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Show 4 , ! f I Gambles With Sandpit Arena p j Tense Atmosphere Felt at Toledo, Lacking at Benton Harbor 4- . , BY DEAN SNYDER BENTON HARBOR, Mich The business end of the Dempsey Miske :hampionshlp match scheduled here for Labor day is ilnding plenty to do in anticipation of handling the largest :rowd of fight fans that have ever vIr- ted the quiet and serene village of Benton Harbor It Is the opinion of Promoter Floyd F'itzsimmons, who has already snn!c H00.000 in the card, that his show .Will draw at least 150.000 sheckles That Is the gambling chance which he la taking. The gate receipts of the Leonard White bout, which ran around $50,000, will have to be more than doubled dou-bled on ' pi inl-or 6 or Pit?, will be out a bunch of kalo. RAIN OR SHINE. He hope3 lo have an advance Bale that will cover tho cost of tho show and pick up the rest of it on the day of the fight. Jack K earns Is getting a flat guar antee of $50,000 with a privilege of a cut on the influx of coin as the chain plon's end. while Jack Roddy is to get 25,000 for Miske, the contender. Although his arena has nothing for a covering except the Michigan skies, he says the milling will start prompth at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, rain or shine. The reserved section of the outdoors arena will take care of 18,000 people and bleacher seats will accommodate 2000 more. Prices of reserved seats range from ?5.50 to $C0. SANDY FLOOR The -nndpit arena is one of the l si in the country. It is u circular thing with the outside tier of reserves being bui 125 feet awny from the ring. The sand has been excavated from the con- i ter of the site nd the benches rise on the sloping rands, giving the sum" j effect us circus seats Every fan will ; have his feet on the sandy floor. There will be no accidents unless the bottom of the world should happen to drop out in this particular rec.lon of the country on that day PL O y'lpFTT 2 SlMJyi QW TOLEDO VS. HERE. In sizing up things at Renlon Harbor Har-bor now and Toledo, scene of the last ' heavyweight championship go, a big difference can be noticed Things were more pretentious in the Ohio city than they are here The To ledo atmosphere was very Unse and strained. Tex Itlckard was a hard mjn to see. Ho was smothered with Interviewers and one had io end in a card to get a chin with him. I At Benton Harbor anyone, who can keep track of Fitzsininions' red road-1 ster, is welcome to confab to his, heart's desire The Willurd-Dompsev j fight was an "on-agaln-nff-agaln" nf- fair up until the day they went on. j Here everything is jig. THINGS SWITCHED. In Toledo the Wlllnrd camp was aloof from the crowds. There were no hangers-on about the premises, while Dempsey's tralnlnc, quarters were' clouded with ramp followers. At Benton Harbor things are re-; versed with Dempsey as the champion. cham-pion. While his cottr.ge is nn op n house arrangement it is quiet and secluded se-cluded in n way Only Kearns. the rparring partners, the colored chef and I his wife and a few of the champion's! friends pre there. Over in Miske's camp Ihero is mdrqi or less el(nfusion. There's quite fll bunch of boxerr., fans and otherw ise i stopping at Ike Bernstein's qummerl hotel. In other words, Dempsey's campj at Benton Harbor-is more like Wit-lard's Wit-lard's WBfl at Toledo and Miske's is i ver much similar to Dempsey's surroundings sur-roundings at Toledo. QUIET LIFE. Will lard used to hold court for an hour at the Secor hotel in Toledo dally when ho was training. Kb regularly regu-larly as Ihe clock jingled high noon YVUlard popped into the hotel to be Stared, at. admired und questioned. Dempsey's isn't pulling that stuff here. He spends his time playing cards, picking big blue plums in the back yard, playing with the kidj who ; happen along and occasionally takes a spin to the downtown headquarters in the Fnzslnimonr roadster. Also there are no signs of grafting i here yet r.s Ihre was In Toledo. You I can still get a drink of water at the' town well If you can push a pumphan die up rnd down Such Is the life of a village that en-j tertalns celebrities. |