The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-03
EFFORTS TO STAGE BOUT FOR HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
 MAY SURPASS RECORDS
Highest Offer For Any Bout Was Johnson-Jef- fries Fight -Rickard Offered Purse of $10OOO Ban Johnson Favors Change In Conducting Baseball Business

New York, February 2-The efforts of the various fight promoters to sign Jess Willard and Frank Moran for a 1O-round bout, in this state, has reached the fren- zied finance stage wherein the successful bidder is likely to surpass all previous records, although he may not find the venture profitable. At the present time three proposals have been made for the services of the heavyweghts.
 One gives Willard $92,500 guarantee or 45 per cent of the gate receipts, and 5l second offers $32,5OO fiat guarantee and a $5OO0 bonus for signing, while the third provides that the champion shall receive $6G,000 for two 10-round bouts
 Moran, in the role of challenger, is not so liberally treated although the offers to him would make old-time pugilists green with envy. One promoter promised the chopped boxer $15O0O for his end of bout with Willard; another raised this to $17,0OO and third offered SS0,0O0 for his services in two 10-round bouts.
 All these propositions are based upon a 10-round, no-decision bout to be held in or near New York city within the next three months. Nothing like these sums have ever been put up for such a con test in the past history of the ring. The record purse is, of course, the $101, 900 given by Tex Rickard for the Jeffries- Johnson fight at Reno, New, July 4. 1910
 The largest sum ever paid to pugilists for a 10-round contest such as Willard and Moran are asked to sign for was the $32, 300 purse given for the Mcfarland Gibbons bout here September Il, 1915 Me FarIand received S17,50O and Gibbons $15,- 600. The gross receipts were announced as $5S,O69. Now Willard is offered as much for 10 rounds as these two ring stars received jointly.
 Corbett and Sullivan fought for purse of $25,O00 with side bet of $1O,0O0 each, so that the entire value of the purse was $45,0O0, or less than willard and Mo- ran have been offered for a 10-rOund, mo- decision bout. The largest gate in New YOrk's pugilistic history was $66 300 taken in at the Jeffries-Sharkey 25-round fight at Coney Island, November 3, 1899. This amount would not cover the expenses of the proposed bout, according to the pro- motors striving to land the attraction.
 By no stretch of imagination can a Willard-Moran bout be compared for drawing power with the Jeffries- Sharkey battle. According to the promoters, how ever, they expect the former pair to prIIlS III ClOSe IO 9luV,UuU at the gate. TO them at least prosperity is no longer a prospect It is a reality, right in the midst of the fight fans.
 FAVOR CHANGE
 Following the repeated reports that the national baseball commission was to be dissolved, President Ban Johnson of the American league has announced that he lis strongly in favor of a change in the methods of conducting baseball busi- ness.' He would not, however, deny or confirm the rumors that the national commission will be reorganized From other sources it is reported that the high court of baseball will be reformed with five-member committee or if the three man commission remains it will con sist of the presidents of the two major leagues and one independent member, well versed in all the angles of base ball without being affiliated with any of the present-day interests.
 If such reorganization takes place t will be the first time since the forma- tion of the body in 1903 that the per sonnel of the commission has been changed except by death or retirement from baseball. All told, five men have served upon the national commission and of these two of the original trio are still holding their positions. When the peace pact between the National and