The Washington times., 1929-10-18
HIGH CLASS
CROWD AIM
| OF JACK
BY Jack Dempsey

My opening boxing snow IN
Chicago wasn't one of those
financial triumphs. But | did
not expect it to be. An even
break in the matter of cash
was my hope-and that hope
was realized.
THE big thing L was aiming for
was what might be called class.
l wanted those seats in the Coli
scum occupied by group Of people
who would be representative of the
highest type of Chicago citizenry.
And those folks were there, they
liked the show, they enjoyed the
way they were handled. and l feel
that l have made a happy start
as Chicago promoter. l was
bncking plenty Of difficulties in
that inaugural.
First of all, am not Chicagoan.
That made a few folks regard me
as an invader. Secondly the Coli
saum, when l took it over. had
gained a reputation as an arena
that wasn't all that first.class
boxing palace should be. And, in
the third place, there were many
who regarded the card as one
where clinching, hauling, end dane
ing would predominate.
- I announced i'm advance that
~tle interior of the Coliseum had
been radically changed. Those
who went to the opening show
quickly noticed that ] was cor.
rect in that statement. 1t re-
uuired plenty of money to make
an almost complete trarstorlna.
stion of the Coliseum interiOr-but
the Job was done.
Right now I figure that the Coli
scum in it's decorations. its lighting
effects, and its newly installed mod
ern devices for successful conduct
of ring shows, compares with any
thing in the country, and perhaps
got the jump on some of the other
promoters by covering the ring
ropes with soft rubber so as to pre-
Vent fighters from getting rope
burns" l also put in a red canvas
covering on the ring so that smears
OF, blood, so Objectionable to many
patrons. cannot be seen.
Taking a leaf out of Tex Rick
ards book on promotiOnal success
I%had uniformed ushers-plenty of
them-thus absolutely assuring
every patron that he would get his
right seat. And following the sue
cessful mo smoking" order orig
mated by the New York State Ath
lstic Commission, | requested my
ushers to enforce the rule. They
did-and there was no trouble about
1t at all.
Those who reckoned that the caro-
would not provide thrills were
greatly in error. Jackie Fields
Vince Dundee. and Dave Shade
were among my headliners. Those
boys sometimes have put on dull
exhibitions in the opinion of some
fans. But they didn't do it thai
night. | told them-as I told the
others on the program-that they
must provide action or they never
would get a second chano" in the
Coliseum.
And as result, Fields and
Dundee put up one of the most
furious battles ! ever saw, while
Shade, drawing Joe Roche, of
California as an opponent, had
to give all he had in the effort
tn save himself from defeat at
thc hands Of Roche. who
knorked down Shade and then
cut him quite bit.
When the last punch Of the night
had been struck a big group came
to me and offered congratulations
They all told me that / had trans
formed the Coliseum; that I had
conducted a show as we'll as any
promoter ever had done-and al
that was like music to me. Maybe
some Of it was blarney. but al
least I know that they liked the
Coliseum and the bouts-and thai
they will como again.
/ launched myself on q promo
tional career October and I take
my second try the latter part o1
this month. l figure that will be
the real test and / am hopeful thai
things will get better and better
and that l prove that I can pro
mote the kind Of shows that are
ftgely, clean and honest, wherein
each patron IL fairly treated and
gets a 100 per cent run for his
money.
Copyright 1929, King Features
syndicate. Inc.)
There's n haPrare of "Rouud nm,