HEAVYWEIGHT CROWN

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 391, 24 March 1937, Page 6

HEAVYWEIGHT CROWN

SCHMELING’S CHALLENGE Boot With J. Braddock. The heavyweight champion, James J. Braddock, and the No. 1 challenger for the "title, Max Schmeling. have contracts with the New York State Athletic Commission to meet at Madison Square Garden’s Long Island Bowl on June 3, writes H. Archie Richardson, the Sporting Globe’s representative in America. The fight, he says, will be for 15 rounds "with the heavyweight title at stake. Both fighters agreed to a clause that they will not meet Joe Louis in the meantime; and also that after the championship bout the winner must deposit £5OOO as a guarantee that -hewill meet Joe Louis—in America—within six months.

Becatise the original contract between Braddock and Schmeling had not been deposited with the coriimission, and also for the reason that the proposed Braddock-Louis bout at Atlantic City might bring complications, the commission cabled Schmeling to be present in New York by December 14 to look after his interests. Max was on. hand when the proceedings opened, and contended that Braddock should not be allowed to meet Louis before the championship bout. A. Braddock-Louis bout for February had been tentatively arranged, Braddock to get £60,000. After three hours of. wrangling the commission adjourned without reaching a decision.

Braddock, Per Cent. The next day the commission brought the fighters together again, and quickly signed them to\a contract. The contract calls for Braddock to receive 375 per cent., and Schmeling 12| per cent.; but a private agreement will raise the figures to 42 and. 20 per cent. respectively. The possibility is that the winner of the bout will meet Louis in September. It required less than an hour to reach an agreement on the second day and speculation was rite as to the overnight change in the attitude, of Braddock and his manager, Joe Gould. One report had it that Mike Jacobs told Schmeling he would not allow Louis to meet Braddock in February. The German communicated this to the commission, and when Gould heard ot Jacob’s decision he gave in. Under the terms of the contract both Braddock and Sehmeling become free agents after the title bout, and may negotiate with any promoter they choose for future fights. Each will be allowed to have as ■ many “tune-up” bouts as he wishes for less than 15 rounds, before the match, and may negotiate with any promoter they chose for future fights. The promotion set-up for the championship fight remains the same, with Madison Square Garden, the present holder of Braddock’s contract, working together with Mike Jacobs, who obtained Schmeling’s services for future fights before his match with Louis. The commission agreed to write into the minutes of the meeting a clause permitting either fighter to sign with any promoter he wishes after the title bout.

The decision was a distinct Victory for Schmeling. After signing Max said he expected to win, and would be glad to return to America to defend this title against Louis even if he did not have to put up a £5OOO deposit. Braddock said: “It’s a laugh to me, everybody picking Schmeling to win. We’ll see about that on June 3.” Always Treated Well. Schmeling always has been well treated by the New York commission. After he had been awarded the title on a foul in his match with Sharkey, he promised to give Jack the first chance at the championship. Max did not keep his word, but fought Young Stribling instead. This prolonged Schmeling’s reign as champion, and gave him an opportunity to get a good sum out of the Stribling fight. When Max eventually met Sharkey again the America!) won. It was Joe Gould’s refusal to agree to limit Braddock to four-round exhibition bouts before the title fight with Schmeling in June, that foiled all attempts to settle the matter on the first day. “What Braddock does between now and June next is nobody’s business,” said Gould. “We refuse to sign.” There was no doubt that Joe was going to fight hard for the £60,000 guarantee offered Braddock to meet Louis in February. Schmelitig was determined to do all in bis power to prevent such a bout, and said he woulfi fight Braddock the next day or the next week. The clause that the winner must deposit £5OOO to meet Louis in the U.S.A, within six months practically, means that there will be two heavyweight title bouts in 1937. In all probability the SchmelingBraddock bout will see the end of the monopoly of Madison Square Garden over the heavyweight championship. The Garden has-held, the contract of

the champion ever since Jack Dempsey won from Jess Willard at Toledo in 1919. Braddock’s current contract with the Gardens ends with the Schmeling fight, and there is no Indication that he will consent to tie himself up again with that organisation. Schmeling is linked up with Mike Jacobs, who also has Joe Louis under a longterm contract.

Dennis Scanlon, who claims to represent a group of wealthy Europeans. "Started negotiations immediately with a view of staging the BraddockSchmeling fight in Germany. He said that his syndicate was prepared to buy the fight outright from the American promoters for £lOO,OOO. and stage the bout in the Olympic Stadium at Berlin. The group estimate that the bout would draw around £350,000 in gross receipts. Scanlon interviewed Joe Gould, who said that Braddock did not care where he fought, so long as he got his money out of it. , No Fight Outside U.S.A. Mike Jacobs, however, was not interested. “I can tell you right now that there'll be no title fight outside the United States. I own half of that show, and I won't permit it." said Jacobs.

There is another angle, and a very important one. According to a Nazi law. only very small amounts can be taken out of Germany. Schmeling could not even bring the £lOO9 deposit cheque for the Braddock fight with him from his homeland," and Mike Jacobs had to advance the rponey. The same law is responsible for the clause in the Schmeling-Braddock contracts, which reads that the £5OOO deposit, guaranteeing Louis a match with the champion, will be deducted from the winner's share ot the receipts.