Evening star., 1938-04-20
TURNS EN- AWAY
AT CLOSING MEET
Only School in Big Ten to
Foster Sport, It Claims
National Crown.
By LAWRENCHPERRY.

NEW YORK, April 20.-Attention
Of Mike Jacobs and other boxing i'm
presarios throughout the country
herewith is directed to the University
of Wisconsin, where boxing, in its
fifth year as an intercollegiate sport
at Madison. drew in the season re-
Gently ended a total of 63,700 paid
spectators at six home meets.
Climax was reached in the Wash
1ngton State encounter last week,
when 14.300 customers watched the
embattled Cougars and Badgers slap
one another around the squared cir
Gle. incidentally. it will be up to the
University of Washington crew on
June l9 next to redeem the honor of
its far-fung commonwealth on the
BOSTON, of Lake Mendoza.
Meanwhile, intersectional laurels
are all with Wisconsin, whose maulers
thumped and belabored the Pacific
Coast Conference champions to The
tune of 5i2 to 2l2.
Had there been room, the attend
ance at this meet would have gone
we'll above $4,000. inasmuch as nearly
1000 persons who wanted to see the
bouts were turned away at the doors.
Cougars Rule on Coast.
The only university in the West
ern Conference which conducts box
ing on an intercollegiate basis, Wis
consin now is claiming mythical
national intercollegiate championship
with considerable warrant. Washing
ton State, for example, has won the
Pacific Slope Conference title two
years running and was national inter-
collegiate title holder in 1887.
Louisiana State and Tulane, beaten
at Madison this year. placed one and
two in the Southeastern Conference
tournament: Syracuse and Penn State,
also defeated by the Badgers. placed
second and third behind West Point
In the Eastern intercollegiate Boxing
Association meet. while West Virginia,
still another 1888 victim, was high
scorer in the nationals early this
month, with Littlepage, 165 pounds,
and Dickerson, heavyweight, winning
titles.
The Badgers home meets drew as
follows: st. Norbert's, $500; Syra-
cuse, 1000: Tulane. $500; Penn
State. ll.o00; West Virginia. 1900,
and Washington State, 14.3OO. The
The one tourney away from home
against Louisiana State at Baton
rouge. drew 1000.
Thus, boxing at Wisconsin has come
to be a sport of financial significance,
sturdy adjunct to football and bas-
ket ball In supplying funds for the con-
duct of all other varsity and intra-
mural athletic activities. throughout
the season. Badger maulers won 43
matches. lost l3 and received draws
in bouts.
Unbeaten in Four Years.
The coach, Johnny Walsh, Is years
old and law student in the univer-
sity, has coached four years at Madi-
son and all his teams have been I'M
defeated. All the boxers are Wiscon-
sin boys and the sport is not being
commercialized in any way Ringside
seats cost 81 and general admission
so cents.
Competent observers of boxing say
that Omar Crocker, lightweight and
a sophomore, hits harder for his size
than any other fighter, amateur or
professional, that they have seen. Five
OF the seven straight bouts he has won
were by knockouts.
Increased capacity in the Wiscon-
SIN field house, by the way, is the re-
suit OF Harry Stuhldreher's construc-
tive initiative in adding a second bal
cony. Harry is doing so many things
at Madison that no one will be sur
prlsed II he raises the field house roof
and installs a gallery as well.