New-York tribune., 1919-05-10
Toledo Now
Boxing Centre
OF the U. S. A.
Mobilization at Ohio City
Begins Monday; Rickard
and Staff Going There
By w. o. McGeehan

Mobilization for the S127,500 Will
iard-Dempsey contest will begin at To-
ledo, Monday. Jess Willard is to leave
Los Angeles Sunday, headed for To-
ledo. Tex Rickard and his staff will
move on the chosen city Monday. Jack
Dempsey already is on his way to the
scene of the gathering, travelling by
automobile from Excelsior Springs.
The matter OF referee for the bout
nay not be decided until two weeks
hefore the fight Tex Rckard said
yesterday that there was no particular
t'urry about picking the third man. Il
was up to the fighters. and any arbitee
on whom they might agree would suit
airH. But if the haggling over the
bird man should last too long Rick
ard will pick him
When Rickard leaves Sunday night
he will take with him the plans for
theaarena. According to the promoter
1t Will seat in the neghborhood of
/ 10000, about the capacity of the Yale
Bowl. 1t will be constructed for this
light only. According to the promoter,
he most distant seat will be 260 feet
tway from the ring. The seats will
re raised gradually from the ringside
each tier having a rise of four inches
ttickard was somewhat worried and
annoyed yesterday when he learned
nat Jack Dempsey had chosen the
automobile as his means of transpor-
tation to Toledo. He would prefer
something safer and saner in view of
ne tact that an automobile accident
20 Dempsey at this stage of the game
you'd cost him something like a posi-
Die quarter million or so-a nice little
bit even after the Income tax is pain
lessly extracted from it,
All through the night Rckard had
',sions of Jack Dempsey being piloted
long the highway with his manager
Jack kearns, as a chauffeur Kearns
S a speed bug, and considers that
ABOUT hall an inch is far enough to
MISS telegraph poles and passing ve-
hicles.
Training for the big bout may be
nampered because of the lack of heavy
weights for experimental purposes.
lack Kearns, the manager of Demp-
sey, has sent out a Macedonian cry for
human guinea pigs to Ike Dorgan, New
fork's tiredest business man. Ike can
not DO anything much for him.
1t seems that Dempsey hired John
lester Johnson to box with him. John
Lester IS the Harlem Senegambian who
gave Dempsey something Of pasting
while Dempsey was an ambitious nov
zee IN the employ of John the Bar
ber. In fact John Lester pasted Demp-
sey So earnestly that he fractured
three of Jacks ribs on that fateful eve
ming.
Jack, however. bore no malice for
the fractured Stats. On the contrary,
ne figured that an earnest Senegam-
nian who had punch enough to do that
much damage to him would make an
excellent sparring partner. Conse-
quently, he signed John Lester to ac-
company him over the burley-cue cir
cult.
~ John Lester wants to quit un-
IS he gets more money. His point
o. Eiew seems sound at that. He
says; "Mr. Dempsey is getting rough
= and rougher every day. In lit
sie while he will be getting down to
real. work, and every time he sees me
n front of him he will think that it
IS Mr.. Willard. Maybe he does wear
She big gloves, but can feel him now.
suttnly will be able to feel him
more when he gets down to his real
tralning. I've got to have more morey
or I'm through. that's all Also |
wants one of them insurance policies
4 stay OF the job. I got family
in Harlem, and they got to be pro-
vded for
Wizards manager, Ray Archer, also
is on the lookout for sparring part
GERS of excessive tonnage. Willard,
however, IS not so hard on his spar
ing partners as fighter of the Demp-
sey type. The contender is much of
ne temperament of Stanley Ketchel
He cannot merely box. He must fight
end tear in, even when he is in train
ing. 3f
Consequently there is plenty Of work
n the vicinity Of Toledo for heavy
weights who can stand the gaff They
sill carr their money, though
The athletic division of the War
Department has just issued state
.nent 70 the effect that 3,000,O 900 men
received instruction In boxing during
the training for the war. Boxing was
considered an essential part of their
military training, and in some camps
IL was made compulsory.
This probably will mean that the war
mas produced several millions of box
ing fans who are somewhat puzzled
as to the opposition which has devel-
oped TO professional boxing In one
o. the camps, according to The reLort
Of the athletic division, there was
found regiment that did not contain
one man who knew even the elements
of boxing. In few weeks members
Of this regiment were putting up some
creditsbie exhibitions with the gloves.
and 10 man the organization began
20 enthuse over the sport. Army chap
lains were the referees. 1t is part of
an army chaplain's work to referee
all regimental bouts.
] believe that the returned soldiers
wno. realize the part that boxing played
m the big game over there and in the
preparation for the big game will sue
ceed in bringing about fair trial for
boxing.