ought to consult a a. specialist P. P S.- S. S. S-Greb Greb denies everything Copyright 1523 by bv the Bell Syndicate Syndicate Syndi Syndi- cate Inc |