The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-06
FIGHT FANS DAY.
JeffrieS. Johnson Contest Will
BE Biggest Ever Staged.
Never Before Has Such q Purse
Been Offered.
THE RISE OF RICHARD
Promoter Has Suddenly Taken
THE RISE OF RICHARD
Promoter Has Suddenly Taken
Center of Stage.
Belief Grows That COffrOth Is
interested Financially.


the lot of one white man. James J.
Jeffries, and one black man. Jack
Johnson. to fight for the greatest
stake ever offered for a ring battle in
any part of the world. On the after
noon of July these two giants, the
black, the present worlds heavy
weight champion, the other. cham
pion who retired six years ago with a
record in which the word defeated
could not be written, will struggle for
supremacy, and the greater part of
a purse of 100000 and two-thirds of
the money which may accrue from
the exhibition of the motion pictures
of the contest.
1t is figured from a conservative
standpoint that if the white man is
returned victor in this coming battle,
worth at least four times the amount
of the gigantic purse offered by TEX
Rickard On the other hand, should
the black defeat Jeffrfes the value of
the films would still be great, in fact
a quarter of a million dollars as an
estimate, it is figured. would not be
far out of the way.
The Rise of Richard.
The success of TEX Richard. the
man who achieved fame a few years
ago by pulling off the first Gans-Nel-
son contest in Goldf1eld, New. in
which the men battled forty-two
rounds before the decision was
great surprise not only to the. public
at large but also some of the biggest
promoters in the country. The for
tune offered to secure the attraction
for a far western arena is stupendous
and startling.
Never before for any battle had
such a fabulous amount been offered
i'm fact, nothing even approaching
it had been made-and probably
never before has there been a coterie
of such responsible promoters on hand
anxious to put up such stakes. In
that select gathering of promoters
there were Richard, James Coffroth,
Tom McCarey, John Gleason and Ed
die Graney, while Hugh Mcintosh.
the Austrian who pulled off the
represented.
The greatest surprise came in the
fact that Coffroth failed to ord the
fight. Few who know the man believ-
ed that he would permit any one to
outbid him. he offered a flat curse of
Jeff and Jack. but it was not accepted.
There is no doubt that Richards offer
was the best and that undoubtedly
brought him the victory
Is Cofrroth in 1t?
With the acceptance of a bid on
Thursday came with it some talk that
this same Coffroth nan is "in' the con-
test, despite the fact that. his hid was
tabled. If this IS true. and it bears all
the earmarkS Of truthfulness, then Mr..
Coffroth acted with a cunning hand and
knew where he was going to get the
next meal It seems that the San
Francisco promoter is mixed up unfa-
vcrably with the powers that rule in
his home city. He has made efforts to
hold unlimited round contests IN his
city, but has failed. His long fights
have been pulled off in San Mateo
county
With these points in view it is not
surprising that he permitted Richard to
outbid him. Then too. there Is another
important matter, Cofroth having GER
tain patents en- moving picture devices
which are considered essential. Also
Coffroth controls an arena in San
Francisco and another in San Mateo
county. 1t is a case OF R1ckard having
the fight and Coffroth the arena and
the moving picture paetents. AS Cali
fornia seems the only logical spot in
which to hold the battle it can readily
be seen how easy it is for Coftroth to
becoming mixed up in the protion with
the successful combination OF Rickard
and GLEASON.
Coffroth evidently figured it out a
long time ago that his lack of strength
in a political way at the present time
might be hurtful and decided to LAY
low" Whether or not he was asso-
ciated with Richard before the bids
were opened has not been divuiged.
But there is one thing that makes
this possibility look true and that is
the fact that Gleason, who is the own
er of the San Francisco baseball club,
was associated with both Richard and
Coffroth and Gleason, but reports
from the coast would indicate that
there might be something in 1t.
McCarey Is Sore.
Tom McCarey. the Los Angeles pro-
moter who offered $4,000 and SO
per cent of the picture privileges, is
sore all through and does not hesitate
to say that he believes there was
something doing in Hoboken. He
declares his bid was the best, and that
the best was turned down by Jeff and
Jack, as 1t was their intention to
hand the fight to Richard. There is
difference of opinion as to which
was the best bid, but that OF Rickard,
taking the pictures into consideration,
certainly seems to have been the top
card.
One thing is certain and that is that
the moving pictures will prove a great
factor in the coming fight. 1t is not
believed that the fight itself will draw
the amount of the purse. The fight
ers are "safe,'' but whatever profit the
promoters are to gain they must get
from their third interest In the pic
lures. They have taken chances be-
fore and they seem to believe it a
good investment now.
There always has been doubt in the
minds of the fans that this contest
ever would be decided, out now that
Jeffries has signed all the necessary
agreements the fight certainly will
come off unless one of the contestants
breaks a leg or something else equal
/ ly as serious happens. Jeff's serious
, ness has been questioned ever since
he first announced he might meet the
negro champion.
DENVER GETS A MANAGER
Jack Hendricks VIII Look After Griz-