Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24
SPOTLIGHT
ON
SPORTS
Old Doc Gets 100 Per Cent Now
BY GEORGE HUBER

COAfMERCIALISM AS REPRESENTED by Mickey
Walker the weterweight and middeweight champion Of
bookings golden era, and Goldie Ahearn the fight pro-
moter, lost decision to the arts the other day
The arts mostly painting but including music and
books also represented by Mickey giving him draw
for the day.
Walker the Toy Bulldog who ruled the welterweights
from 1922 to 1925 and then the mddeweights until 1881
is in Washington to promote interest in certain strong
beverages Ahearn wants to stir interest in his May
fight Holly Mims-Joey Gardello), and both started
strongly until the word painting was mentioned
Then Walker veered sharply toward the arts and
despite Sputterings from Ahearn boxing hardly earned
mention the rest of the day.
THE WALKER OF TODAY is hard to visualize as the
fighting Irish of the 1s2Os who not only was king of
two divisions but also at the ght-heavyweight
and heavyweight titles He's neatly and quietly dressed
grazing at the temples and bit overweight 1870
pounds He easily could pose colegebred corporation
executive in his late ffties,
He discusses painting with authority and sincerity
and it's no pose Mickey is something of artist in his
right painting of his hangs in the Metropolitan
New York and he has had exhibition at the National
Melon) Gallery here.
What turned the conversation with Ahearn from box
ing Mickeys mentioning he had visited Harrgans
Restaurant Ninth street in Southwest check whether
they serving his companys product there and found
an art exhibit going
"Is great idea having like that in restaurants
and drink and enjoy the paintings leisure you don't
have to stand around stfly in some gallery"
AHEARN, NOT WANTING to be left out joined in
with recolecons of saloon art of prohibition days.
but Walker outpaced him with discussions of the show at
Harrigans.
ITS by some girl didn't get her "a check
revealed her to be Ruby Grady but she's of the
best work I've from young artist in quite
time" Walker began.
"You can't exactly put her STYLE it
varies Mickey continued but she reveals herself in her
paintings it's very personal thing with her. she shows
great promise From her paintings would take her to
be moody and temperamenta girl strong character
think she'd be interesting person to know"
Mckeys own painting style is or was, best classified
as American impreSsonsm An example hangs in AhearnS
Connecticut restaurant angular delneaon of
the New York skyline and harbor But Walker is
stany studying and growing and changing and he's
turning to surreasm although not yet ready to show
anything along that line
ITS not exactly the surrealism of Dali" Mickey says
I'm not the limp watch type myself but do admire his
coors and I'm hoping to develop something along that
line
JUST HOW HIGHLY MICKEY rates in the art world
was shown recently at an exhibition of $50 American
artists in Chicago. One of Walkers paintings the
$4,000 first prize although he didn't get nickel of the
money.
1T painting of mine had given to my old
ager Jack Kearns" Mickey explained and added, in
aside There's with the most agile brain in boxing
today.
But anyway" Walker continued, "he entered this
painting in Chicago, and he collected the $50O0
penny of it.
"Kearns got his cut out of me for long time and
apparently he's sn at it and improving with age. He
used get the usual 33 per cent that goes the
ager but now it's the whole 100 per cent"