DEMPSEY ON BIG PURSES.

NZ Truth, Issue 978, 23 August 1924, Page 11

DEMPSEY ON BIG PURSES.

His Motto: "Get All You Can."

Quite often I have been criticised by some persons because I have been paid huge sums of money for my end of the fights I have engaged m since winning the championship/ says Jack Bempsey. It has-been pointed out that 100/000 dollars was the top price before my day, but since then I have been paid 300,000 dollars for one fight and something like 450,000 for another. Which is about true. But I can't figure out why I should be condemned for getting all the pay I can get for my services. Isn't that the common custom m work? Doesn't every man try Jo get as big a percentage as is possible? Sinco I won the title I have engaged m flve battles. My purse has been bigger for each new fight. But I have the consolation of knowing that m each and every instance — but one — the man who promoted the show I engaged m made money, for himself. Never, except m Montana, did any promoter or group of promoters lose money when I fought m defence of my crown. I got something like 55,000 dollars In Ben ton Harbor when I fought Billy Misko, under the promotion of Floyd Fitzsimmons. Billy got about 25,000 dollars for his end. I'loyd made a nice profit out of the affair, the crowd got a run for its money— and everybody was more or less happy. Tex Rickard paid mo 100,000 dollars to fight Bill Brennan. Bill received 25 000 dollars. Yet, even though the show was indoors, where the seating capacity was limited to about 15,000. Rickard made money out of it. Rickard paid mo 300,000 dollars to battle Carpentior. He gave the Frenchman 200,000 'dollars. What his other expenses — arena, cost, etc — were I don't know. Perhaps they figure another 500,000 dollars. That made a total of 1,000,000 dollars. But the intake was reported to be about 1.600,---000 So Tex made a neat profit for himself and the crowd saw a good "The Montana men offered me 310,---000 to fight Tommy Gibbons. • They paid 210,000 and then flunked. The day before the fight they turned the irate over to Jack Kearns and I guess Jack picked up about 40,000 or 50,000 dollars that way, making a total of 250 000 or 260,000 dollars. But Jack had to pay quite a bit out of that final 40,000 or 50,000 dollars to satisfy judgments against creditors of the promotors, referee's guarantee and preliminary fighters. The mon m Montana lost money on the fight. But I feel th;it the sporting world knows that It wns not tjiat I wuh a failure a« a drawing card!" The wholo fault was due to mismanage-

merit by the promoters. The gate certainly would have hit 500,000 and perhaps 700,000 dollars if the affair had been handled right. My most recent fight . was with Firpo. ' I got the biggest amount of money, I received for my end of that show. Firpo is reported to have received 125,000 dollars which is his top figure m single fight earnings. Despite that Rickard is said to have made about 200,000 to 250,000 dollars out of And, frotn all I can gather there wasn't a single person of 'the 80,000 who' saw the fireworks that night that ever has regretted the expenditure of the money that enabled him to get into the fight arena. So, as far as I can figure it out, no one has ever been a loser on any of my championship fights— except the Montanans—even though I have been paid money far beyond anything ever before received by a pugilist.