Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-14
Gentleman Jim Would Like COf-
froth to Succeed Billy in
Garden Management.
SNOWY BAKER A LIVE WIRE
Australian Promoter Has Own
Ideas on the Referee
Question.
BY JAMES ]. CORBETT
Farmer Heavyweight Champion of the
World.

number of sporting celebrities the
last few weeks. Besides the high
muoky -mucks of organized baseball
outlaw magnates and the worlds
tourists, chaperoned by Messrs. Mo-
Graw, Callahan and Comiskey, we
have also been entertaining pair Of
the worlds most noted pugilistic i'm
presarios in the persons OF Reginald
L. Snowy" Baker. of sydney. Mel
bourne and O few other Australian
/. cities. and james sunny jim" COT
froth, the premier promoter OF boxing
contests in these here United States
of America.
Snowy Baker dropped into New
York about ten days ago, on his way
around the world in search of boxing
talent, for shipment to the Antipodes,
While not successful in persuading
all our stars that the trip would pay
them Snowy" has done fairly well,
and II the boxers who have promised
10 make the trip to that far-otf coun-
Try under his auspices do not back
down between now and sailing time,
the blond haired successor to Hugh
Mcintosh will have quite a bunch Of
American talent to exhibit to Aus
tralian fight fans for this coming
summer.
Snowy" paid me the compliment of
calling on me at one of the New
York vaudeville houses where / have
been playing, and we had quite a
lengthy chat on matters "touchin' on
and appertainin' to- boxing. Barring
another distinguished visitor, Jim
Coffroth, do not hesitate to say that
Baker is the livest wire the game
knows today He is q hustler with n
capital II, and the marvellous success
MS efforts have met with in Australia
is ample testimony Of his progressive
ness.
New York Needs II Like Type.
That's what boxing needs around
these ns"-progressiyeness IT
we had q Baker OF a Coffroth in New
York the game might be In better re-
pute. At the present writing profess
sional boxing is at lower ebb than
at any time since the FraWley law
went into operation. Billy Gibson has
always been n credit to the sport
and undoubtedly would have made a
greater success at Madison Square
Garden II those In control had given
him free rein. But / am told Billy,
although matchmaker and manager
IN name, had to consult the fellows
above him before he could close an
important match.
isn Unless the Garden people persuade
him to change his mind. Billy Gibson
is through with boxing on n big scale
in this city. While he will retain his
interest in the Fairmont A. c., Glib
son viii devote the greater part of
his time in the future to the direc-
ton of other interests in which he
has money invested.
Billy's Retirement Hurts.
Billy's retirement from tho Garden
will I've a loss to the fight game, Dur
ing the time he held the position as
matchmaker at the big Club -he sup
piled New Workers. with a high grade
of boxing entertainment. In fact.
Gibson would not stage bout that
did not promise some good sport. or
course. he has made mistakes of
Judgment occasionally, that Is bound
to happen to every promoter. But
with all the rumors of fakes and
frameups that have been circulated
from time TO time, and probably al
ways will be, IL must be said to
Bilrs credit that his name has never
even been remotely connected with
scandal OF any sort. If he has really
retired. and he says so, the Garden
A. c. officials will have no easy time
finding a man who will fiji the bill
so acceptably in every way az tho
genial William.
Who VIII Succeed Him:
OFF hand, / can't think of any local
manager with sufficient knowledge
and experience necessary to success
fully handle such a proposition as
the Garden. Rod or Jess Mcmahon
might make good IL given the OPP
portunity But ! doubt it, / have
left out Tom O'Rourfe's name--and
believe O'RourlSe one of the best
we have in the East in the match
making line-because | doubt If Tom
would be considered at all. O'Rourke's
methods have made him unpopular
d with certain newspaper men and, as
publicity is required to successfully
promote any sport, Toms chances for
ianding the job look rather dubious
81 At that | doubt il he would accept
if the position was rendered him. he
now conducts the National Sporting
Club and might not care to give that
up for the greater worry and cares of
the larger institution.
If only Jim Coffroth, who is at
present in New York, could be per-
suaded TO locate here. What a grand
matchmaker he would make for a
club with an arena the size OF the
2 Garden and the population of Greater
New York to draw support from
The Garden officials would surely
mako a ten-strilse il they landed
Coffroth, and the future success OF the
club would be assured. There Is nc
other man in this country or else
where better qualified than the sorrel'
topped promoter from California But
his interests in the West are great
and I do not think he could be In
duced to give them up-even II Of
fered an extremely liberal salary and
percentage of the receipts. Coffrotr
has many friends In this city who
would be tickled to death If he We're
to locate here and doubly so II he
would come in the capacity OF pro.
iuoter and matchmaker. Jim WOULD
make one bowling success of the big
club--if such a thing can be done.
Baker Has Own Ideas.
The New York boxing commission
ers have made Snowy Baker an non
orary referee for the state OF New
York. This was neat compliment
70 nav the visitor from Australia, af
snowy was Hugh McIntosh's offlcta
referee for many years before pur-
chasing his former employers inter
ests. and has been the third man IL
tho ring at many of the greatest box
ing contests held in Australia. Mr.
i,al,er refereed the Burns
: match. and all the bouts IN which the
~ present champion Sam Langford
/. sam McVey and other prominent
American boxers have appeared IL
that country.
rs Baker has fixed ideas regarding The
: duties of a referee at boxing match
and was not backward about making
them public during his stay in New
z York AS he acted in that capacity
9 for many years. his opinion showC