Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-07-27
CHAMP Wins
POPULARITY
WRITER SAYS
Hard Rock of Down
Under Made Into
Gravel; Richard Los
es But Sees Profits
BY EDWARD j. NEIL
Associated Press Sports Writer


NEW YORK, July 27.-Pp-The
"hard rock Of down under" was we'll
nigh gravel today. pulverized by the
power in the fists of Gene Tunney, a
real fighting marine.
Under a storm Of gloves that ripped
his scanned features open. and blind
ed him in n eye, Tom Heeney of
New Zealand. who plodded his way
past all American c~hallengers, crum-
bled last night in the eleventh round
of the fifteen round battle he had
earned with the heavyweight king.
Heeney went down . a sham
bling, CORY figure. numbed in body
by terrific right hand punches which
a new brand Of Gene Tunney poured
into the almost d~efenseless challen-
ger for nearly five consecutive
rounds. Heeney sank TO the canvas,
saved from the ignominy of a knock
out by the shielding arm Of the ref
cree, but only after one Of the great
est stands and most vicious beatings
a heavyweight ever endured.
Killer Revealed
overshadowing, perhaps, the I'M
q~uenchable courage Of the challenger
in the face Of whitening glove fire
vas the picture Of the champion, re-
vealed at last under the glaring
lights OF the Yankee stadium ring as
a "killer"-the type Of fighter Tun-
ney in his heart always has envied.
Unfortunately, Genes awesome dis
play Of punching venom came too
late to saw Tex Richard from the
first great financial failure Of his
career. Although official receipts
have yet TO be announced, the pro-
moter admitted that the crowd Of 50,-
600 that more than half filled the
huge home Of the American league
void champions paid $780, 900 to see
the major fistic show Of the outdoor
season.
Fight Loss Heavy
The loss to Tex Richard and the
Madison Square Garden corporation,
coming al the end Of a series Of
heavyweight championship matches
that set new records for receipts.
probably will reach $500, 900. The
championship tilt, counting a guar
antee Of S525, 900 for Tunney and
100000 for Heeney. probably cost
100000 to stage and Of the S7O0,000
estimated receipts. the promoter must
pay 80 per cent in taxes to the state
and federal governments.
But through that dreary vista of
figures that showed Richard nothing
but losses where gates Of S1,S00,000
and $4,000 0 once bloomed under
the magic touch of Jack Dempsey, the
promoter today saw visions OF bigger
and better gates" to come. The inn
pressario Of Madison Square Garden
believes that he now has in Tunney
the makings Of one OF the greatest
drawing cards in the history Of the
ring-a master boxer with the power
in his giant fists TO batter helpless
a man who never before was punched
70 the canvas.
Tunney Took Lead in 3rd
Certainly the handsome champion.
bronzed TO the color Of an Indian,
trained TO the minute, and savage in
the perfection of his clouting ac-
curacy, turned loose on Tom Heeney
a brilliant all-round display OF
fighting power.
From the third round until the
seventh, when a slashing right hook
paralyzed the optic nerve in Toms
left eye. there was no question Of
Tunney's supremacy. And from the
moment that blow landed until ref
cree Ed Forbes mercifully stepped in
TO ave the Anzsc. blind and help
less, after two minutes and 50 seconds
Of slaughter in the eleventh, the sole
issue was one Of endurance-Heeny's
ability TO absorb punishment.
For just a moment in the tenth
round. as Heeney. battered senseless