The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-06-08
Chapter 2.

Il promoted the first professional
fight of my career-and it cost me
money to do it." related Dempsey, in
discussing his fistic life. Right then
and there l was cured of any thought
of becoming a rival to Tex Richard.
Along about the time | was IA,
left my home in Montrose. Colorado to
find job. | roamed around, working
wherever there was an opening. |
labOred for a while on the farm, got
into a coal mine, then took a job
pitching hay, later did carpenter work
and afterward worked in a copper and
silver mine.
In 1914 when was not quite 10
went home for a little visit and the
first thing heard about was the great
ring record that had been assembled
by Freddie Woods. They were touting
Freddie as regular wild cat with the
boxing gloves. That gave me a little
laugh because before I had left Mont
rose, Freddie and used to put on a
walloping bee whenever either of us
felt in d fighting mood and | never did
have much trouble polishing him off.
Bumps Into Freddie.
II bumped into Freddie when | was
in town and began kidding him about
being great fighter. Freddie didn't
take the joking very good-naturedly
and passed out a challenge to me-
pointing out that l might have been
his master four or five years before
but that he then could lay it all over
me any time.
A II right. said, Lets duck off
in this lot, Freddie, and settle the
argument
NO. said Freddie, that isn't the
way | do things now l get money for
hghting you unless l get money for
it. Well try to dig up somebody in
town who will match us and he'll
charge people to see us fight and We'll
get some money for our exhibition
Il was skeptical but Freddie was
very enthusiastic. He was confident
that the whole town would turn out to
see the Highland was hopeful that
folks would come from nearby towns,
too. Together We went to several fell
lows and asked them to act as pro-
motors.
They grinned and walked away. It
looked like a hopeless proposition as
far as the fight was concerned when
Freddie suddenly turned to me and
said
Why don't you promote the fight?
You pay me a certain amount of
money for boxing you whether I win
or lose and then you take for yourself
all the. money that YOU get above
actual expenses. There ought to be
an awful lot of dough in it for you
II fell for Freddie's idea I hired a
hall which cost me SIS. l didn't have
the SIS but the Moose club which
owned the hall, agreed to trust me
q TO in
through the sale of tickets. Then 7
got out some printing which took all
my ready cash and went to other ex-
penses which put me in debt to the
tune of $40.
Plans Dance.
meanwhile Freddie steamed up nv
hopes. He assured me that the whole
town was crazy about the match and
that it would turn out in a body and
that | would make lot of money. AS
an added attractiOn-at FreddieS' sug-
gestion-l announced that a dance
would Immediately follow the boxing
bout, the idea being that we could lure
a lot of women folk to the fight hall
at 25 cents a head
1T rained something awful on fight
night and only a handful of people
breezed along for our show. I knocked
out Freddie in three or four rounds
and as soon as he had been revived
he began to yell for the SIS which he
had been guaranteed. I told him he
could not have the s15 until he helped
me move the ring and clear the hall
SO that the crowd could dance
Freddie and l then hustled around
and cleared the floor The piano
player struck up a tune. the cash Gus
toners began to dance. Freddie got
his Sl5 and beat il for homeland
began to figure up what had happened
to me.
What had happened was enough
quite enough. With all the gate
money" paid out I was still S42 shy Of
expenses-and that s42 just then
seemed like bigger money than I will
get for the Carpenter match"
After the Fight with Freddie
Woods I was convinced there was
money in the fistic game-but I was