Milford chronicle., 1962-03-30
Boxing Regarded
AS A Mans Game
BY DORIS KLEIN

! LOS ANGELES, Calf. (AP)
Boxing's a mans game. So what's
woman doing in it?
Its no place for a woman
admits blonde, svelte A / n
Eaton, the nations only woman
boxing promoter.
IT'S a gamble, like shooting
craps. You can't get emotional
when you lose"
She was reminiscing in the press
room of the Olympic Auditorium.
| The walls were papered with
posters of the big fights she and
her husband, Cal Eaton, have pro-
moted-picturing m any of the
famous names in boxing: Sugar
Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong,
Hogan kid" Bassey, Gene Full
mer, Archie Moore.
Where She Never Enters
Downstairs are the dressing
rooms where Aileen, the woman,
forbids Aileen, the bo S S, to
venture.
'In 20 years, I've never been in
gymnasium. And I've ever
been to the dressing rooms after
fight My husband told me in the
beginning that those are no places
for a woman"
With Eaton, Aileen is co-pro-
moter for the Olympic Boxing and
Wrestling Club, one of the most
successful in the country.
"Cal was little annoyed in the
beginning at the prospect of his
wife becoming freak" she re-
calls. But the guys are used to
me now"
Since she entered the sweat
and leather world of boxing,
Aileens been snubbed by Eastern
promoters, called up before state
boxing probers, harassed by fight
ers hungry for advances on their
salaries.
It's the kind of life that can
make a woman tough-and those
who deal with her say she is. Yet
with soft blonde hair framing a
heart-shaped face, she looks more
like a wife used to the casual
Southern California round of Bev-
erly Hills beauty salon, Bel Air
golf and leisurely luncheon.
She's 81, but the blouses and
skirts she wears to work make
her look As or less. So does the
way she does the Twist when she
switches to sleek brOcade at night.
Aileen was young widow
working for the Los Angeles Ath-
letic Club to support her two little
boys when she got into boxing.
"The club owned the Olympic
Auditorium, and it was losing
money.
"They sent me over here as a
troubleshooter | told them to
close the Olympic until they could
find a suitable promoter. Some
one recommended Cal, and We
signed him up
With Eaton promoting and with
Aileen as the landlords repre-
sentative, the club opened on
June 81, 1912.
booking weekly wres Ting. AS
business increased, Aileen began
to take over the promotion end of
their boxing business.
She married Eaton in 194S
In 1857, during a boxing probe,
the State Athletic Commission
took note of Aileen's participation
in the Olympic and recommended
she take out promoters license.
Moore on Aileen
About Aileen, light heavy weight
al, on,p Arobia Mnnro nrno1o ir,1c
There's nothing vulgar about
boxing. As long as a woman is in
the promotional end, it's just like
doing business with bank presi-
dent"
"She has motherly attitude
first, then a business sense. It's
probably because her son is in
sports
One of Aileen's sons, Gene LIE
Bell, is a professional wrestler
and judo expert. The other, Mike,
helps manage the Olympic.
What does Aileen think of the
fighters?
They're a very nice bunch of
boys. Their biggest problem i S
handling money. It's unfortunate,
but true, that most quit broke
+ "a lot of them come from un-
derprivileged homes. When they
get into the big money, they live
beyond their means. We try to set
up trust funds for them, but it
doesn't always work"
81 try to keep my home life and
business life separate" she says.
but I'll have to admit, I'm abb
solutely helpless around t h e
house"
"If it were up to me, we'd live
on sandwiches and instant coffee
My husband says, Thank God we
have a housekeeper.'
For complete relaxation, h e
turns to cards.
''My idea of a vacation is to go
to Las Vegas for the gin rummy
tournament. 1t helps me relax
completely. In this business, if
you can't find way to relax, you
go haywire."