The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-10-24
By DILLON GRAHAM
Sports Editor, APP Feature Service

Some flStlc authOrltleS say Pro-
moter Mike Jacobs operates a
monopoly in boxing.
Just the other day the Mary
land boxing commission directed
a move against the New York
boxing monopoly in general.
The commission, saying it was
time to stop the tieing up OF
boxers and smash monopolies" i.
declared Henry Armstrong;
world welterweight champion
ship vacant. Baltimore prOmot-
ers had been unable to obtain
Armstrong to box there. (Arm-
strong later was dethfoned by
Fritzie Zivic)
Jacobs just smiles at the mo-
nopoly' talk. I pay the fighters
more, that's ALL, he says. Other
promoters could get them too if
they would raise my ante
Mike admits to agreements
with several champions and con-
tenders. He. says boxing is a
business and he is in it to make
money. He has to risk his own
money whenever he stages a
fight. If the fight loses money
he must bear the loss. He fig
ures that if he does this. builds
up fighters and gives them an
opportunity to win champion
ships and become valuable prop
erty he must protect himself by
agreements with them to regain
his original investments and
cash in on something he has de-
Veloped.
Better Draw
Jacobs says boxers like to work
for him because they know they
can draw bigger gates in New
York; that they are certain to be
paid whether the fight is finan-
cial success or not and that there
will be no inside maneuver-
ing.
Jacobs is in position to stage
the big crowd-drawing fights
in New York City because he has
leased Yankee Stadium, Madison
Square Garden, the Polo Grounds
and the Gardens Long Island
Bowl.
Mike says that what priority
he may have over fighters serv-
ices will be lost just as soon as
someone else comes up to offer
them more money for bouts.
Jacobs only wants to use any
one fighter two or three times a
year. The rest of the time he can
fight anywhere he pleases, Jacobs
says. However, Mike doesn't like
for fighters with whom he has
agreements, to take on a bout out
side New York which Mike thinks
would make more money there
The fighters readily agree with
him on this. Jacobs points out
that Ceferino Garcia defended
his middleweight title twice
against Glen Lee in Hawaii and
against Henry Armstrong in Cal
ifornia-before he worked for
Mike in New York and lost it to
Ken Overlin. He also says that
more than three-fourths of Arm
strong's title fights were outside
New York. Mike had nothing to
do with Armstrong; fights
against Arizmendi and Garcia in
California or against Roderick in
London.
Theater Parallel?
Jacobs rates boxing as an
amusement business and so. hear
ing the monopoly cries against
him. he wonders why the theatre
cal people in other towns don't
don't hop on the Shuberts for
staging their plays and musical
comedies in New York rather
than in other cities. He thinks
there is a parallel. He has built
up the best business in the big
gest town and sees no reason why
he should be attacked for his sue
cess.
However. some veteran boxing
men in New York and through
out the country maintain that
Jacobs hold on fighters is hurt
ing the game. They ask that if
Jacobs believes fighters viii box
for whoever pays them the most
and he contends he can pay them
more than others. why does he
feel it necessary to obtain bind
ing agreements with them?
Other state commissions also
rail against the New York boxing
commission. The New Workers
feel it is their duty to arrange as
many big matches in their city as
possible so that the state will
draw a bigger revenue through
the tax. Some of their actions
and decisions don't sit well with
outside commissions but Chair
man John Phelan and his aides
60 right ahead adjusting the box
ing in New York State to suit