The Indianapolis times., 1929-02-21

meet in a ten-round battle WIFI
nothing in particular at stake.
Stribling is to be paid $4,000; Shar-
KEYS guarantee is 100000. Str1o-
ling has vet to establish his class
as a top-fight fighter. His record
is spectacular in the sense that ne
has scored 113 knockouts. But the
record is largely synthetic. More
than 80 per cent of his knockouts
were registered at the expense OF
little known fighters.
Sharkey is a strange combination
of artistry and awfulnesS. For TWO
rounds against Jack Dempsey ne
looked the part of the master. From
then on he was very ordinary, even
conceding, in the same paragraph,
that the blows which ultimately
sent him to the floor were low and
illegal.
STRIPPED OF THE BALLYHOO, A
MEETING BETWEEN SHARKEY AND
sTRIBLING. JUDGED COLDLY ON
THEIR PAST PERFORMANCES. Hardly
WOULD RATE AS BATTLE OF THE
CENTURY. STAGED IN MADISON
SQUARE GARDEN, THERE WOULD BE A
REVOLT IF THE PROMOTERS DARED
TO IMPOSE A TARIFF HIGHER THAN
ei5 ON THE CUSTOMERS
But down here in community
where no fighter ever has played
to more than five-dOllar tops,
Stribling and Sharkey win gross a
minimum of S35O,00O.
PT~HE situation is not beyond
ANALYSIS. There must be q
healthy interest in the fight. There
must be lot of money here to
spend on it. The field must be ripe
for it. These things are both obvl-
Gus and fundamental. The news
papers call your attention to the
presence of the magnetic Dempsey
who is acting as the promoter. You
are told that there is more interest
in him than in either OF the prln-
cipals.
You ALSO ARE TOLD THAT THE UN-
USUAL GENIUS OF BILL CAREY is NO
SMALL FACTOR IN MAKING THE FIGHT
A SUCCESS. CAREY is THE WALL
STREET OPERATOR WHO STEPPED
INTO THE BREACH WHEN TEX RICK
ARD DIED. TAKING OVER THE con-
DUCT OF THE GARDEN AND ITS vARI-
GUS BUSINESS SCHEMES.
But who was the man who first
had the notion that fair-to-m mid
ling fight could be put on down
here and that the customers
would respond in sufficient num-
bers to make it financial surety
In the face of seemingly impOS-
Sibie guarantees? The answer, of
course, is Tex Rickard.
DEMPSEY'S presence has been
IL an asset. So has Carey's busi-
ness efficiency. But neither was
essentially needed This fight was
a success from the beginning, and
Rickard was the only one who real
lied it or believed in it. When he
decided to invest 100000 in prop
osition lacking both background
and precedent he was actuated by
the same pioneering impulses that
moved him to bring Cans and Nell
son to Goldfeld, Jeffries and john
son to Reno and Carpenter and
Dempsey to Jersey City,
THE MAN. AS A PROMOTER, WAS
TRULY THE BARNUM OF HIS TIME. AND
THAT Is PROBABLY GIVING BARNUM
MORE THAN HE DESERVES. NOBODY
BELIEVED IN THE BEGINNING THAT
RICHARD WOULD MAKE A SUCCESS OF
THIS FIGHT. NOT EVEN HIS NTr-
MATES. TALKED WITH MANY OF
THEM. AND WAS PERMITTED TO BE-
LIEWE THE REAL REASON RICHARD
HAD ARRANGED THE FIGHT WAS TO
STIMULATE INTEREST IN CERTAIN
GAMBLING INSTITUTIONS IN WHICH
HE AND DEMPSEY WERE HEAVILY
HOOKED.
However. Rickard was vain about
his Judgment and his standing as
8 promotez., and when he signed
this fight am sure he was positive
in his own mind that it would be
the success it is now developing into.
sx@a~ ~--N