The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-05-26
GREED OF CHAMPIONS MAY KILL GOOSE THAT LAYS GOLDEN
 EGGS.
PRICES PAID IN COMPARISON
 WITH CHARGES AT HoN1E
l Credited with Having Start
NTcInfoah Credited With Having Start-' ed Revival Tn Game on sother side,'Fashters Now Being Hired By F1nanciers same As Jockeys Are Employed.

The money bug has at last struck
 the boxers in France A well known
 sporting man of London in comment.
 ing on the latest phase of the money
 mad hghters, writes as follows;
 The old idea that boxing show
 was necessarily brutal exhibitions.
 Is happily passing away and with con-
 tinua1 coTnInendatfon from judges and
 people in high places. the sport IS
 sure to gain the patronage and support
 of people who have hitherto kept
 away. The only thing that may spoil
 it is the greed of the champion. Some of these latter have gotten the notion
 that their abilities are paid for at a rate that compares unfavorah9y with their brethren in the United States, but they overlook the fact that money has different purchasing value in America to what it has over here Furt her, the British boxing fan has been accustomed to getting his. shows Icheaply and any violent increase In admission rates is certain to affect the receipts.
 .The big purse craze was started
 here by Hugh D. Mcintosh, when he l contracted with Bill Lang, Sam Lang ford and Billy Papl<e but the shows l put on were not charged excessive lcomrnissions, as he relied on big att al Sporting club of London Is about the only place that charges adnis- sion rates that compare with those 1 charged at the big shows in America
 and: they would not stand long if the club crowd was not confined to the
 select swelIs It is very seldom that l a big purse affair in this country l proves to be worth the money charg- I ed to see it and believe that the lcommittee of the London Sporting club will hesitate awhile before they offer any mora $15 900 purses.
 ssWhen Hugh D. Mcintosh first came l to this country he started boom in 1 boxing shat has steadily mounted to l it's present high position. EncouTag- 1 cd by his success, small horde Of small promoters sprang up all over the city. with the result that the thing WAS overdone and the first to suffer were the boxers themselves. One en- terprising promoter started a contract system whereby 8 boxer was signed up for say a dozen bouts for a fixed sum. As this money had to be paid in any event, whether the boy lost or won, it ,dawned upon the promoter that it would be to his interest to see that his contrHft fighter was not beat len. otherwise lis value as a drawing Ecard would cease
 gro further the scheme the prompter secured referees who would for aeon sideration, render a satisfactory yer dict so that the boy went through
 his contract bouts withos1t defeat Oc-s caG1oual1y% plans went wrong through the boy getting knocked out by his opponent: butt this rarely happened, as the boys en gagged to meet the star Ewere given to understand that they were marked for dafeat before they went into the ring was under the impression that this system had been stamped: out but see that it still prevails in certain quarters.
 "A vaIfaticna of this scheme has now cropped up A big financial gambler has under contract bunch of lead ing scrappers. to whom he pays fixed sum each week as salary They have to box when he tells them and whoever he selects as an opponent. The dnancier finds any side bet. should one be required, and he grabs all the purse money On the face of 1t there does not seem to be much in it for the promoter of the idea, but have been working the leading string of his bunch and find that it is a very profitable business. Naturally the boxer ise not put to very serious
 tasks. otherwise a, defeat would mean
 money paid for nothing. One Of the contracts I have seen are the most
 unfair ever drawn up and I question l If they would be held to be valid 1 In a court of law. The boxer is .re- ldu1red to give six months notice af lterminaticn Of the agreement. but the hra ancier can dismiss his vassal at a moments notice.'s