BOXING.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 December 1921, Page 11

BOXING.

RICKARD’S BIG GAMBLE. DEMPSEY-CARPENTIER FIGURES. (Frank G. Menke, in the Referee.) New York. The day of huge purse guarantees for the noble knuckle-si over in America has come to an end. Hereafter the boys will, in the (majority of cases, battle on a percentage basis, or not at all. Tex Rickard, pioneer in the record-smashing purse stuff, has been stung often enough to cause him to chant “never again.” And no other promoter is daring enough to attempt putting on a show in which he guarantees half the contents of the U.S. Treasury to the rival warriors. The thought that Rickard cleaned up a fortune on the Dempsey-Carpentier battle can be dispelled. True, the receipts reached the staggering, record-smashing total of 1,600,000 dollars. And a promoter usually looks for at least 10 per cent, for himseif, which would have given Rickard 160,000 dollars tn that instance. But Rickard, after the fight, declared : “I .got just enough to buy myself a nice new hat.” Rickard's exact profit the venture is shrouded in mystery. But it. is quite likely that the bulk, if not all of it, was wiped out two months later when he staged the Johnny Wilson-Bryan Downey middleweight championship fiasco, in the very same arena in Jersey City whieb had been the setting for the heavyweight clash on July 2. The receipts for the Wilson-Downey burlesque were around 40,000 dollars. Rickard had guaranteed Wilson 37,000 dollars and Downey 20,000 dollars. It is estimated that certain other expenses of “extraordinary nature" which Rickard contracted in that fight made his total outgo 100,000 dollars. So his loss on that battle was around 60,000 dollars. THE POLITICAL GRAFTING. It is rather difficult for the man far away to figure out why Rickard didn’t make a. monster clean-up on the Dempsey-Carpentier fracas. That’s because the man far away doesn't understand the political angle—and the political grafting—which entered into the fight. After the articles were signed, the Athletic Commission of New York State, probably under instructions from the Governor, ruled that no more than 15 dollars could be charged for any seat for any fight within the Commonwealth. That at once eliminated New York—the logical place—as a battlefield, for with 15 dollars as the top price Rickard couldn’t break even, no matter how huge an arena was built. So he had to look elsewhere. Other cities in other States put in blds; but each, was unable to bid enough. For none other than New Jersey was near enough to New York city to get the big metropolis crowd. So New Jersey had to be selected, and Jersey City, only a ten-minute ride across the river, or under it in tubes from New York, was picked as the exact spot. Then the politicians got busy. Each having power of some sort or other performed a “within-the-law” hold-up of Rickard. There were veiled threats that if he didn't “kick in” something would happen so that he couldn’t put on the fight. And to each there had to be made a promise of money or a big bundle of choice seat tickets which could be sold for cash to the flgtthungry crowd. The arena where the battle was put >n was to cost, according to original estimate, an average of 1.42 dollars per seat. That meant 127,800 dollars tor the 90,000 seat stadium. But it is said that before the work was finished Rickard was forced to pay 2.80, 100,000 dollars beyond the first quoted cost. The brothers of Governor Edward 1., Edwards, of New Jersey, were the builders. It is stated that the grading and filling in of the land x.here the arena now stands was to have cost 3500 dollars in the first estimate. But Rickard, so the story goes, got a bill for 70,000 dollars. And so it went. In the end, the mere task of getting the arena ready, which Rickard presumed would cost no more than 350,000 dollars, according to those on the inside. Rickard paid the fighters 500,000 dollars, of which Dempsey got 300,000 dollars. Of the 1,600,000 dollars 10 per cent, went to the Government in taxes and another 10 per cent, went to the State of New Jersey. So with 350,000 paid for the arena, 500,000 dollars for the gladiators, and 320,000 dollars for taxes, that meant 1,170,000 dollars gone in that fashion. Of course, there was still a balance of nearly 500,000 dollars. But at least 100,000 dollars of that went for incidental expenses, such as telegrams, postage, office and clerical hire, usher hire at the arena, money paid to referees and preliminary fighters, printing, advertising, etc. What became of the remaining 400,000 dollars? None but Rickard—and some New Jersey politicians—know. However, it is reported that one big politician in New Jersey got 811,000 dollars of it, another snn seats of the 50 dollar variety—value 25,000 dollars—and that a host of others received “gifts” sealing between 25,000 dollars and 1000 dolIn the end, it is said, Rickard was fortunate if he cleared between 50,000 dollars and KIO.OOO dollars on the most daring and stupendous sporting gamble of all time.