Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-07-21
SCRAPPERS' NOT .
DRAWING SO WELL
Gate Receipts at Ring Bat
ties Today Below Those
of Past.
JACK-JEFF $27O,755
Including Moving Picture Rights Re.
ceipts from Reno Affair Exceeded
S300,ODG as Compared With $55,-
600 by Moran-Johns0n Scrap.
(By Frank G. Menke.D

New York, July 20-Championship
ring battles aren't drawing as large
gates as they used to in the old days.
The younger generation of fight fans
thought that the $4,000 gate at the
recent Jack Johnson-Frank Moran
| fight in Paris was a rather sizeable
one, but it was nothing to get eXcit-
ed about when the facts are taken in
| to consideration that this was a
championship battle and that it was
staged in a country that was viewing
a heavyweight championship fight for.
the first time.
| The Jeffries-J Johnson fight in Reno
on July 4, 1910, drew the biggest gate
in history-$27O,755, not including the
money realized from the moving pic
lures which is said to have been some
thing like $4,000. OF this amount
Jeffries got $4,000 and Johnson
about 100000.
Jim Corbett and Kid Mccoy staged
a fve-round scrap in Madison Square
Garden many years ago and the gate
amounted to nearly $4,000.
Corbett and Jeffries drew $63,340
gate when they met in San Francisco
in 1903 in their second battle.
The Sharkey-J effries fight staged in
lConey Island in 1899, and which JEFF
fries won, drew $4,000.
Fitzsimmons, wonderful fighter that
he was, never drew we'll. The biggest
lgate for fight in which he figured
was a trifle over $4O.OOO-the fight
with Jem Hall in New Orleans. 1t has
been said that Fitz never got his share
most nothing.
The Corbett- Fitzsimmons fight in
Carson City, Nevada, in which F'itz
took the championship away from
l"Gentleman Jim," drew only $4,000,
Fitz got less than $4,000 as his share
Fitz and Sharkey drew $21,0 900 wher
they met in Frisco in 1S95-the battle
which Fitz lost ON a foul. Jeffries
and Gus Rubin drew over $4,000
when they battled in the same town
a short time later.
The Joe Gans-Battling Nelson bout
in Goldfield, Nevada, in 1906, drew
l$69, 715-the record for lightweight
battle. The Nelson-J Jimmy Britt fight
at Colma Cal, drew $6S,311, another
huge figure for lightweight fight
and one that hasn't been approached
for many years.
Jimmy Coffey, the dublin Giant.
/ wants a fight with Jack Johnson. COT.
fey came from Ireland to New York
J some years ago, became subway
/ hf
boarded his train and then took up
the fighting game under. the teaching
of Mike Donovan, an old middleWeighi
warrior.
Coffey, in the opinion of those VIII
J have seen him in his New York bouts
still is too inexperienced for tigh'
with Johnson. Coffey has quite q
punch, is finely built and has lot
courage, but he isn't boxer by any
means.
1t is said that Richard Croker, thu
old Tammany Hall leader, has agree
! to back Coffey to the extent of $40,
| 600 If the fight is staged in Ireland
: Coffey's manager, Billy Gibson, il
spending quite bit of money cabin
I defis to Johnson.
ii The JohnsOn-LangfOrd scrap that
Is to be staged in London in October
I ought to clear up the pugilistic at
. mosphere somewhat. For about foul
( years Langford has been shouting fol
chance at Johnson and declaring
Woud be a cinch for him to whip the
Big Smoke" Johnson has retaliated
with remarks about go get reputa-
! ton; you amt in nah class
+ There has been bitter enmity be-
tween the two negro heavyweights for
many years and pugilistic experts
predict that if the fight is staged i.
really will be Highland to the bit
ter finish.
George Chips knockout victory ov-
!, err Billy Murray, of California, about
, ten days ago, puts Chip back near the
top OF the middleweight division
again. Chip held the lightweight
crown until AL Mccoy, regarded as
the yelloWest sort of lemon, came
along and unlocked punch that
landed upon Chips jaw and sent him
down and out.
Those who have seen both Chip and
Mccoy in their fights before and since
then declare that Chip is far better
boxer and hitter than Mccoy and that
If they meet again there will be
nothing to it but Chip. Mccoy stack
ed up against Murray in two bouts in
! New York and the opinion OF the box
ing fans was that Murray eutpointed
Mccoy on both occasions.
And then Chip came along and
knocked out Murray, after having
him almost helpless from the start
i of the battle