Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-07-23
tpy Dispatch A. P. wirel

CHICAGO, July GA SO bill
binding a contract entered into be-
tween Jack Dempsey and Floyd Fitz-
simmons with B. c. Clements, presi-
dent of the Chicago COLISEUM Athletic
club, may block Tex Richards plans
for staging heavyweight fight be
tween the title holder and Gene
Tunney here in September.
Attorneys representing Riekard and
Clements were in conference tonight
to ascertain the validity OF Clements
contract. Rickard said that in the
event the contract was held valid
by his attorneys he would stop nego-
tiations for the bout temporarily at
least and may decide to hold it in
Jersey City after all.
If Richards plans are blocked
consideration of the $40 payment
will make Clements contract with
Fitzsimmons and Dempsey valid That
is all that has been advanced to
either the champion or Fitzsimmons.
Fitzsimmons claims the Chicago
Coliseum club promised to pay him
and Dempsey $4,000 for the as
signment of his contract with the
champion, the amount to be paid IN
installments of 100000 and $4,000
each. Fitzsimmons claims the pay
ments were not made, and produced
a draft several days ago he had
drawn on the Chicago Coliseum Ath-
letic club for 100000 which was re-
turned to his unpaid, to prove his
olos. 4
Clements purported contract with
Dempsey, signed in Los Angeles on
March 81, calls for payment of $780,
600 to the champion to fight Harry
Wills, the negro challenger, here or1
elsewhere. 1t was signed in con-
sideration of $40 and provides that
100000 shall be advanced to the
champion on August 5, and that
100000 additional shall be paid be-
fore the contest.
In the event the fight is not held
Coliseum club agrees to forfeit that
amount to the champion. Rickard
while considerably annoyed by the
existence of the contract processes
to believe that Clements has no claim
to Dempsey's services. The New
York promoter figure that if the
Coliseum club really intended to pro-
mote a fight between Wills and
Dempsey it would have to draw a
gate of $1,750,OOO before it could
pay expenses incurred in promoting
the bout as 100000 has been guar
anteed to Wills. The original arti-
o1nC hn o+.,;, ,
were drawn in South Bend, Ind, and
signed in Niles, Mich, last September
under Fitzsimmons' direction.
Dempsey did not receive any con-
sideration for signing that set Of
articles but Wills was paid $5O,OOO,
by Andrew M. Weisberg, a South
Bend hotel man and so far as is
known, Wills stills holds the money
Later Weisberg and his associates
dickered with Clements and Fitz-
simmons for the assignment of the
contract to the Chicago Coliseum
club. Clements followed Dempsey
and Fitzsimmons to the coast on
March 19, and the assignment of
contract was made, and Dempsey
then signed a new set of articles
With the COliSeum cluD. TheSe were
to have been placed in escrow with
a Chicago bank until payment OF
that sum was made. When the draft
was sent through and payment was
not met, Fitzsimmons said he turn
ed the papers over to Dempsey and
the latter asserts he destroyed them.
Clements claims the contracts are
still in escrow here.
Fitzsimmons asserts that if Glenn
ents has a copy of the originals lie
holds them Illegally. Rickard says
that both his hackers and the Illinois
boxing commission have demanded a
showdown on the papers Clements
claims to hold. If Richards attor-
neys1 find that Clements has no
claim on Dempsey's services then
the Dempsey Tunney arrangements
will proceed at once
In the event Clements contract IS
found valid nothing can be done
until the Coliseum club is given Il
chance to make good on it's pay
ment of 100000 to the champion
August 5. If the Coliseum club fails
to make good, then Rickard can be-
gin work again.
Rickard said he could not reveal
his hackers until the matter was
Strengthened out.