Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-24
TEX. RICHARD IS
TALKING FIGHT
Promoter of Jeffries-Johnson Mill
Says 1t Will Occur
Here.
TELLS HOW HE MADE HIS BID
Promised Record Breaking Crowd
From Mines and smelters-Wil
Spend Christmas Here.

mine and fight promoter refused to take
rest and after breal1fasting at the
Wilson hotel he talked about the JEFF
fries-Johnson fight.
Mr.. and Mrs. Rickard will spend
Christmas and Sunday here. and VII
leave for Ely on Monday
THE fight is going to be held in Salt
Lake City, and no place else. No other
town has got look in said Tex,
land 1 am right hero to say that Glea-
son can have no hope of switching the
big scrap to Frisco
"Of course. 1 read several newspaper
dispatches while 1 was in the cast, pur-
porting to be opinions OF local state.
county and city officials, but paid lit
tie attention to them. I want 1t dis
tinctly understood right from the start
that the holding of the fight here is up
to the people of Salt Lake City. have
fought and blcd for this place. In BRING
ing the scrap here, and think that the
business men should do the rest
Certainly, never said would see
the governor And what is more. I am
rot going to see him. That is none of
my business. Furthermore, 1 think
that such talk is simply thrown out by
lot OF knockers.
''The people in the east were knocked
fiat when I succeeded in pulling the
big bout to Salt Lake. 1t knocked the
sports fiat That fight will mean
whole lot to Salt Lake City. 1t will be
one of the best things that ever hap
pened to this town, and believe that
the big business men Will agree with
me. Why. the whole country Is crazy
over this fight. 1t will be the biggest
event in the history of the ring. l know
that two special trains are coming out
from New York, and Boston also will
have two more. Chicago will send a
big bunch, too. All along the line, l
have heard nothing but good things for
Salt Lake City, and lots of fellows have
told me that they are eager to come
cut to Salt Lake City. but they think
Frisco is too far.
PICKS SALT PALACE.
"As a matter of fact, l don't think
that our estimate of $4,000 tickets Win
be enough. The Salt Palace Is the
place. We shall make the necessary
enlargemcnts as soon as possible. and
II we find from reports a few weeks
before the fight that 10000 seats won't
be enough we will simply build moro.
The seats will range in price from
So to $50, running s.. s10 SIS. S20 and
S25, then jumping to $50 for rlng-side
places.
1T seemed in New York as though
everybody wanted to come out here 10
see this fight. One of the best known
preachers there rushed up to me and
On orFnl hu f1,a ha nd nj
said he'd give anything to see the fight.
Mr.. Thomas. president of the automo-
bile company of that name. asked me
to give him eight seats in exchange FOR
a 81 900 bill.
"Eyerywhere it's Salt Lake, Salt
Lake, all OF the time. 1 certainly did
my best to boost this town. and 1 talk
ed about Salt Lake everywhere I went
in the east. The newspapers printed
interviews in which l Dragged about
Salt Lake, and the people just ate il
up. When I told 'em that there were
more than $4,000 men working in the
smelters and mines right around Salt
Lake City. and that they made from
81 to 81 a day, and we're good spenders
and we could fill the arena with local
fans. it made 'em sit up and take
notice.
"I guess it made Los Angeles and
Frisco pretty sick when Salt Lake got
the fight, but that's over and done
with. They'll all be here to see the
mill. just the same.
INTEREST IS KEEN.
when the eastern newspaper men
asked mo why / had swung the fight
here, told them that 1 did 1t simply
because Salt Lake City is the liveliest,
best city In the west today. I said
that Salt Lake had the biggest boom
t. h. %I~t
the people out here had the money and
were good spenders. And the papers
boosted Salt Lake City fine, too.
I'm my opinion, tho Jcffries-J Johnson
fight Will be of inestimable value to
Salt Lake City The free advertising 1t
will get would cost more than a million
dollars IL the space had to be paid for.
Half a dozen magazine writers have
been to me already to make arrange
ments for writing up the fight That
shows what intense interest is taken
in the fight back east
"The business men Of Salt Lake City
want to get together right away and
push this fight through. It's up to the
people of the town. 1 can't do every
thing alone. They told me to go tn
New York and get the fight. and I got
It,"
When asked what action he would
take In the event that an organized
opposition should work against holding
the fight here. Richard refused to dis
cuss the matter. but he indicated that
he did not believe such a contingency
would arise.
Rickard was informed that tele-
gram purporting to have been sent by
Jeffries had been received by Gov.
Spry, stating that the fight would not
be held In Salt Lake City
What reason was given?" asked
Tex
"Jeffries said that he couldn't fight in
this altitude" was the reply.
well. don't think that Jeffries ever
sent that telegram. at all. 1 think that
this Is some of Gleason's work But he
knows there's no hope of taking the
fight away from Salt Lake City And
furthermore. I have that fight cinched.
and Gleason knows It. We aren't enc
niles. On the contrary, we are friends.
OF course. Gleason Is boosting for his
homo town. and he will do everything
he can to switch the fight to Frisco.
but he might as we'll butt his head
against n stone wall"