Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-25
PROPOSED MILL
AT VENICE Off
JEFF-JOHNS0N FIGHT PLAN
FALLS THROUGH
NO BIDS WILL BE SUBMITTED TO
GET CONTEST
After Many Conferences Ocean Park
Promoters Find Difficulties Too
Numerous to Permit Fulfill
ment of Hopes
Especial to The nerald.1

VENICE, Nov. 24.-There will be no
bids submitted for the Jeffries-J Johnson
fight to be held at Venice. This an
nouncement was authoritatively made
late tonight by Mayor II. b. Eakins of
Ocean Park, who has been one OF the
most active workers to bring the fight
here. Dewitt Van Court will not make
the trip to New York, as was planned,
and all negotiations here have been
called off. The only reason advanced
by Mayor Eakins for abandoning the
project is that the promoters could NOT
be brought to see the practical advan-
tage of holding the match in Venice.
Abbot Kinney finally refused to be con-
nected with the affair in any way.
Eakins declared that he was exceed
ingly sorry. the plan fell through.
1t is understood one of the reasons
for dropping the question altogether
was the disnclination on the part or
the Los Angeles-Pacific Railway COM
pany to provide q reasonable amount
of the guarantee, from the standpoint
of the promoters. It was rumored here
that the railway company had agreed
to put up $4,000 for the occasion.
The decision in regard to the fight
plan was reached only after many con-
ferences between the Venice promoters.
At several of the meetings Van Court
was present. According to Van Court
there are only three places in Califor-
mia, or in the United States, where
fight of forty-lve rounds and of such
Importance to the pugilistic world could
possibly be held. These are Venice
Vernon and San Francisco. This is be-
cause of the stringent laws In the east.
There are many reasons put forth by
a ErwIaN oh, las
held at Venice without a shade Of
doubt.
In the first place, MeCarey and JEFF
fries, as is well known, are not on the
best of terms. Jeff Is reported to have
told friends he would fight at Vernon
under no consideration whatever.
May Not Raise Guarantee
In the second place, the sport pro-
moters at San Francisco may not be
able to round up the funds to provide
the fighters a guarantee anywhere near
the size of that which the Venice men
had almost decided to put up. OF
course this figure was not to be dis
closed until the bids were opened in
New York December /.
1t is understood that what tho
Venetians had to offer would have been
put before Jeffries and Johnson I'm sew
eral forms 1t is a certainty that one
of these forms was to be a straight
guarantee. Another was to be guar.
antee with a percentage of the receipts
and a share in the moving pictures,
while third proposal was to consist
of a large percentage alone. In this
way the ground was to be covered
thoroughly from every standpoint.
They had planned to get the fight for
Venice, and to all appearances nothing
short of a calamity would have pre-
vented the carrying out of their plans.
The conditions OF the contest to land
the bout require that each bidder ac-
company his proposal with certified
check for $2500 as guarantee of good
faith. The fighters also are each re-
quired to file a certified check for an
equal amount.
The beach promoters were not satis-
fed with this alone. but desired further
proof on the part of the combatants
that the latter would carry out their
part of the agreement If the big show
were awarded to Venice. This was to
prevent the capitalists interested from
losing their money on the scheme
through extensive advertising and by
constructing q large amphitheater on
the athletic field where 1t was planned
to hold the affair, and later be COM
PEELED to abandon the structure. Con-
sequently the local men have expended
considerable money and have kept the
wires but between here and New York
for the past week. endeavoring to OBJ
tain the desired assurance of good faith
in tangible form.
Secretive About Agent
The identity of their agent in New
York was not given out by the Venice
hackers of the project. 1t was admit
ted that he is a prominent sporting
man, who is deep in the good graces of
Jeffries, and for this reason much de-
sirabe information has been obtained
by his employers at this end of the
wire.
If the fight could have been procured
for Venice Jeff was to have trained
here. He was to arrive for work about
February and keep at it constantly un-
til the time of the big event, which of
course would not have been set until
later. Mayor Eakins was really at the
head of the scheme to get the fight for
Venice. He was assisted by Bill Aid
ridge.
The Venice athletic field Is about a
mile from the business section of the
city, on the line of the Los Angeles
Pacific railway, and about thirteen
miles from the business section of Los
Angeles. Work upon the construction
Of the big amphitheater will begin soon
after the first of the year If the fight is
brought to Venice. Only a few days
ago a man approached Mayor Ealxins
and wanted to buy at once 100 ringside
tickets at 800 each for speculation, and
later another man offered to buy 100
tickets at SO each.