Evening star., 1953-06-24

STYLE The tpo how 7O-odd operator spots
his mans fights moving from town to town. rarely allowing
Joey to completely his welcome any single CITY,
When he fought Gus Lesnevch for the vacant American
theavyweight championship Maxim found himself in
Cincinnati not the preferred New York Chicago It didn't
figure to be much of fight and wasn't Kearns was in no
mood to ALLEVIATE the New York public until got title and
an opponent that New Workers would pay to see.
LONDON WAS A NATURAL for Maxms battle for the
world light heavyweight title with Freddie Mills the Britisher
The burden of drawing house Mills not on the Amer
ican, and Mills delivered although Maxim won.
When KearnS landed shot at Charles logical
site Chicago only because it for the world heavy
weight Joey lost that but he still IT'S
pound championship when Irish Murphy appeared
the the shrewd Doc knew that ghwth Maxms title
at stake-was natural for New York.
Murphy at that time hot draw of the
hottest He coorfu and while he couldn't box
hit Besides he made to order for Maxim Kearns knew
Murphy would provide the action Maxim
tight He right both counts. It probably JoeyS
best showing.
Murphy set the stage for of biggest coups
Sugar Ray Robinson holding middlewegh championship
and perhaps the biggest following in the racket his sights
MaxpS throne and Doc had it made. They played up
the bigman-vs eman angle to the hit and it, course
was surere for New York No other place except the Big
City would do.
MAXIM DIDN'T LOOK LIKE he did against Murphy This
time joey in with better boxer than he. Maxim
gave sluggish performance and was losing his title when
Robinson swooned from the heat
good promptly collected his money biggest nav
day Of Mams and hustled him out of town.
dead In New York and So when the boxing commission
ordered him to stop lodging the venerable Archie
vacate his throne Kearns took the bout to st.
knew Moore wasn't much exciting than his own guy
and, moreover probably would beat him. Right, again.
And that's been KearnS pattern. The big in
New York and Chicago The others in Cincinnati st.
Louis Ogden Huntington wherever looked like
day for him and his nceguy pugist who can't fight
very much.
It's old Kearns CUSTOM too He even did it with Jack
Dempsey who undoubtedly the most colorfu dramatic
put Dempsey in town mplausibe champion
ship site than Ogden, meaning Shelby, Mont.
AS JACK OBRIEN POINTS out in well written profile
of Kearns in the July Esquire Doc hit his spectacular
jackpot in Shelby on July 4, 1923.
AS result of oil boom, Shelby expanded to popula
ton OF 1OOO Some leading citizens jngng in their
pockets wired bid for DempseyT Tommy Gibbons fight.
Kearns made scouting trip Shelby. He nmpressed
with the mud Streets minus sidewalks but he impressed
with the musical cnk of silver dollars. New York." he
announced, "has offered $5OO,OOO for this match"
New York, Of course, made such offer but OBrien
puts it, W helped to set Shelby for Kearns terms
those terms, DEMPSEY and Kearns couldn't lose"
Shelby guaranteed $3OO0OO to be paid in three INSTALL
mentS, all in the fight date The citizens easv
the but struggled for the second payment
because they also erecting 4500seat With
100000 in his st KearnS urged them by wiring "After
this one can bring Dempsey back here against Harry Wills
Shelby will be the boxing capital of the Nation"
The final payment hard that took charge
of the promotion but noting the broodng looks of the pistol
packing MontananS and realizing that only he and Dempsey
were going to get important money Doc played
He hired locomotive to pull cabooSe and he
collected the days take $800OO he took off for healthier
clime In matter of few weeks two Shelby banks folded
To Prohler OBren, said, there
Funny, but did"