Sunday Chicago bee. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1925-19??, 1938-05-01
JACOBS CHOOSES YANKEE BALL
PARK AS Scene OF TITLE BOUT
Promoter Yields to Obligations to New
York Business Interests

A'i@' ALL - NJ
though Promoter Mike Jacobs has
made no official announcement as
yet, it is generally conceded in
fight circles here that the much !
publicized Louis-Schmeling bat
tie for the heavyweight cham
pionship of the world on June %,
will be held in the Yankee Sta
dunn in this city, the scene of
the German Schlager's triumph
over the Brown Bomber two
years ago.
According to reports from re-
liable sources, preparations for
the fight to be held in the baseball
stadium have already begun, and
therefore, it appears certain that
New York, which all along had
believed that it would be the fav-
ored city for the match will reap
the golden harvest Of shekels that
will come as a result Of staging
the championship fight here.
Speculation on where Promoter
Jacobs would decide to promote
the struggle between the colored
champion and his German chal-
lenger has existed for more than
year. Several cities, notably
Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia
came TO the lore with attractive
offers for selection as the site.
Rich Stakes
The contending cities were bid
ding with an eye single to the
rich stakes involved. Last June,
when Louis won the heavyweight
crown from James j. Braddock
in Chicago it was estimated that
upwards of $3,OO0,OOO, in the
form of expenditures, for trans
portation, lodging, entertainment,
and necessaries was attracted to
Chicago. The LOuis-Schmeling
fight is expected to attracted a
$1,5OO,OO0 gate, which would
} mean that thousands and thou
! sands of visitors will flock to the
4 city in which it will be held.
, The chief cause for the selec-
ton Of New York for the forth
coming battle, according to re-
ports, is the assurance that the
attendance will be greater here
than would be possible in any
one Of the other contending cities.
Although Philadelphia is said to
have offered its stadium rent
free, that city was not chosen be-
cause of its location, which, it
was thought, would not make
possible as large an attendance
as is desired
Chicago Fought Hard
Chicago, where the last cham
pionship match was held, put up
a hard and continuous fight to
land the bout, Boxing Commits
sioner Triner of the Windy City,
made several trips to this city to
interview Promoter Jacobs con-
corning staging the fight in his
city at the great Soldier Field
stadium which has a seating ca
pacity, for fight purposes, of over
hundred thousand.
AS attractive as were the offers
Of Chicago, however, it appears
that Promoter Jacobs thought it
best not to hold two successive
championship bouts there, for
fear that New York, which is sup
posed to be the world capital of
pug lism, might become piqued.
And it is believed that Jacobs had
no desire 10 run counter to the
wishes Of the Twentieth Century
Sporting Club, Of which he is the
president. which had insisted that
he stage the Louis-Schmeling fra
cas- in this city.
Detroits chief bid for the fight
was based upon the fact that it
felt that it had been sighted in
the matter Of seeing its own son,
Joe Louis, in any Of his major
battles, and therefore, thought it
should get the championship bout.
The Motor City's offer was at
tractive enough, but, no doubt,
its size, in comparison with the
size of New York and Chicago,
left it out of consideration al
most from the beginning.
Mike Crafty in Negotiations
Up until this week every city
SIll0I0u III IIlC d(O W ACAAANA viz
championship battle, was hope
full Of success, and it was not
known which one would be cho-
sen. Jacobs had conducted ne
gotiations with the several cities
50 craftily that he had kept them
all was Chicago, where, upon va
haps, the most hopeful Of them
chances to win out. But, per-
rious occasions, the press Of that
city had come out with the an
nouncement that the Windy City
would be the site Of the June bat
tie
However, after the Louis
Thomas battle, when the gate
barely was large enough to pay
expenses, New Workers became
almost certain that the Louis
Schmeling fight would come to
their city. New York gave ia
cobs an estimated $4,000 gate
for the Schmeling- Thomas bat
tie, the Germans end Of the
purse being only few thousand
dollars less than the total gate
for the Louis-Thomas affray in
Chicago a few months later.