Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-17
D'Amoto Clears Mysteries,
Insists Title Fight Will Go On

Brian London heavyweight
championship bout. scheduled
for the Fair Grounds Coliseum
here May /, began telling today
after weeks Of mystery.
The challenger is here and
working out in Municipal Gar
dens. a city recreation site on
the west side Of town. and Pat
terson is scheduled to arrive to-
morrow. The champion viii
train in the Coliseum.
Ofiicials said final contracts.
including a return bout clause
II London wins, will be signed
shortly after Patterson arrives,
The bout originally was
scheduled for Las Vegas, New,
then switched to Indianapolis.
In the interim the date was
changed from April 81 to May
/. Then came the annuonce-
ment that Cecil Rhodes OF
Crawford, N. j., had been re-
placed as promoter, with Al
Farb of indianapolis and the
Hoosier Boxing Club taking
over. Assisting will be Bill
Rosensohn, who is promoting
the Patterson-In gemar Johann
son fight in Yankee Stadium al
New York June rs.
Definitely On"
The promotion evidently wa'
the angle that kept a cloud Of
secrecy surrounding the fight
After the switch, Gus D'Amato
Patterson's manager, said. "Tht
fight in indianapolis definitely
will take place May l."
D'Amato's positive statement
that the fight viii be in In.
dianapolis was backed up by ar
announcement from NBC tele'
vision and the sponsor thai
the fight will be shown on home
television.
Arch Hindman Of Hagers'
town, Ind, executive secretary
Of the National Boxing AsSo-
citation, explained that Rhode:
cooled off on his plans to pro-
mote the fight and that was
when the trouble began. Il
was announced officially thai
Rhodes was bowling out be-
cause Indiana law requires
promoter to be a resident o.
the State for three years tx
get a license.
However, the unofficial wore
was that D'Amato didn't like
the contract he had signed
with Rhodes, which reported!
granted the New Jersey in
dustrialist television rights II
two future Patterson fights.
At his home in New Jersey
Rhodes said he was paiC
$55,000 of the televiSion none!
for his promotional interests.
tits almost all profit,
Rhodes said. II got the checl
yesterday at a meeting in Ton
Gallery's Office"
Gallery Is Surprised
IF he did don't know any
thing about it," Gallery, direc
tor of sports for NBC, said
1.-THE main thing as far as weir
concerned is that the fight vii
go on in indianapolis May
and will be shown over NBC.
That's probably all the maj
In the street is concerned about
too.
London, former British
heavyweight champion, VIII,
lost his title to Henry Coope
last January, denied trying II
dodge reporters in New York.
II was registered at the Ho
tel New Yorker under my owl
name" he said.
The 6-foot, 210-pound Lon
don warned Americans to b
cautious about thinking of tn
bout as only a warmup for Pat
terson.
Might Get Surprised
t''He (Patterson) might be
little over-cautiouS. He's takin
this as a tuneup, but he Nigh
get surprised" London said.
When asked how he expecte
to fight Patterson, London said
II go forward. I fight tn
American style, and I pune
with either hand"
London came here with hi
father. Jack. ST., and brothel
Jack, also a fighter.
When asked how he fel
about the British Boxing Com
missions refusing to sanctio
his bout with Patterson, Lon
don quipped:
ITO heck with the BIC"
During the press conferenc
Promoter Farb said there hs
been a tremendous request fc
mail-order tickets The ticket
range in price from $25 ring
side to IS. The over-the-couu
ter sale begins Monday.
Meanwhile in New York
was announced a second cred
card organization (America
ExpreSs) would participate
the sale of tickets for the Pal
terson-J ohansson fight. TIL
firm said it is soliciting 1
widespread membership hel
here and abroad.
1t was announced recent
that the Diners Club woul
have 10000 tickets for its men
bers.