The Washington herald., 1921-12-18
By ROBERT EDGREN.


back" in New York. II there was
no boxing, the grapplers might do
fairly well. but the packed houses
at ordinary boxing shows and half
filled arenas when champions meet
show that the public confidence is
slow in recovering from body blows
delivered by many fake matches in
the recent past.
The New York boxing commission
cleared out the takers when it tooN
control of that sport and began
making rules to regulate 1t. Per
haps some OF those new wrestling
regulations are funny. but at least
they are we'll meant, and they're
effective.
The ''hippodroming" tricks of
torture holds" in all their variety
have been barred. This makes 1t
much harder to fake wrestling
bouts. 1t also robs promoters of
much advertising. for descriptions
OF all the toe holds and head lock IS
and neck twisting devices used to
give the nimble press agent plenty
OF material.
The attitude of promoters of fake
wrestling bouts may be interesting.
| was talking with one of these fat
and prosperous gentlemen one eve
ming and asked him why he didn't
run matches ION the level"
Listen" he said earnestly, you
don't get the idea. You look at it
as sport. 1t isn't a sport. It's a
show. Very few wrestling bouts
that are strictly on the level would
be worth looking at"
There've been a few. OF course,
like that battle between Tom Jen-
kins and Beel in gymnasium on
Forty-second street years ago with
about 200 spectators looking at the
toughest match l ever saw wrestled.
"Hackenschmidt and jenkins was
pretty good, and Hack and
Zbyszko. but even these would have
been ten times as exciting II they'd
hippodromed little. In real
match the men have to be too care
full. There's no spectacular stun.
why, say, it would be an imposi-
ton on the public to take their
money for real wrestling. What
the public pays for IL entertain
ment In a fake match they get all
the thrills. They get action. The
wrestlers pull stunts they'd never
pull in a real match. They're fIv-
ing through the air, in and out of
holds that look as IL somebody was
going to be killed every two min
utes. Say. did you ever watch the
crowd when one OF my big fellows
got toe mold and went through
the motions of tying the other guys
leg into a knot, him pounding on
the floor and registering agony
worse than any movie actor ever
done? Did'y' ever see 'em rise ont
or their seats with their eyes bule-
Ing out. waving their fists and
longing to take a WALTON at tho
man on top to make him let gop
Did y ever listen to EN- veu
when the under dog broke the hold
and grabbed the other guys ankle
and begun to twist his leg around
ike the stripes on a stick of pener-
mint? That's the stun they want
and they wouldn't be happy with
out 1t. 1 give it TO 'em thar ALI
What IL they are fake bouts7 WE
the public don't know won't hurt
EN-"
Cleaning House.
The New York State athletic cor,-
mission has made a good starr 70
ward chasing these crooked nro-
moters and crooked wrestlers mn,
or the State. William Muldoon
chairman of the commission w.s
once worlds champion on the maj
In a time when wrestling had not
been corrupted for the purposes ~
the wrestling trust. VI
Mr.. Muldoon knows wrestI;,
when he sees it. and all the trioh :
or the game. So he has evolyaa
some original schemes 70 mai
wrestlers go on the level"
In the recent Zybszko-Iew,,
match. Mr.. Muldoon learned tb.,
gamblers regarded the match :
liked for Lewis to win. and wers
getting down Lewis bets wberayar
they could. Possibly. the pang,,
had been assured that inf,uenc.
would be brought to bear on Leu,is
and Zzyszko. and it would be all
right" all
But If so the influence" failed to
materialize.
The commission required each
wrestler to sign an AFFIDAVIT IN.
he would try his best to win. Then
at the last moment the commis.;or
ruled that rolling and flying falls
would count.
According to Mr.. Muldoon. tho
gamblers made desperate effort, to
have the commission change the
referee selected and appoint one Of
the old wrestling referees, Tbe
commission refused to make sanv
changes whatever in its plans. II
Is history that the bout was 20,
the level and was atisfactorv IN