| Show lOCAL MITT GAME iI dS AGAIN BEING KICKED AROUND I L E PROMOTERS JAM 0 and Idaho Legislatures Legislatures Legisla- Legisla tures Lift Boxing to High 2 r Plane Iane While Local Game Appears In for Muddle By W. W D. D B. B 0 I UR neighbors to the north in the state of Idaho and 11 the west in Nevada have c come me out into the open legally y y George as bidders for the proposed worlds world's championship r bout out July 4 between Jess ViI Wil- tard rard and Jack Demp Dempy y dahos passed a bill legalizing twenty round mills Thursday jid the Nevada solons took simi simi- t Jar action when they passed a round five bill over the veto of their governor All told it altogether bright for forthe forthe the boxing game in this section of the Wet The Nevada action especiallY in n vIew ot of the tact fact that the solons went so far as to override their governor almost Indicates positively that there is an agreement with Tex RIckard assures the big bout for Tex's native state The fight bug of this see sec loh ot of the Is tickled to believe that such may be the case at any rate It Is a safe bet that it If the bout is I held in Nevada Idaho or Colorado thousands wIll III go to see It from here Although things are looking so bright P. all sIdes ot of us we cannot overlook the fact that local fight conditions are apparently again steering for the same kind of a muddle whIch has so often put t the kIbosh on the game In this city and state The writer has seen the game through its many angles cit lYt this state for the past eighteen years ears and he cannot refrain therefore In It to rom feeling sufficient Interest the men who have handled and id tried to handle It here In the past doIng anything I refer especially to the wrangle which Is apparently brewing between I loCal promoters rs We Ve have had them In the past and the result has always been that there has been no boxing at all for a year or more and until the resultant resultant re- re bad taste has run Its natural course Personally I do not care a tinkers tinker's remark who promotes local bouts just so long as we can continue 1 to have real sport I I Just now the local game Is confronted confronted con con- I fronted with such a wrangle Briefly certain local sportsmen are anxious to bring on Benny Dc nard for a bout with Lee Morrissey l Hardy Downing who holds a blanket permit to promote promote pro pro- mote bouts once each week for a year Insists that no good can come from such a bout and refuses to withdraw his permit for the proposed show The result is that the city commissioners found it necessary to deny the request made by George Mayne for a license The commissIons commissIon's vote to deny the petition petition pe- pe three to one Scheid and Green voted to deny and Commissioner 1 Crabbe cast the one negative vote The petitioners argue that the commissioners commissioners com com- missioners exceeded their authority when they granted Downing a blanket blanket blan- blan I ket permit to be the sole promoter of boxing bouts in Salt Lake and It Itis itis is understood they are now preparing to bring mandamus proceedings against the license clerk seeking a acourt acourt court order to compel the clerk to issue is- is sue a license for the proposed Leonard Leonard Leon Leon- ard bout There can be only result is-I is from such a wrangle before It is all allI I over lover there will be no boxing at all I in Nevada Idaho and CobI Cob Colo- I tado I II I I do not propose to pass On the le- le of Hardy Downings Downing's permit to I control boxing through the city commission commission com com- mission but I do not hesitate to say that Hardy Downing is one promoter I who has given glyen us clean and Irreproachable irreproachable irre- irre boxing during the past six years and that not once has a fan had reason to question a single transaction in his shows some something which cannot be said for a great many other promoters promoters pro pro- many of whom in past years have had a habit of stepping In about once or twice a year and stewing up the beans so as to give the game a a. ablack black eye I am not charging that I Mr Mayne belongs in this class because because be- be cause he does not but am citing it as asI asan I an illustration of why the commissioners commission commission- ers believed that the best way out of this muddle was to the s ln e to Hardy Downing Downing takes the stand that he has the game in a position where it is enjoying enjoying en- en a deserved popularity and that on every previous occasion when he has stepped aside for a week and permitted permitted per per- others to stage bouts results have always been unsatisfactory lie He points to the Flynn Caponi-Flynn affair the Dempsey Flynn fiasco the Wolgast- Wolgast Gilbert and a a. few others Every Everyone Everyone one of these mismanaged affairs left the game In a bad way he says ana anu forced him to spend weeks and mon months in his efforts to restore it to good standing and eradicate the bad taste which they left with the fans The first Intimation I 1 had that anyone anyone any any- one had been negotiating with Leonard for a bout here was a few days ago when Fred C. C Crabbe paid me a visit says Hardy Downing lie He informed me that he and his associates had come to terms with Leonards Leonard's manager manager man man- ager to meet some local boy In a. a boxIng boxIng box box- Ing contest and asked me whether for a a. consideration 1 would either withdraw my permit and let them get one for next week or let them run the show under my license I I informed Mr Crabbe that I felt feltI that I was as capable of promoting a a. about I bout with the champion as anyone in inthe inthe the city and that in view of the fa fact t I that I was running shows weekly the only way in which I would considEr I C Continued on page 10 i y l-y- LOCAL AL MITT GAME IS GAIN BEING KICKED if Continued from page 8 8 I r towing Ji them to bring Leonard here wag that the contest be held under my myr r and nd that I must handle the thes s h w the same as it if the they were not r r sted Mr lr Crabbe assured me I h t. t that part hart of it could be arranged r the he only thing he was wal interested di in n making some money out of the lt r s v v i into dej dei de- de ll veYer JIo when we went j i t II its and I asked him what arrange arrange- m t the they had made with Leonard x c i p om they had selected for his opponent op- op nent and whether it was to be an pure and simple or to be contest on its merits he told me meat i at t Lee Morrissey was the man sei se- se i ie l to meet Leonard and that It 7 be for Cor eight rounds I t then len askEd him it if he intendEd to advertise i 88 a real cont contest st or an exhibition R Jn he said a real contest I told him that anyone familiar with the boxing and the ability of the two men I Jew w that it could be nothing but a aj at t j wong affair as- as Leonard could un- un t 1 bt dl stop Morrissey in any mint min min- t l or of any round that he chose and I. I the fans would woula not get a run for rt heir ir money i s 1 told him that the result would be ber It r- r i Another black eye ee for the boxing Jame amo He then informed me that t j two ye could advertise it as a real battie bati bat bat- i tie tl and after the fans had all gath- gath f red to see a real battle we could announce announce that it it would be a no decision affair I told him that those were the kind of stunts that helped kill kill the boxing game all over the country ounh y and that what popularity I the t local game enjoyed and what suc- suc lI e s I had a attained in the local pro pro- game I attributed to the fact ti I had always tried to give the 1 if just exactly what I advertised i r Wadded that as I was in the game tay and not to promote one bout i that would male make me some money I regardless ot of the effect on the game and that under the conditions that I Tie wanted the Leonard Morr bout conducted he didn't hav money I enough to pay me to consent to holdi hold hold- i lug g it under my permit or under my name Thereupon he informed me that there was no but what I Ithe t the e cit city commissioners would grant him or the people associated with him a special permit and that they hold it anyway I also reminded Mr 11 Crabbe that I I. I had withdrawn my permit once before before be- be I fore at his request to allow him to the bout stage Gilbert Wolgast-Gilbert For I that I was sorry as he well knows that that affair left a bad taste in inthe inthe the mouths of the fans and that it it took me several months to repair thee tho- damage done the local boxing game I |
