The Washington herald., 1915-04-19
Exact Amount Taken in on
Conflict Is Still in Maize.
Cost $1,000 to Stage.
Nv FRANK G. MENkE.

New York, April 1S.-The promoters of
the Johnson-wilIard fight lost money.
The exact amount is shrouded in the
maze OF many conflicting statements con-
corning receipts, but the estimates as
to the loss range from 5000 to $4,000
Ii is the opinion of the writer that the
sis, coo loss figure is nearer being correct
than any other.
fight, after being asked half dozen
times for the real receipt figures. said
two days after the fight:
II can't give the exact figures now, but
we are saying that the receipts We're
$4,000"
Curley. as will be noticed, didn't make
the direct statement that the receipts
were $4,000. He merely said I'VE are
saying" His 1--WE are saying" statement
has been disputed by three persons who
were on the inside
Dick Klegin, director general of the
affair, said Oh the day after the fight:
The receipts will not reach 10000.
On the night following the fight Tom
Jones, manager for Jess Willard. said:
Il don't know what the receipts are
exactly. but | understand they are some
where around $4,000. | make that state
ment because l know that Wizards share
of the receipts will be around $4,000 and
he was to get % per cent of the gross
receipts, including money taken In at the
gate and money received for conces-
sions."
Jack Robinson. who acted as press
agent for the fight, said:
Il learn that the receipts were SO. 500.
There also has been a big dispute as
20 what the attendance was. The promot-
ers of the fight backed away from giving
the exact figures or even approximate
figures. That left it up TO the news
paper men at the rinGside to estimate the
crowd Most of them are mighty good at
cstima ting and the concensus OF opinion
was that the whole crowd didn't total
over 1000 and that it might have scaled
down to 10.6oe. OF that number it was
said that 1000 and probably 1000 were
admitted en- complimentary tickets.
1t cost the promoters close to $4,000
to stage the fight in Havana. That
amount included the So 600 that was paid
to Jack johnson. To this figure must
lie added about $1,000 more that was lost
through the Juarez fizzle, as the promot-
ers went to lot OF expense there.
When Willard signed for the fight in
Juarez he was to get only p per cent
Of the net profits. That would have
made his share nothing at all had the
same arrangement held over for Havana.
But Jones said that he figured the fight
might not draw we'll in Havana and that
the net receipts. if any, would be small
so L insisted" said Jones. that Will
lard he given % per cent of the gross re-
ceipts. if the fight were held in Havana"
If the gross receipts were around
Sc 900. as the writer has every reason to
believe they were, Wizards share was
about $1,000 as Jones stated. The eS-
pense of staging the fight was about
$4,000. according to the promoters, and
they lost $4,000 at JuareZ. That means
that the fight cost them a total of APP
proXimateIy 100000.
If the receipts were only S56,s0O. as
Robinson said. it shows the net loss was
$500 according TO approximate figures
on expenses.
Even if the promoters did take in s110.-
coo as Curley said I'VE are saying" the
promoters would have lost on the affair,
as in that case. Wizards share would
have been around 5000, the Havana ex-
penses s70eo0. and the Juarez expenses
sl5.Vco making a total expense of Sll3,