Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-21
MILLIONS ON THE BIG FIGHT
oBob" Murphy Believes Total Amount
; May Run High as 100000.
LARGE SUMS PLACED Eat EVENS"
New York Hotel Man Says We
tory In This Affair Has Become
Ambition OF Jeffries'
Existence.
LARGE SUMS PLACED "AT EvENS'

NEW YORK, April ~2O,-(special Tele-
gram.)-As a betting proposition the forth
coming fight between Jim Jeffrles and
Jack" Johnson will probably be without
equal in the history of the sporting world.
Counting the wagers that are being made
in this country, as we'll as the hundreds of
thousands of dollars that will be staked on
the outcome in other quarters of the globe,
II Is estimated that between A,OOO,OOO and
5000, 900 all told will change hands.
Bob Murphy, proprietor Of the Hotel
Albany, who was stakeholder Of the for
felt money put up by the fighters before
big Tim Sullivan was agreed upon as
the permanent custodian Of funds, be-
lieves that some such enormous sum will
be wagered. Murphy already has a big
bundle Of greenbacks that rave been
placed In his keeping by men with vary
Ing views as to the pugilistlc skill Of the
retired champion and the negro holde Of
the title.
Aside from the cash that he is person
ally holding, until after the great issue
is decided on July 4, Murphy has heard
Of a great many other bets being recorded.
Some Of them were made by w%ell-known
Wall street men, others by b~ookmakers,
and even a few merchant princes and pro-
fessional gentlemen have waded into the
market with rolls to place either this way
or that way. Practically every one Of
these wagers has been at even money,
Betting VIII he Even.
TITS almost a certainty that the betting
will continue at evens right up to the
moment the men enter the ring" said
Murphy. I'm fact, there Is no way that
any odds can be fixed. 1t would result in
a whole lot rof confusing complications. to
attempt making either fighter q favorite
oyer the. other. and except In q Few in
stances where some admirer of one mar
gets particularly enthusiastic there won't
be n odds. 1t win be a case Of You
pays your money and you takes your
choice, each boxer entering the ring with
all things equal and 1t depending on his
own ability whether he wins or loses.
"The nearest approach to the giving OF
odds is in some scattering bets that have
been made on the number Of rounds the
fight will go. A few of the Jeffries ad-
mirers, who are confident hat he will
come back into better form than, ever in
his life, are out with small sums to bel
at even money that the negro won't last
ten rounds. Others are willing TO back
their judgment that Jack will have
enough of it in fifteen or twenty rounds
but they want some sort Of an inducemeni
in the way of odds. A lot Of people want
to bet that IL the fight goes the limit the
decision will be in favor of Jeff
But there's one thing that's sure, GU.
of the, 9O.OOO.Oo0 people in this country
there's a pretty fair percentage that ar,
going to have a bet on the outcome o.
the big mill. You can't get away from
the fact hat whether or not a man Il
interested in the fighting game or whethet
he approves or disapproves Of 1t, the en-
gagement between Johnson and Jeffrie
will interest him where he would pay NJ
attention to other events In pugilism. Twl
things are bringing this fight before tn.
entire world as no other fight has eve
been brought. One is the tremendous pub
licity 1t is receiving and the other that 1
vii! decide whether a white or black maj
ID to be champion
-wv..