Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-28
FOULS AND FLOPS
MARK F|ST|C YEAR
Five New Champs Crowned,
but Purses Are Slim and
Crowds Skinny.

A N exasperating crop Of
n heavyweights and a bunch
1 \ Of free-swinging welter-
weights and lightweights
managed to produce what little
excitement was generated in box
ing in 1930-a year that will 60
down in fistic> annals, until more
severe one comes along, as the
time of the great financial
drought.
1t was year for browning of new
champions, although four Of the eight
major divisions all but died In the
process
But for all this It was a year OF slim
purses and disappointing turnouts. The
business depression that swept the
country seemed to strike straight at
the pockets of the fight faithful. The
big arenas Of st. Louis, Chicago. Boston
and Detroit struggled TO make both ends
meet. Even Madison Square Garden,
wealthiest Of the fight organizations,
failed to do better than break even for
the year.
Most of the outdoor shows in New
York either failed heavily financially or
just managed to pay expenses, although
the Sharkey-Schmeling bout drew
$749,934. This was the biggest heavy
weight gate" since the Tunney- Heeney
title bout in 1923.
A COunterirritant.
The rise and fall of Scott, usually
moaning and claiming foul, furnished a
counterirritant to the transforming
tour of Primo Camera, italian Goliath,
who pushed his way through the hinter-
lands amid great excitement, popping
over the crippled and aged until halted
temporarily in Oakland, Calf, by the
scandal that enveloped his match there
with Bombo Chevalier, Negro who re-
fused to listen to reason.
The Camera bubble burst when jim
my Maloney outpointed him in Boston
and Pauline UzcudIIn lost q close de-
cision to him in Barcelona, Spain.
Scott won on a foul from Otto Won
POrat. of Chicago. in the dying days
of 1929, and lost on a technical knock
out to Jack Sharkey in the GARDENS
annual outdoor fiesta in Miami, Fla,
February 81.
Scott again claimed foul, but Referee
Lou Magnolia, after ordering min
utes rest, sent the Englishman out to
be whipped in three rounds. Later
young Stribling. the Georgia aviator,
making his annual comeback, bowled
over Won Porat in round in Chicago
June 20 and went to London to wind M
SCOTS career with two-round knock
out July 28. :.
Max Synthetic Champ.
Sharkey and Schmeling collided In
the Yankee Stadium June IL, with
the heavyweight championship, vacant
since the retirement of Gene Tunney
in 1923, at stake.
Again the heavyweight habit asserted
itself and Schmeling won on o foul in
four rounds. Officially Schrneling be-
came the titleholder and hustled back
to Germany with his treasure but the
boxing public still questions his right to
the throne.
The light heavyweights acquired q
champion when Jimmy Slattery defeat
ed Lou Scozza in their home town Of
Buffalo, but RoSenbloom lifted the title
by decision in 15-round match there
June is. Since then Maxey has been
searching fer opponents.
Jackie Fields lost the welterweight
title to Young Jack Thompson by de-
cision in is rounds in Detroit May g.
and Tommy Freeman, Hot Springs vet
erarl. promptly outpointed Thompson in
title duel September in Cleveland.
Singer Rises and Falls.
The lightweights were more spectac-
ular. Al Singer, Bronx beauty, knocked
out the defending champion, Sammy
Mandell, in a round at the Yankee
Stadium July IL, but foolish1y tackled
Jimmy McLarnin in q non-title battle
August H.
Singer was battered from the premises
in three rounds and seemed sti1 suffer-
ing from shell-shock when he defended
his championship against Tony Can
zoneri, former featherweight king, NO
vember IA in the Garden.
Canzoneri snuffed the youngster out
in two punches.
Midget Wolgast of Philadelphia won
the fiyweight championship In an elinni-
nation tournament, but interest in
the class died. walker kept the middle
weight division from getting anywhere,
and the bantamweights, with Panama
Al Brown recognized - the champion,
got nowhere through lack Of outstand-
ing contenders.