HEENEY TO FIGHT TUNNEY
Corned Beef and Carrots Gave New Zealander Chance at Title HOW RISKO’SMANAGER WAIVED CONTRACT AN Irishman’s passion for corned beef and carrots is said to have enabled Tom Heeney to get his match for the world’s heavy-weight title with Gene Tunney, without having to fight in another elimination bout.
►vited to a super-de-luxe corned beef j dinner as the guest of honour, and while lie was busy with his third help- ! < ing Rickard’s men smoothly talked j him into releasing their chief from his j promise to match Risko with Heeney, | with the promise of future consider- , ation for Risko should Heeney fail to come up to expectations against j the millionaire-champion. TITLE BOUT IN JULY Heeney will now be back in America toward the end of this month, and will settle down to solid training for the biggest fight of his career, which will probably be staged at New York on July 20, over 15 rounds. It is expected that Heeney will receive the 12J per cent of' the gate receipts which a challenger usually j gets. If Rickard’s hopes of another ; record gate are realised, Heeney ought to make about £ 50,000 out of the fight i —which is not a bad return to a man who landed in America last year withI overcoat.
It was only the pressure of public-4-’ opinion, coupled with Tunney s own j * plainly-stated opinion, that the New j ' Zealander had earned his right to a j title bout, that moved Tex Rickard ! 1 to consider Heeney fo.r a champion- | 1 ship bout. Rickard had previously decided on another elimination contest, : and had actually signed up Risko to fight Heeney, the winner to meet Tunney. The contract was signed with Risko’s manager, Mickey Dunn, a jovial Irishman. A TICKLISH SITUATION The problem facing Rickard was how to sidetrack Risko without actually breaking the contract, reports the New York correspondent of the “Sydney Daily Guardian.” Rickard’s lieutenants supplied the solution. They knew that just Micky Dunn simply couldn’t resist as gentlemen prefer blondes, 1 corned beef and carrots. So Risko’s Irish manager was in- i
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Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 328, 13 April 1928, Page 7
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354HEENEY TO FIGHT TUNNEY Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 328, 13 April 1928, Page 7
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