The Washington times., 1930-04-18
ARKEY -SCHMELING GATE TO PASS 81, 900, 600 MARK
HUGEADVANCE.
SALE FNSIJRES
|TSSUCCESS
Nv DAVIS ]. WALSH

BY DAVIS Do WALSH
NEW YORK, April 18.-On the
evening of June IL next the first
million dollars that professional
boxing has seen simultaneously
since the Dempsey-Tunney fight
at Chicago three years ago is
likely to totter feebly to the doors
of the Yankee Stadium and beg
to be taken in charge. The re.
turn of the million-dollar gate
to boxing has been predicted he.
fore without notable success,
which means that the promoter
lost no more than his waiStcoat
But this is more than a predic
ton, more than a promise. 1t is
q very dastardly threat.
The fuIfillment is to come when
Sharkey. and Schilling enter the
ring for their heavyweight cham
pionship brawl in the presence of
10000 people. The fight, it
seems, hardly can miss either its
Sell-out or it's million and the
proof is furnished by today's total
of advance sales, seven weeks be-
fore the fight.
There is more than 100000
in the till today, thus break
ing all Seven-weegkS-Old adj
vance records for any fight,
any place, any time.
It is away out in front of the
Dempsey-Carpertier receipts at a
corresponding period in its devel-
opment. This enterprise having
balanced neatly with the petty
cash until the steam got circulat-
ing in it's pipes and warmed it
up. They seem to like this one
in June even while it still is cold.
The cash-on-hand situation to-
day also is running well out be-
yond the early pace of the second
Dempsey-Tunney episode, where
they knew what they were going
to get-and got it. Therefore, if
this fight can start from nowhere
and finish $2,600,O00 away, the ma
tural assumption is that Sharkey
and Schmeling ought to be able to
start from 100000 and run right
through million.
If they do, they will furnish the
first Nillion-dollar gate that box
ing has known without the con,
niVance of John Dempsey, the kid
himself.
what's the answer? Sharkey
isn't it. HeTaaS fought some fights
around here without inflaming
the populace to a point where it is
absolutely beside itself. To pro-
duce a million-dollar house, the
populace has to be very much be-
side itself-one row after another.
Schmeling may be part of the an
swer but not all Of it. The man
can hit and they go for that kind
In a big way.
The real answer, however,
goes back to the fact that the
heavyweight championship is
involved. They have had the
title out of circulation for two
years, which is just long
enough to inspire public curl
Osity.
Show me a curious man and
I'll show you one who is not to
be deferred until he learns all.
Another contribution to public
interest is found in the interna-
tional character of the meeting.
This always helps, but never $50
much as when the invader is a
man who can fight as robustly as
Schmeling. They haven't forgot
ten Firpo and they don't plan to.
The price of the tickets is another
Lorelei that calls from afar,
reckoning the wayfarer who might
be- headed elsewhere. These are
rated along at So, SIS, $13 and $25.
Anyhow, one never tasks
questions of results and the
promoters are getting the lat
ter too fast to count them.
There was more than a thou
sand orders filed the day the
fight was announced.
Two ticket agencies are clamor-
ing for 400 ringside seats without
surcease, which, speaking in the
vernacular, means without tickets.
In addition, there is still about
100000 worth of orders to come
from source close to the promo
ton, while the Madison Square
Garden Corporation will fill up
ward of a thousand ringside seats
with its members and friends.
This one may 30 wrong. But if
it does. I want to get lucky for
once and go with it.
S0nde Definitely
RofTSrno IN Saddle