Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-01
Sport Copies # Che Jtour :

fa4 --------.-- $3.50
and do his battling. There is where
the matter stands, and, as the cham
pion is good waiter, he will either
get his price on the coast or else come
East, where he is very much in de-
mand.
:
AS a fighter Richie is par ex-
cellence, and it might be remarked he
is some actor. He played his part to
the queens taste in New York, and
! he won friends and admirers by the
thousands. He was the gentleman at
all times-in the ring and out of it
and he played his cards so we'll that
he has made himself the best boxing
card in Gotham. He left New York
voted the best fellow ever, and the
fight fans want him to come back and
show them some more of his clever
ness. And he'll be back and tap the
Garden till for $4,000 or SO, and IL he
wins, which is very. likely, he will
still be the white-haired boy and still
be in demand.
AS AL Reeves, the comedian, would
say, GIVE him credit, boysl" Yes,
Ritchie is deserving of great credit.
In a very short time he has made
himself the lightweight champion Of
the world, and on top OF 1t the most
popular fighter in the world. He has
way about him that makes you like
him, and in the ring he is such a
really capable fighter that he wins
you by his natural ability. While
East he moved considerably in the
pugilistic admiration society, and he
got so close to Billy Gibson, the man
ager of the Garden A. C., that 1t looks
as IL he had taken the place Of
Packey Mcfarland in Billy,s heart.
From all accounts, Richie had moth
ing but aces in his deck while hover
ing around here for his much-delayed
Cross match, and, taking his popu-
larity as an evidence, he must have
played his high cards with positive
skill.
O.
East and in the West. Ritchie may
well sit back and chuckle. His VIC
tory over Cross has made him moth
ing less than a 10000 beauty in
New York, and the victory of Joe
Rivers over Cross in the West has
made the Mexican a big drawing card
out there. That's what the promoters
like, but in this instance they will
have to pay dearly for it. Ritchie's
demand of $4,000 seems to be high in
the extreme, for Rivers would surely
want $4,000, and it Is doubtful If
much more than $4,000 will be taken
in on the coast for a lightweight
battle. The Rivers-Cross bout drew
to be a wonderful card. OF course,
Rivers's good showing against Cross
and the fact that Richie Is the cham
pion will make some difference, but
the promoter who will start out with
| purse of $4,000 and the numerous
expenses attending such contests is
likely to find himself a loser in the
end. A fighter Is worth all the money
he can get, but he isn't worth q cent
more than his employer can afford
Ing sides with the athlete, no matter
how unreasonable his demands may
be a popular move, true enough, but
those who cry "liberality" are, as a
general thing, as stingy as country
miser with their own coin.
@
The value of a Ritchie-Rivers fight
can be figured down to cold facts in
dollars and cents. Let these two
brave warriors come heralded as they
may and 1t Is doubtful II they will
draw more than $4,000 in Madison
| Square Garden. OF course, the prices
would be boosted q notch or two, but
even at that 1t will take some crowd
| ing to get more than $4,000 in the
Garden. The biggest money crowd
in Madison Square since the new law
has been in operation turned out to
see Packey Mcfarland and Matt
Wells box and the receipts on that
occasion were a little more than ST.
900. SO you see, $4,000 for fight in
the Garden is going some, as those
who were at the McFarland-W Wells
| ho,,f mill 90 sitx, rooorI %ba4 A. rxo+t,
ering was tremendous on that night.
Out on the coast fights do not draw
SO we'll as in New York. The Rivers
Cross bout on the coast didn't coma
up to the Ritchie-Cross bout in the
Garden, and it is a good bet that
the Rivers-Cross mill, after Leach'a
great showing with Ritchie, would
have played to more than $4,000
which was the sum paid in admis-
sions on the coast.
O.
The sport-promoting business is q
fair and square business, and should
be considered and conducted on lines
similar to other business propositions
There is a certain spirit of sport in
sporting ventures just as there is a
certain spirit, a certain desire. fol
any particular business. The sport
ling spirit is all well enough, and it IL
commended, but the spirit will not las,
very long IL the efforts that emanats
from the spirit are not appreciated In
p substantial way. Every once in a
while you will hear some brainless
wonder call down the curses ON q