Evening star., 1940-07-31
Purse Strings Loose,
Refuses 10 Be Free
With Boss Coin
Would Bring Rodeo Here;
Pete Surron Does Well
With Health Club
BY LEWIS F. ATCHISON.


man, reined up in Washington for
a spell and allowed as how 1t was
hot enough to broil ali old puttee
and unburdened himself OF a few
idle thoughts on the sports scene
in general and boxing in particular.
Erwin, you may recall, is the gent
who introduced the beak-bashing
business at Riverside Stadium
while back, ran three shows and
bowed out before the mad onrush
of a mob of roller-skaters and bum
ion-burdened walkathoners. When
he took his unsabbatical leave of
the joint we all said he was washed
up, couldn't make a go of it and
that boxing was as dead as last
weeks sports page at Severine
Leoff1er's cozy plant.
Well, we must have been wrong;
at least, the seamy-faced ex-Army
jockey told us as much. Said
he was coming back to Washington
as soon as the last hoofer had been
swept out of the premises and the
place was idle. 1t won't be soon,
not this week or next, but in the
autumn definitely. AS Erwin ex-
planned. the place is booked up to
the hilt and boxing can be only a
side issue until it lifts itself into
the big money bracket. You can't
blame guy for renting the place
for a food show rather than pro-
mote a match If there's more money
in it, can you?
Jimmy Making Hay.
But Jimmy is letting no grass
grow under his feet. He has a cou-
pie of places lined up for ring
shows and is thinking seriously of
importing a rodeo to Washington
next winter after the bronco bus
ters have done their stuff in Madi-
son Square Garden. He's on his
way to the Big, Town today, as
matter of fact, to discuss the idea
with Frank Moore, the synthetic
cowboy who stages the Gardens
big roundup. If they can work
out deal we'll have some lively
entertainment here next winter.
Erwin has Jimmy Perrin, who
owns the Louisiana copy of the
featherweight title, under contract
for couple of bouts in Southern
territory, notably Birmingham. Per-
rim, he points out, is as much en-
titled to claim the crown as any
other fighter around and can make
more out of 1t because he has a
larger territory. Jimmy says Per-
rim will mop up before some green
better unwittingly skaters his claim
to greatness with a vicious crack on
the jaw.
Birmingham Bonanza.
In Birmingham Erwin and his
Petey Sarron, former feather champ,
coined a sizable wad of dough. Petey
Is getting along famously in his
home town, operating a high-class
health club and generally leading
the luxurious life of landed baron.
Petey's partner is Dave Evans,
former superintendent of the Bir-
lningham Boys Club, and his knowl-
edge of organization and Sarrons
personally-and bankroll-are put
ting over the place.
Erwin has been all over Dixie
since shaking Washington clay
from his spurs. AS he went he
sampled the citizens various tastes
and thinks he picked up enough in
formation to go back to a flock of
States with the right kind of attrac-
tions.
"Boxing's funny game" he said
with that funny little chuckle. "a
show that would sell out in New
York wouldn't go in Washington,
and vice versa, and I had that in
mind when promoted at Riverside.
Mr.. Leoff1er gave me free rein and
wasn't tight with the purse-strings,
but I wasn't going out and spend a
lot of money for fights that weren't
any better than the ones I put in
I took gamble on Buck Everett
and lost, but if he had knocked out
Nathan Mann or given him a good
fight I would have been a hero and
a Sooo
Erwin Is Philosophical.
II took my chance and lost, so
I'm not squawking. You got to do
it. I'd do it all over again. A
matchmaker must book fight that
looks good to himself first of ALL
If didn't think a fight would be a
good one, how could I sell it to any,
body else? And why waste another
mans money simply because be had
faith in me? I don't do business
that way, and you don't have to
spend million dollars to get good
fight. Sometimes your plans 60
wrong, of course, but that's all in
the game"
Jimmy wasn't surprised by Lew
Jenkins kayo by Henry Armstrong.
He thinks the only fighter around
able to give Armstrong a run for
the marbles is a tall. clever boxer
by the name of Izzy Jannazzo. He
thinks Izzy is smart. cool and ag-
gressive enough to knock Henry's
crown from his head. whereas
Jenkins, in his book, didn't have a
chance because he couldn't get
Armstrong at arms length to fire
his long-range knockout punch.
Jannazzo, incidentally. appeared
on the first Riverside card and boxed
the ears off Steve Mamakos. 1t Is