Evening star., 1932-03-06
NEW YORK SLUMPS
AS BOXING CENTER
Best Ring Sport Programs
Now Are Being Offered
in Middle West.
BY EDWARD ]. NEIL.
Associated Press Sports wrtter.

ASSOCIATED freSS sports Writer.
n IEW YORK. March 5.-Fcr
" the time being, at least,
4 Y the center Of prize fight
interest has definitely
shifted to Chicago and away
from New York, where the late
Tex Rickard once builded a fisti-
cuff monopoly that laughed at
competition.
1t seems strange to see such
arguments as Jack Dempsey'S
ability to come back definitely
settled in Chicago against an
ordinary battler such as King
Levinsky, where, in the past, the
old champion dealt only with
Madison Square Garden, some
times without even the formal
ity of a contract.
And just as strange does 1t seem for
the wealthy Garden, a $1,000, 900 prop
erty that once was the heart and sinew
OF the fight business, entertaining a
crowd Of 10000 for a lightweight duel
between young Sammy Miller Of Boston
and the veteran Ray Miller. while
Chicago, the same night, played host
to Ernie Schaaf and not-so-young Bill
Stribling in the most important heavy
weight fight Of the indoor season.
Statistics Tell Tale.
But statistics tell the tale of swing
of important fights toward the Midwest
and away from New York, once the
golden land Of the up-and-coming
mauler Chicago has its stadium, bigger
even than the Garden, and cagey
matchmaker in Nate Lewis who throws
the huge building open only when he
is sure Of the attractiveness OF fight
card.
The Garden has been functioning
haphazardly on several systems since
the death of Rickard four years ago:
but maintaining always that some set
of bouts. good or bad, must be staged
in the battle pit every Friday night that
the Garden Is available during the In
door season.
The results, since the first Of the
year, run something like this:
Chicago has staged one championship
tilt, a welterweight title match, in which
Jackie Fields. Chicago boy, regainsd
the l47-pound crown from Lou Brou1l-
lard of Boston. The closest the Garden
came to putting on championship bout
was the hasco January 8, when Bat
Battalino failed to weigh within 1o
pounds of the featherweight limit, fore
ing abandonment of his match that
night with Lou Feldman.
Provides Good Cards.
Chicago was able to provide Ernie
Schaaf with such foe as Stribling, last
years challenger for Max Schmeiings
heavyweight crown, and the Gardens
Ruggirella, a ponderous italian, whom
Ernie belted out In four rounds.
The Garden here has been able to
show nothing that approaches the $75,-
600 gate Dempsey and Levinsky drew in
their four-round exhibition February ID.
No gate since the start Of the year here
has bettered half that amount.
In fact, the lone bright spot on the
Garden record so far in 1882 has been
the development of Steve Hamas, a
slugging young heavyweight, through
his two-round knockout Of the ageing,
tremble legged Tommy Loughran Janu-
airy Is. There have been other knock
outs, such as Billy Petrolle's six-round
walloping of Eddie Ran and Rams
snufing out of Billy Townsend in two
rounds, but for the most part the New
York matches have lacked significance.
The indoor competition is about over
for the season, with the giving over Of
the Garden to such things as six-day
bike races and the circus. With the
coming Of the Summek however, the
Garden, for one fight at least, will step
back to the head of the fight process
sion. Max Schmeling will defend his
heavyweight title against Jack Sharkey
in the Yankee Stadium in June in the
most important battle of the year.
For month New York again will be
the worlds hstic capital. But from
the general staggery appearance of the
business here, 1t may be the last stand.