Evening star., 1908-12-20
PARIS HAS RICHEST
BOXING CLUB EVER
French People Daffy on Box
ina Matches Pulled Off in
Hippodrome.

PARIS. December 11-PaTlSlahS Ihink
that all Americans are handy puSlllsts
They are Wild over the American ply
sipuc and think it comes from scrap
ping" College athlete tourists. towering
along the boulevard. rich automobiie
sports stern. hard-faced. showcring gold
husky art students, huil<ing Through the
Latin quarter; our new type business
men. alert. swift, rosy. tough little jock
cys and the race track push, all smooth
shaved sedate and modest, all yet with
the iusolent American eye, they fit IN
perfectly with the irruption of American
professional lighting men-itscif a first
class International phenomenon.
How the best people run 10 see our
lighters.
When Tommy Burns. heavyweight
champion OF the world, knocked oHt Bill
Suures. champion of Australia, at the
Bowling Palace full third of the S,Hh
spectators We're clubmen in evening
clothes, accompanied by ladies of So
Cicty. When Sam MacNea knocked out
Sen Taylor. heavyweight champion OF
all England at the Paris Hippodrome,
some 5000 of all classes-a third ladies'
paid from $40 in the parquet TO 80 cents
in the balcony, and MacEea alone re-
Ceived $4,000.
When Willie Lewis knocked out suosl
,niddleweight celebrities of England as
jeff Thorne, Jack Meakins and Curly
WatsuI--out l must not make list.
Briefly, Paris has become the pugilistlc
center of the world. where our best pro-
fessionalS are learning to find biggest
steady money and great honor: where a
wealthy. cultivated population thinks that
physical Culture-an American discovery
means paying tribute to the fighting
game. and where pusilism has been given
Il pdlatial hippodrome for ring and club
hoJISp-V lirh too is American
No one pretends that Richard Klegin
did more than to organize these forces.
Burns. Jack Johnson Walter Stanton
Willie Lewis kid Davis and a lot of
others had discovered Paris before kle-
gin leased the Hippodrome. At the Bowl
ing Palace Stanton had knocked out. III
turn. four famous English middleweights
up [" their champon-Dick Raily. Baxter
Brown. Jack Costello and Tiger Smith
MacVea was the BLACK Hercules of
the boulevard: but they were sheep with
out q shepherd. and scarcely a dawning
sense of their Partisan possibilities Mac
Yea had sacked his impresario. and
managing himself had knocked out
"Jewey Smith in three rounds when IT
took Burns five to. give the same repose
To the South African champion. Then
Just as the ParisiauS were calculating to
see the heavyweight championship OF
the world fought in the presence of their
ladies-when Burns almost signed to meet
MacNea-the big White Ram" STAN
peded To Australia. saying he would wait
till Paris had a larger fighting hall,
American Manager in Charge.
At once the enthusiasm of Paris for
world pugilism was given a chance to
disclose itself by Paris clubdom. While
Jack Johnson followed Burns to the An
t1podes, rich members of the Automobile
ana the other clubs let their gaze fall on
an American of twenty-one, almost a boy
yet curiOusly holding the good will and
confidence OF the bruisers
here's your backing they said to
young klegin. Lease the Uippodrome
and sign up all the fighters against the
return OF Burns and Johnson
All the French and English speculators
had their eye on the palatial Hippodrome
since Bostock quit it with fortune.
It's ornate carved stone facades front
on on three streets. 1t comfortably seats
1000 people. and its "prowl." aisle seats
ana standing room I'm balconies permit
the crowd to swell to $4,000 1t has
ings marble columns, frescoes mirrors
and stained glass. Its building cost 1000. :
600 francs
The owning syndicate had held aloof
from night promoters who could not prove
they controlled the fighters, vet this
fwenty-one-year-o old boy from Sioux City
having signed up all the Paris favorites
from the BLACK Hercules" and the "Aus-
tralian Lemon to the lighte,St weight of
BoonperS. Holland only had to show his
social and financial backing to walk of,
with the lease-on terms that make one
light evening cost, in general expenses
and part of the advertising 81 400 befor.,
the lights are turned up, Klegin in addi-
lion. pays the owning syndicate 80 per
cent OF the profits after deducting ex-
penses and 1000 per evening toward the
pay of lighters. He saws that it paws
him To spend more to advertise a fight in
he's ltcfa
In for their gross receipts
The innovation that makes such things
possible is what Parisans want-the all
professional program. No preiminaries
No amateurs. When MacNea meets Her
bert Synnott this week it will be all hut
world-cha aupion fighting yet into tho
same program klegin has put Jimmy
Caine drought from Sioux City,. to fight
The redouhtahie Kid Davis for the light
weight championship of Europe: Dick
Green of Chicago meets Bob Scanlon of
Louisiana. and Jim STYLES an English
favoriJe in Paris. fights Bill Chester. mid
dleweight champion of South Africa
Bouts Draw Big Money.
For such Il program the Parisians will
, crowd the Hippodrome in 5000 paying
places, club sports paying their $50 to
litter up ii laughably spacious ringside.
pIny FOUNDERS filling $50 loges with jew
'.ed beauties. palpitating in white furs
and plumcs to see ed claret tapped. For
these men are no "pugS." Jim STYLES
was sparring partner to Burns on his trim
10 Europe. Bill Chester brings a reputa
lion FOR being unwhipped in South Africa
Having beaten every one of their own
class in Paris their meeting might stand
Tor principal event: yet KIegin puts
them between kid" Davis and MacVea.
Now. kid" Davis. called "'The Wonder. -
drew Jim DriscoIl in twenty rounds and
held Boer nholz TO q draw In a com
ing Hlppodrome seance he will fight
Jimmy Britt who twice I'm America
nnoftClally-got the best of Battling Mel
son. lightweight champion OF the world
since he OVercaine Cans
Even the most staid Americans of Paris
are proud of these Hippodrome events
Did not President FaIIieres honor the h ST
one with his presence In "a discreet box
tn" loge circia and the parquet bIoomed
With evening toilets like the opera What
III ovation they made for their black
favoritc. MacVea; lie might have been
Caruso,
Before such Paris public Burns or
.iohnson-the winner of the world cham
pionslip In Australia-must stand r1p
against MacNea. They can't refuse The
money cries TO meet them? Synnott the
Australian Lemon" has so improy I'd
that he Is different proposition from
when h" drew with Jim Barry and was
beaten ON points by Sam Iangford in
America. In Paris hc has whippeI
"Jewey' Smith in four rounds who held
Burns for fiv.. He Knocked out Scales
the champion of Lambeth: Shcarin..
champion of footing. Wilson chaInn nior