The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-03-25
MANY CHAMPS
OF BOXING NOW
ON THE ROCKS
Long List Of Once Wealthy
Fighters IS Astonishing When
Checked Up.
BY FRANK 6. MENKE.

fCopyright, 1928. by King Features
~ 1FFRIES Is broke.
SharIkey is broke.
q Nelson is broke.
Wolgast is broke.
Dillon is broke-
Maher- is broke
Moran is broke.
Langford Is broke.
JohnsoI1's fortune is gone.
Sullivan went broke.
Fitz went broke.
McGovern went broke. -
Mccoy went broke.
Cans went broke.
Dixon went broke.
jackson went broke.
And so reads the story of prac-
ticaIly all the champions and the
near champions who made fortunes
for themselves in the bygole days.
There is nothing unexpected IN
this. nothing that Is surprising or
startling, even though they accu-
muIated enough money during their
ring careers to last the ordinary
man through dozen lifetimes.
The pathetic thing in their case
Is that they began to earn big
money" before they realized the
value Of dollar. It came SO easy
to them IN the days Of their earliest
youth that. because OF their limited
financial intellect. they thought ii
would be SO all during the rest Of
their years.
And. in the main. they squan-
dered the money as 1t came TO
them, and then, of a sudden, when
their fighting days were over, they
had nothing but memories.
DON'T APPRECIATE DOLLAR.
No class Of men has less appre-
citation Of the value OF dollar
than do the fighters. For the
money comes to them III volume
even before they are out OF their
teens. Their minds are not geared
to the point Of appreciation of the
fact that the onrush OF wealth can
continue only for a short time and
they should save and conserve in
their heydey.
All the advice and an the '.hor-
rible examples" of the past meant
nothing to thefnl They spent II az
they got it, and then when someone
landed the finishing wallop upon
their chin, and they ceased to be
drawing cards. then-and only then
did they come to the terrible
+
A few of them-Jeffries and some
OF the others-didn't spend all of
it as 1t came along to them. They
laid II aside for the proverbial rainy
day. But what good did it do
them in the end? Never having
had business experience, they knew
little of the why's and wherefores
OF finance and commerce. That
made them easy prey for the
"slickers" with trick stock schemes,
who came along and took them for
what was left.
It's true that Fitz, Jeff, Mal1er,
Cans and most Of the others fought
in an era when purses were ''piker''
Things compared with those of to-
day. It's true that F'itZ in his whole
fighting lifetime perhaps didn't draw
down anything which Jack Demp-
sey got for his Jersey City fight.
PURCHASED MUCH.
But it's equally true that in Fitz's
day-and the days of Sullivan, Ma
her, McGovern and all the bygone
idols-a dollar had as much pur-
chasing value as three or. four Of
them have in this day and age So
though purses We're only one-third
or one.fourth as large as they are
HOW tHSy tIdu the same comparative
value.
And it's likewise true that men
beyond the prize ring who earned
only one-half or one-third of what
fighters earned are men of wealth
many of them are millionaires.
And all because they knew what to
do with their money; knew, first Of
all, how to save it and then how to
invest it.
1t comes easy in the prize ring
and it comes in volume in the
halcyon days. But no one neeo
ever be envious of a pugilist's earn
ings, for it goes almost as easy as
it comes and, when a warriors bat
Ting days are over. he's through
usually down and out-Whereas the
man in business life is just begin
| ming his upward march to fame and
fortune and luxury and lifetime
comfort.