IN "THE GAME."

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 128, 1 June 1937, Page 9

IN "THE GAME."

WRESTLING ASPECTS.

MR. TED THYE ARRIVES

BIG AMERICAN PROMOTER

■Regarded up to three years ago, when he retired from the ring, one of the cleverest wrestlers of the world; regarded now as the "top" promoter of the pame in America Mr. Tocl' Thve arrived this morning by the Aorangi. It was "more or less" a holiday visit, he said. After a stay in this country of short duration he will voyage on to Australia ..with hi* wife. amMater he wilL move on again to India takin-r with him, probably, 1 Ed. "Strangler" LeWis. There were several points of interest m bis arrival. There was one in his meeting, here with Sir. Walter Miller, agent for the American wrestlers in this country. Old Opponents Meet. T>uring the years 1923-24-25 Mr. Thye held the light-heavy weight wrestlin« championship, and in the final year he fought a title match in Australia. His opponent was Walter Miller, and thev fought 1:5 rounds for a drawn decision before the largest crowd ever assembled for such a contest in Australia—2(s.ooo. This morning the opponents of old had breakfast together. "You arc reputed to l>e a millionaire." Mr. Thye was asked—not bv Mr. Miller. He laughed: "The worst of those stories is that one is expected to livo up to them. . . . And I can't." He admitted that he was one of the biggest promoters in the United States, with his headquarters at Vancouver and Portland. "The wrestling game has been mighty good lo me," he said, "and I like to be good to the wrestling game." The Manager's Share. Then Mr. Thye was asked concerning the stories told in New Zealand of percentages from wrestlers' earnings being sent to their "clubs" in America.

"Well, all theee wrestlers have to lave their managers," he said, ''and they have to get something out of it. There ire some boxers and wrestlers who are quite capable of managing themselves — in fact there are some who are cleverer than their managers and do all the managerial work, but they have to have managers. If they haven't got managers the other managers are likely to say 'He wants everything for himself,'! and when it comes to arranging matches they kinda leave him on the side. You see the managers are working for the business —they are the men who made the wrestling game and they have got to get something out of it." "Who are the major promoters in addition to yourself?" Mr. Thye was asked. "Well," he said, "there is Ed. Hoyt in Chicago, Jack Curley and Toots Mondt in New York, Paul Bowser in Boston, Tom Packs at St. Louis, Tony and Joe Stecher —you remember they came over here some time ago and did very well. They now have a good territory—Minneapolis, St. Paul, Omaha, Lincoln, and Winnipeg —and are doing very well. Then there is "Carnation" Lew Daro in California. Lew is one of my best friends, and he is one of the most successful promoters in the United States. You never see Lew without a carnation in his coat, and that is how he got his name. The bovs like him; he is a flood boss, and they get good pay." Title Bout for New Zealand? "What are the chances of a world title bout being staged in Australia or New Zealand this year?" he was asked, the names of McCready and Detton being mentioned. "I don't know," he said. "McCready is leaving Vancouver by the Niagara on June 8, but Dean Detton's movements nre at present uncertain. He ha.3 a couple of matches holding liirn up; one is at Los Angeles, and one at New York. I don I flunk he will be able to leaveAmerica before the middle of July. I think Strangler Lewis may be meeting him at Los Angeles, but I don't know about the other one." Mr. Thye mentioned quite a number of well-known wrestlers who may be coming this way this year, now that the season is more or less over in the States. Lewis would probably be here in July, he said, if arrangements could be made; Vincent Lopez woirid also be willing to come. Chief Little Wolf, "one of the hardest men in the game," was definitely coming—and "King Kong" Cox was on the Aorangi on this voyage. "They hold that Cox is rough and tough." he said, "but he is. just tough. He goes into the ring and is prepared to take anything they can give him — and hand it back if necessary. He keeps on coming back, and that is how. he jets the boys." New Zealand, he added, had a good organisation. The associations arranged . the matches and there were no petty jealousies such as existed where several promoters were working in the one town. "At the Top." "King Kong" Cox, his name justified in his huge chest at any rate, was accompanied by his wife and small son. He was asked how he ranked in the wrestling game. "I figure I rank at the top," he said, and hastened to add that in saying that he was not claiming the title. He had. however, had seven unsuccessful attempts at the title. He had fought Lewis trice, Londos trice, Browning once and Detton once —the last shortly before he left America. He had lost that challenge match by one fall at the end of 90 minutes. •i'ox, who weighs 2401b, is. out of the a fruit grower in California. Messrs. Thye and Miller leave Auck--torday for Wellington.