“TEX” RICKARD

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 416, 26 July 1928, Page 8

“TEX” RICKARD

UNCROWNED KING OF FISTIANA WIELDS UNLIMITED POWER One of the romances of present day prize-ring has been the rise of George L, ("Tex f 'i Rickard to the position of world’s greatest promoter of sport. He is the man who has made millionaires (dollar) of several champion boxers. He jumped Into the limelight by his promotion methods that resulted in the lightweight purse for the fight between Joe Cans and Battling Xelson at Goldfield, Nevada, going up to the unprecedented gum of 50,000 dollars. Bv hanging up a purse of 101,000 dollars for the Jeffries-Johnson contest he paralysed competition. In Xew York he brought to boxing the polite and wealthy classes. He promoted mil lion - dollar ’fights between Dempsey and Carpentier. and between Dempsey and Flrpo.

Reformers proposed to ban boxing ; in New York State. At that time | Miss Anne Morgan happened to ask | ‘Ter 1 for the loan of two boxers to f give an exhibition so that she might j get a thousand dollars or so ! for her fund to help restore i devastated France. Getting a guarj an:tee- that she would attend and bring ; her friends if he gave her a champ ion - | ship battle, Madison square Gardens and his services free, he staged the Leonard-Ritchie lightweight champion - | ship. All the “best people” of New York except those who were crowded out went—and cheered—and Miss Morgan got 64,000 dollars and the anti-boxing reformers were smashed. i The Dempsey-Tunney battles were j converted by Rickard into two-million

i dollar contests, and he expects th* j takings at the Tunney-Ueeney event to run near that. They have to, for Tunney’s guarantee is half a million j dollars, and Keeney ie due for a ! { hundred thousand dollars.