The Washington times., 1923-11-17

Managers and promoters and old
fashioned hackers used to get sll
the gravy and the fighter all the
risk and work. lie was so often a
Eimple-minded illiterate fellow
whose only knowledge was his
knowledge Of fight and whose only
other quality for success in the
world was his grit. He used to be
entirely dependent on the advice
and support Of the sporting men,
and like any other dependent had
TO take orders.
It is all changed now-Tery much
changed and certainly for the bet
ter-for the man who does the
fighting Is the man who should get
the big reward. That's simple JUS
tice. But besides that. the finan-
cial and social status Of the fighter
has gone up many pegs. 1t is no
longer q disgrace 1or q woman to
attend a. fight. The boxer is no
longer considered as the nearest
Human to a brute.
The prize ring crowds are made
M of persons Of all walks Of life,
al degree Of education and Gull
ture, whereas once welLlmOwn
; lawyers, judges, and other men
prominent financially and socially
used to come TO gee contests In
disguise, for It would mean q So
ciaI OStracism for them to become
known as ringside habitues.
Now professional boxers join
country clubs and even crash across
at pink teas whose hostesses are
social leaders in the Zig centers OF
the couatry.
The new crop of boxing boys Is
mentally of much higher and more
alert degree than the old boys. This
Is because, of course, education is
more general and the poorest chill
dren get schooling and are protected
by the law so that they must get a
fair amount of schooling before they
are permitted to go out and toll for
wages.
The advent of Gentleman Jim"
Corbett was the first important step
up socially that boxers made. He
dispelled the old-time public mental
picture Of the professional boxer as
lowering, glowering, blue-muzzled
bruiser, and his success encouraged
other young men. of the clerk and
scholarly class to look into the box
ing game.
OF course, all our fighters. today
are not drawn from this class, but,
Just the same, Corbett created a sort
Of ideal to which tougher boys aspire
now when they make a ring success
Of 1t.
The first thing you see them
trying to do is to learn good man.
ners and speech that win "get them
BY" with the swell bunch. And
champions don't go round i'm loud
check suits and red neclfies any
more. III you saw Jack Dempsey
On the street you'd come pretty
near to taking him for q varsity
man.
You'd never catch any OF the
youngsters Of the present day MAX
ing the same break that a certain
very well known lightweight did one
evening about eighteen or twenty
years ago.
He was being ''guested" to dinner
at a well known hotel and toward
the end Of the meal his host said:
We'll. Kid, will you have some
"Huh?"
Something to finish off your
meal, you know"
Nav, can't eat no more. I'm
chockful Of beefsteak and pertaters
and termaters and, onions and all
haw. I don't want nothin' more to
eat"
''oh, go ahead. Order some des-
sert."
saw, all right, then" said the
scrapper. Waiter, get me beef
stew
Today a heavyweight champion
fights for a guarantee of $500, 900 and
what's more gets it-eVery cent of it.
In John L. Sullivan's time, when
Jake Kilrain posted SIC, 900 to cover
the purse il Sullivan would get into
the ring with him, there was a big
gquawk from the sports that the
figure was altogether too large, and
when it was raised it was done by a
syndicate. It will be seen that the
ante on the game has been raised
just 5000 per cent in about fifty
years.
(Copyright, 1929. by The Press Publish
y Ing Company (The New York WORLDLY
y All rights reserved.)
lOE REPGEP tn MANAGE