Arizona republican., 1919-08-04
b|C BOXING ARENA |S NOW BUILDING
 0N GRAND AVENUE

Phoenix has a real, honest to- good ness boxing arena that will seat almost 5000 people-at least she almost has it. It is under construction and has been for the past three days. The contrac- tor, c. W. Cisney, with a large force of men, began the work of altering the big building on Grand avenue at the old brick yard. to adapt it into a mod : ern and fully equipped arena
 It will be completed in plenty of time for the big opening fight on La Dor day, in fact, the club expects it to be completed by August 25. Thus will Phoenix acquire a real athletic arena, big enough to stage big bouts, and backed by men big enough to guarantee the big purses that will be necessary to get the headliners.
 Everybody knows H. W. (Beany) Walker, the sporting editor of the Ex- aminer, one of the real experts on the boxing game, and a man who cannot be fooled in any angle of it. That he is taking a great interest in the new athletic club for Phoenix is amply proven by a recent article in his sport ing section under his signature and well known caption, An Ear to the Ground" somewhat as follows:
 "A worlds championship boxing con- test in Arizona! There is something in those seven words to make the aver age ring follower lay back his ears and ask: How be?'
 Tt can be done. Arizona Iegalized 10-round bouts and there is nothing in the law books that says a worlds champion may not work at his trade in our neighbOf state
 Furthermore. C. D. Boyce, a pop ular sportsman of Phoenix, says that a battle for championship title will be staged in that city on next Labor day, Monday, September l. Mir. Boyce is in Los Angeles to arrange the de- tails of the first big league glove con- test ever held on Arizona soil"
 have the strongest of financial hacking and the right people of Phoenix are behind me-, explains MT. Boyce. We have picked the site for an arena with practically unlimited seating capacity. People from all over the state vii lbe in Phoenix on Labor day and we feel justified in going out into the open market for champion ship bout It may jolt lot of the fans to read a Phoenix date line on fight story, but, for that matter, who ever figured Toledo in the big bush until the recent Dempsey Willard go?'
 To show that he meant business MT. Boyce sent out offers to three worlds hampions-Benny Leonard, Johnny Kilbane and Jack Britton. The search for opponents will begin the minute negotiations are closed with one of the title holders.
 Leonard is the boy the Arizona promoters want most and it was the lightweight champion who first came back with a telegraphic reply. Billy Gibson, manager of Leonard, wired that the Labor day date was open and that they would be glad to con sider a proposition. First of all they wanted to know whom the 133- pound champion would be asked to meet.
 Tt is barely possible that Gibson suspected that perhaps Willie Ritchie had been doing a few weeks secret training and was trying to get Leonard out in the west for another crack at Benjamin's title. In all justice to MT. Boyce it can be said that Ritchie is not being considered.
 There are plenty of good boxers on the Pacific coast and we would have no trouble lining up an ordinary card for Labor day explained Mir. Boyce, who is stopping at the Hotel Clark. But we are out for a cham pionship battle, an event that will at- tract country wide interest," I believe that I have offered Leonard as much money as he could get from New York or Philadelphia promoter, and I hope he accepts.
 It will not be my fault if we do not land a real champion. In case | should lose Leonard, Kilbane and Brit ton 1 still have a good card up my sleeve. There has been a lot of talk that either Willie Meehan or Billy Miske should be the next to box Heavyweight H Champion Jack Dempsey.