The Wilmington morning star., 1941-01-21
GOOD OLD DAYS.
ARE COMING BACK
Madison Square Garden Has
Drawn $4S8, AGA; 185,895
Fans in 10 Fights
BY SID FEEDER

bI Dill
NEW YORK, Jan. 2O.-R-Box-
ing has climbed off Joe Louis
back and is getting along very
nicely on its W this winter.
The gentle art of bashing beaks
is boasting the biggest indoor sea-
son in four years at Madison
Square garden, despite the fact the
Brown Bomber, whose drawing
power usually supports the not-so-
important attractions in a cam
paign, won't make his seasonal
debut in the big Eighth avenue
sports circle until the meets REQ
Burman a week from Friday.
At the same time, reports COM
ing in show the sport of give-and'
take also is on the ,upswing in
such places as Boston, where
Louis and Al Mccoy drew a gross
gate of SAG, $3.50 last month; Cleve-
land, where the Anton Cristofori-
dis-Melio Betuna light-heavy-
weight tussle played to a $40, 600
house and the annual Christmas
basket show drew $4,000 fans in
December, and Philadelphia,
where a bantamweight title scrap
between Lou Salica and Tommy
Forte had more than $3.50 900 in
the house a week ago.
When Promoter Mike Jacobs sat
back and smiled his pleasure at
the %, 100 fans who set an all
time attendance high for the gar
den to see Fritzie Zivic finish
Henry Armstrong last Friday
night, he saw two reasons for the
return of the "good-old-days."
We're getting better attractions
generally" he explained. "Fellows
like Zivic and Steve Belloise have
come along this eason to make
it tough for the Armstrong; and
the Ken Overlins, and, as a result,
make it interesting for the fight
fan. Then, too, there's more fresh
money around, although the full
effect of the defense program has
no tbeen felt yet.
You also can't overlook the fact
that the preliminary bouts on the
garden cards this season have been
better. Why, after the Lou Nova
Pat Comiskey show two weeks
ago, lots of folks were talking
about the fact that the semi-wind-
up between Bill Poland and AL
Delaney wasn't so hot. What l
mean is, the poor fights now are
the exception rather than the
Including last Friday, the garden
has drawn 1875, 1895 customers
through the turnstiles in IS fights
since the indoor season began for
total gross gates of $488, 1854. This
breaks down to an average of A.
300 fans and $37,574 per fight,
which definitely is not hay.
The two pre-Christmas shows,
featuring Zivic and Lew Jenkins
December 20 and the Overlin-Bel
return match Dec. 10, at
tracted a total of $93, 357. A year
ago, the corresponding cards gros-
sed only $45, 900.
Jacobs pointed out that this is
the best season since he began
his promotions in the garden dur
ing the winter of 1898. He ad-
ded, too, that during that season
there were several first-run heavy
weights to help lure Gus Fan and
the missus. There were such bouts
as those between Louis and Matte
Mann, Max Schmeling and Harry
Thomas, and Tommy Fairs out
ings with Jim Braddock and Max
Baer. Q
OF interest, too, is the fact that
several fellows who have been kick
ing around bookings bush leagues"
Tor years - journeymen clouters
like Zivic, Overlni and lightweight
boss Lew Jenkins-have been Civ
en- a chance in the garden and now
are among the biggest drawing
cards.
Here r the seasons fights, with
gross gates and attendance, listed
IN order of size of gates (x-indi-
Gates title bout; y-indicates re-
turn MATCH:
Fight Gate Attendance
N-Y-Fritzie Zivic-
Henry Armstrong $78, 242 %, 1870
Fritzie Zivic-Lew
Jenkins ........... 51,019 16, 949s
Billy Conn-Bob
Pastor ............ 49,412 14,447
Fritzie Zivic-Al
Davis ............ A, $40 II, 1O1
0-Y)-Ken Overlin-
Steve Belloise $50! AZ, 1888 16, 1853
W-Lew Jenkins
Pete Lello ....... 81, TAP 1888
Billy Conn-Lee
oavold ........... 81, ITO IL, $50
Lou Nova-Pat
Comlskey ........ 30, 1882 IL, 8O1
W-Ken Overlin-Steve
Bel1olse .......... %, 1888 1901
X-Fritzie Zivic-
Henry Armstrong 1922 1901
Billy Soose-Tami
Mauriello ........ 26, 67s 1908
Steve Belloise-C eferino
Gracia ........... %, 1926 10,869
Al Davis-Tony
Martelliano ...... 20,265 9,312
Totals GAS de1 125 2Q5