New-York tribune., 1911-09-01
pRJZEFTGHT1NG AGAIN.

The first boxing exhibition" under the
new law which puts the state into part
rcrship with prizefight promoters made
good everything the opponents or th1'
law predicted. For more than Il decaoe
New York has been free from open.
legalized. professional prizefightlns anu
the scenes of riot and brutality which
occompauied il under the Horton law.
Advocates Of state regulation OF DoN-
ing declared that under state con-
troll boxing would be Il clean. unobJec-
tionable sport and the Boxing Commits
sion would exert its powers to see that
the manly art was kept on decent
basis. Fake" fights. crooked promoters
and referees, fy-by-night fight CLUBS
liquor selling. gambling and all desrad-
ing influences were to he abolished. Yet
the discraceful scenes at Madison Square
Garden. the barefaced swindling OF prr-
cl,asers of tickets for the exhibition the
violations of law as to ticket spectators
and gambling concerning which all ac-
counts agree. were a repetition OF con-
ditions which caused the repeal of the
Horton law. "A disgrace. Il disgrace;
its the old days and the old game all
'over again." commented Police Inspec-
tor ,NcClusky. an experienced critic.
II may not he the fault of the men,
bers of the Boxing Commission that
state regulation failed so signally on
It's first trial. hut they will have 10 prove
it TO an outraged public by some vlgor-
Gus work. punitive and preventive. for
the future. Their duty is far bigger and
broader than the set of rules which they
adopted indicate is their view of it.
They were not selected merely TO pre-
vent the entrance of weakling con
testants into the ring. TO keep out crook
ed promoters and referees. and other
wise TO assure the fight-lOving public of
it,, moneys worth in quantity and quail
ity of body-brllising. They do not rep
resent the prizefighters, the prizefight
promoters or even the prizetight-lOvin
citizens exclusively. They represent the
state. which makes and enfOrces laws,
and the great body of citizens behind
those laws. Perhaps they got an idea
from the fact that the state IL to take
> per cent of the receipts of each prize
fight that prizefight clubs thereby ac-
quired special privileges and could safely
override not only the laws Of decency
but the statutes In connection with
that it will be interesting to note how
the club which promoted this fight and
the state adjust this tax, in view Of the
admission tickets which were paid for
and refused at the gates and the box
office SYSTEM of getting any price obtain
able for seats. Certainly the proceed
iGgS didn't conform to the commissions
rules any more than the commissions
rule permitting the use Of five-ounce
gloves complied with the law requiring
eight-Ounce gloves.
The club which was responsible for
this fight and the conditions surrounding
it was licensed by this state commission.
The commission. on the face Of the re-
turns should revoke its license and con-
duct a rigid investigation to ascertain
tut IHuIN IllldI ItolIOHSllllllN lOI lut
violations of law reported. that further
punishment may be inflicted. Fights
like this Madison Square exhibition with
its attendant surroundings will not be
tolerated, we believe. by the people Of
this state, and the sooner the Boxing
Commission realizes that fact and takes
steps accordingly the less likely is the
Frawley law 10 he wiped off the statute
books.