A MANAGER’S WOES

Shannon News, 16 July 1926, Page 4

A MANAGER’S WOES

TUNNY AND LEONARD Mr. William Gibson, a man of many troubles, gazed disconsolately out of his office window as twilight stole across the Forty-Second Street canyon, writes Cid Mercer, in the New York Journal. As William leaned' a weary elbow j on his desk and cupped his hands over a day’s growth of jaw your correspondent made a startling discovery. The once luxuriant crop of hair —the black, curly thatch that was once the pride and one of the sights of The Bronx —is getting as thins as near-beer. , “Yes,” ’ confessed Mr. Gibson, “I am no longer gay and debonair, and only one hair is growing now where two grew before —or maybe three, in me you see the results of extraordinary wear and tear on the system of a manager of champions. The last time we saw Mr. Gibson he was wearing flannels, a straw hat and the same harassed look. That was in Maimi during thhe latter stages of the recent Tunney-Strjb-ling runaround. j Mr. Gibson had neglected to collect any sleep for a couple of nights, the fight had “busted” right in his face, and the constabulary was employing threatening gestures in an effort 'to get Tunney to fight for nothing. I

“They can hang me if they want to,” declared Gibson, “but it ■ will never be said that Will Gibson permitted one of his champions to fight for mere exercise. Why, I almost had heart failure that time Tunney offered to fight Mike M’Tigue for nothing in a training camp at Saratoga. But here is the end of the season in Florida, and nobody has laid anything on the line for Our Will. Just for that I am going to leave Florida flat on, its back and go out i;o California. where they believe in fighting, ev-n if it is only in the movies.” Saying which Mr. Gibson gathered p the sunburned Mr. Tunney and lugged him out to Los Angeles. William returned to New York this week after installing Gene in a movie studio. / “Folks out there,” says Gibson “can’t blieve Tunney is a fightc. He is too good-looking. When Gene threw away his hat, put on his knickers and stolled around Hollywood he created a sensation. He will be busy out there until the end of June making a serial.

“I came back to see about this Dempsey business. To-day I went over to the Garden to call on Tex Rickard, After Tex explained all the angles to me I knew less than I did

before lie started. It’s a ridiculous situation. “How about Wills?” we interrogated. “say,” ejaculated William, ./‘ain't tliat guy onto himself yet? You mark my words. There ain’t a spot in tne United .. States where Wills and Dempsey will be allowed to mingle. Nc boxing commission can guarantee a promoter anything, and you can bet no smart guy will sink his money and lose .his time promoting a sure bust. “I feel sorry for Wills. He nas been a good fighter. I don’t know how good he is now. I know he had his chance to fight Tunney last summer and passed it up. He could have had 150,000 dollars for his end, too. So maybe I ain’t so sorry for him, after all.

“Dempsey will fight Tunney this summer or he won’t fight at all. The j Sambogambian, or whatever you call him, is out. Tunney will go anyAvhere to get Dempsey—to Jersey, Chicago or China. Gene is as big as the champ, now, and as strong. He thinks he is a sure shot to win. I’ll cut that opinion with him as well as his end of the gate. But what I want, i.-, action. "We fooled around Miami, and ’now it: looks as if we may fool around here for a couple of months. We can wait that long, but no longer: Your Uncle William wants to see something laid on the line.” “How about Benny Deonard V we ventured. Gibson straightened up and' .reach- , ed for his hat. “I thought you’d be coming tb that,” he replied. “I won’t say Deonard gave me any any grey hairs, but he caused, mo to see a few. Remember the night Richie Mitchell had him down for a count at the Garden? “I don’t know what Leonard is going to do. I only know that the summer,he spent balling the Walker light on and off aged his manager ten years. Would that I could return to those good old days at the Fairmount A. C. when I had all my hair, position, money at any bar and no champions to worry about.”