Evening star., 1928-06-10
MINIMUM PRICE
IS SEEN AS &.M
Bargain Figure for Tunney's
Go With Heeney Due to
Tax Regulation.
BY SPARROW McGANN.

NEW YORK. June 9.--TeX Rickard
went before the local boxing commits
sion this week and appraised tho
worthy moguls in the Empire State
that July &c had been selected as the
date and the Yankee Stadium AS the
place for the Tunney-Heency cham
pionship battle of 1923. But Tex fails
TO enligrten the public just how much
he expects TO tax his guests.
1t will BE- recalled that Tex got away
with a $50 top for the Dempsey
Carpenter scrap in Jersey City July 2.
1921 How well the fans thought of
this contest is borne out by the receipts,
which crossed sl,626.S80.
In 1929 Dempsey and Firpo rolled up
sl.1S2,322 in this city. The price for
the best--and the worst-Seats was
s2750 Ringside seats in Philadelphia
for the first Dempsey -Tunney battle
sold at the same price. Fans paid
Sl.S95.723 for the privilege of seeing
this poor setto.
Chicago Sets Record.
Forty dollars was the price for the
second meeting between the Greenwich
villager and the Hermit of Oiai.
Chicago was the place, and gained the
honor of piling up the greatest take-in
for a boxing match in the history of
puguism. or any other sport for that
matter-$2. .658.800.
New York did not have the pleasure
of containing the Dempsey -Tunney
fights. largely because the limit price
whifh might be charged for seats was
s27b0 and the boxing commission
would not LET Rickard raise the ante.
But now, by virtue of decision by the
attorney general of New York, pro-
meters are permitted to charge any,
thing they think the public will
stand for.
But it appears Rickard is not fig
urihg on the sky as the limit He is
going to be charitable and scale his
prieeS from S45 down to S499. There
is 4 catch in that last one. An amend
mept to the revenue law, booked to take
effect on June %. tacks Is per cent
: tax. on all tickets to boxing contests
priced at SIS and over The fans IN
-ls far reaches of the bleachers, who
have to depend on spy glasses, binocu-
'arS and what have you will save $l.25
sax by having their tickets priced Just
cns cent below the taxable SIS. That
is certainly nice of the big-heartcd
promoter.
First Ten Rows Good.
But what about the fellow who pays
for, ringside ticket? It is UNDER
stood that the privileged few who are
grouped In the first 10 rows viii have
nothing to worry about. Those seats
farther away from the actual ringside
might Just as well join their less for
tunate brethren out in the bargain
counter section. The bleacherites will
see more of the fight through glasses.
1t is true, than some Of the holders OF
higher priced tickets.
One thing the boxing commission
might do is TO request Rickard to nile
a sensible. readable layout of his seat
ing arrangements. In Philadelphia Tex
did not come across with a seating lay
ont until the week of the bout and it
was just as intelligent TO the average
fan as an income tax blank or
Chinese laundry ticket.
At Chicago the numeral system was
used 10 designate the different sections.
But the highest numbers were close &c
the ring and the smaller the number
you had the farther away you were
seated. This was a neat way Of pre-
venting arguments before the fight.
Rickard proposes TO elevate the seats
on the field so that all the fans win
be In a position 10 witness the scrap.
Well, if Mr. Rickard can raise the
seats high enough without obstructing
the view Of those in the lower boxes
ard grandstand ne viii disprove his
own recent statement that. "a ball park
is no place 10 stage a boxing contest"
No matter what price the tickets are,
Rickard is assured of a big gate. Ac-
cording to the latest news from the
battle front-the box oface-reserva-
tions totaling S500,0oO are on file.
A million and a half or two million
dollars is possible. No matter wndt
Congress does TO cut into the huge re-
eeipts Of a heavyweight contest, the
gate will be a paying one provided
Richard can make the fans believe IT
viii be the only one staged that season.