Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-03-21
BROWNE WAS VISIONARY
RACING PROMOTER MADE BAD
BREAK INTO BOXING WORLD
Controller of Madison Square Garden
Iins Experienced Same Hard Luck
aud Considerable Opposition.

NEW YORK, March 2O.-Grant Hugh
Browne is II successful racing pro-
moter he knows all about running
race track. and he savvies a
thoroughbred nag from eurtips to fet-
locks. But when Browne went into
the boxing business he made II Chris
Columbus" that he wishes might have
been left out of his peaceful life.
One day Il friend borrowed Brownies
ear long enough to inform him that
golden opportunity awaited any one
who would grab Madison Square Gar
den and conduct tistic bees on II large
scale for the delcctation OF Manhattan
Island and its cnvirons
1t listened well enough for Browne
He thought IL would be Il nifty side
line for seasoned racing promoter
and he proceeded to obtain control of
the historic garden. lie broke into
print with u host OF new ideas that
he Grated. He told New York that he
would furnish boxing shows that
would fling shadow over ANYTHING
in the biting line that had gone be-
fore. His idea embraced the forma-
ton of monster sporting club like
they have in London. And he planned
to stage only cightccn-carat enter
tanmcnts
But he overlooked the rocky roads
that fight promoter must travel. He
did not know that fighters and their
managers have tempcramcnts that
make prima donnas look like pil<crs
in comparison. He did not stop to
figure that there is such Il thing as
petty jealousy in the boxing business
or that wircpullng sometimes upscts
the bcst-laid plans OF the best of box
Ing impreSarios.
To-day Browne knows all about it,
He is convinced that all of the wei
como mats should be Topped over. and
he believes laws should be passed maxi
Ing ii legal to pull brace Of six
shooters at the sight of cauliiowcr
car.
Just when Mr. Browne figured that
everything was ready for the launch
Ing Of successful boxing career for
himself. some one tossed a left-handcd
wrench into the machinery. He had
Lester Darcy, the elusive Australian,
matched to box with Al Mccoy. cham
pion of the camembert middlcweiEhts.
Then n Brooklyn promoter sprung II
priority claim on McCoy's services. and
Jack Dillon, the man-eating Hoosicr.
was substituted
Browne weathcrcd his first disap-
pointing experience very we'll. and he
was complimcnting himself for being
a first-clasS shock -absorbcr, when GOV
ernor Whitman exploded a bomb by
slipping the skids under Darcy. The
Governor opned that New York was
q t.,
certainly no place for Darcy To fattcn
the well-known bank roll. So the
Darcy Dillon bout was jimmcd, and
Browne turned to ancient Jim Flynn.
Jrcrns. al ways obliging. readily con-
scented to accept few perfectly good
simolcons for posing as n target for
Jack Dillon. and the plans OF Browne
rolled smoothly enough until the
eleventh hour arrived. This time the
gloom was spread by Dillon. who
packed his little valoose and did a
heel-and-toc toward his indianapolis
home. pccvcd because he was put on
the Griddle by some New York serbs
who didn't appreciate his efforts
against Al Mccoy. Dillon evacuated
the coop and left Browne stranded high
anybody.
Brownies one show, staged by Fred
Fulton and Charley Weinert was "a
box office iiivvcr and Il poor match Mt
the best But Browne still hopes to
get his bit out of the game. Those
who have followed the inside stuff
connected with promoting boxing shows
around New York. are quite certain
that Mr.. Brownies exit from promoting
ranks is due to come very soon The
boxing game is in decidedly bad in
New York, and may never recover.
Petty jcalOusicS and tcmpcramcntal
hight promoters, fight managers and
fighters have left the old game pretty
SICK around these parts, and unless Mr..
Browne wants TO play hands dealt to
him from what looks like Il cold deck
he should bow himself out as pracc-
fully as possible
Browne went into the business mean
ins right. He wanted To give New
FORK the best to be obtained in the
boxing line. hut how one man can ride
over the pitfalls alone ana without
experience in handling the tricky folks
inn
that stands unanswered