The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-03-19
l ALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS
80 YORK- March BE-.

I
T HAD resolved 10 write no more
for years TO come, and then only
under pressure. about Phil Suffering
Scott. but seem to detect the be-
ginning Of new campaign TO
bring the fragile fireman back TO
the metropolitan rings. william
Muldoon, the self-avowed purist OF
pugilism, has once more leaped 10
the lances in defense Of the strange
gentleman from overseas. He claims
that Scott has been shamefuily
treated by America and inferentiaLy
he calls on the sporting instinct OF
the country to atone for the crime
by giving the Britisher another
whirL
There may he something more to this
than the noble expressions Of an outraged
soul to whom all things are fine and beau
tlful. for it will be remembered that 1t
was MuIdoon who compelled Madison
Square Garden to accept Scott as one oil
the PRINCIPALS, ~ that is the word. in the
Miami misery. II seems reasonable to Tear
that II he could do this once. nothing can
stop him from doing it again, IL he so
wills.
theoretically a boxing commissioner IS
. supposed 10 function mainly IN judicial
capacitv. but IN the case Of Muldoon and
his associates on the New York commits
sion II is very hard to determine Just
where authority begins and where 1t ends.
II at all The right OF the commission TO
reject what appears 70 be obviously one
sided matches is generally recognized and
In many instances this has operated as
splendid safeguard for the customers. but
IN extending this authority to the making
Of matches the bosses Of boxing clearly
overreach themselves. IT IS an a5sump-
ton OF power akin 10 the sewage com
mission debating the wage scale in fac
tories where mauhole covers are de-
signed.
r HAVE more than a limited
i respect for MuldOon both as
a personality and an observer of
matter pertaining to the glove
busters, but when he pretends to
pass Judgment on a fight that he
did not see and which was held
many miles from his presence, 1
am disposed to question the i'm
portance Of his testimony.
He IS quoted as saving that America
has been shamefulIy unfair to Scott. and
that the Britisher was whipped before he
went into the ring. Well, let's see about
that.
To begin with. nv what means did Scott
qualify for the Miami bout? He won
from CamDolo. Charles and Robert. and
in winning showed nothing to impress the
critics. lie was beaten by Risko knocked
out In "A round by Hansen, and refused
TO continue after being swished gently
on the panties by a stray punch by Won
Porat. On this record MuIdoon insisted
that he was still a top flight performer
and that he must be kent in the elimina-
lions. IL might he said that this was
shamefuEIy unfair. but surely not to Scott,
who progressed from match TO match with
a steadily mounting bank balance.
NTOW as to the Miami misery:
~ Muldoon says Scott was
whipped before he went into the
ring. I will admit that he was at
a psychological disadvantage, but
this was disadvantage of his own
creation. He had claimed foul and
won by this means so often that it
was almost a certainty he would
claim foul again if the pressure be-
came tight.
This was an angie that the Sharkey
crowd did not overlook. and the Sharkey
crowd is not one that places n heavy
emphasis on scrupleS or SportsmanShip,
having been reared and nurtured in the
.ennobling traditions Of the fight racket.
swing no towel for the Sharkey
crowd and it is my belief that they went
into the fight resolved D. capitalize this
favoring situation. At the same time am
equally convinced that Scott either
through design or force OF habit was pre-
pared to do exactly what he did. Which
was to fold when the -jdrid bombarding
became slightly irks'
find in checking ,cotts record that
he folded In this mann seven times all
told. which Is probably record for this
form of Mummerv.