“WORLD BOXING BOUTS WERE FAKED!”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 290, 8 December 1939, Page 11

“WORLD BOXING BOUTS WERE FAKED!”

CONFESSION OF H. THOMAS

HIS FIGHTS WITH SCHMELING AND GALENTO

SUSPENSION OF PROMOTERS AND FIGHTERS

Cable messages received in New Zealand from America a few weeks ago reported the suspension of well-known promoters and fighters pending the investigation of alleged faked bouts. Here are the full facts behind the cables. This is the story of one of the biggest swindles in the history of boxing, says the Chicago Tribune. The information on which it Is based is in the hands of the Illinois Athletic Commission. It involves two widely-publicised professional heavyweight bouts, the results of which had been decided weeks before the fighters entered the ring. The matches were: 1. The Max Schmeling-Harry Thomas match in Madison Square Gardens. New York, December 13. 1937. Schmeling won by a technical knock-out in the eighth round. 2.— The Tony Galcnto-Harry Thomas bout in Philadelphia, Novem-

ber 15, 1938. Galento won by a technical knock-out in the third round. The authority for this informatior is Harry Thomas, the defeated fighter in both events. Both contests were designed to build up the reputations of challengers for Joe Louis’ title. “Those fake fights have been worrying me for a long time,’’ said Thomas. “I am revealing them now for the , sake of younger boxers who may face the same temptations to which I succumbed. “I’m glad to have the facts printed. For the good of the game they should have been made known long ago. “I knew it was wrong to take part . in a fixed fight, but it was the only j way I could make any real money. ; I came up the hard way. I never had 1 a dollar I uld rail rny unt Ih< Schmeling bout. In fact. I was in debt. I’m through with boxing, and t it will ease my conscience to have j these facts disclosed.” Parties to Bouts joe Ja- ’ York, manager of Schmeling and Galento, and Nate | Lewis, of Chicago, manager of Thomas, were parties io the bouts, according to Thomas. Jacobs and Lewis | are two of the mo.-t widely known personalities in boxing. Jacobs has been Schmeling’s manager since 193*», two years after the German was brought to the United , States by Arthur Buelow. Schmeling won the world’s championship on a foul from ' June 12. I a A complete rep rt n e -T- . i- • nois Athletic Commission .Joe Jacobs still is manager of Galento. “I never had made any money as I a professional fighti Th mas dared. “I was working for cheap | purses. By th° time training and incidental expenses were paid and I split my earnings with my manager ( I well along in year' as fighters go. “If I accepted offers to throw bouts . to Schmeling and Galento I would • make enough money for a nest-egg. I If I refused I wouldn’t g( a to meet opponents who would attract big gates.” More than 16.000 spectators paid 63.170 dollars tn see Thomas fight • Schmeling. Thomas I approximately dollars from th* 3 match. The official contract was drawn on a percentage has ' with Schmeling getting the big end However, at cot ling 1 there was a private side agreement, |: which provided that the percentages .< of the two fightf rs pooled an 1 iivldcd equally after the payment of expenses, thus increasing Thomas’ | share substantially. The Details Thomas related details of the arrangements for the Schmeling fight as , follows: — “In October, 1937. Joe Jacobs came ‘ to Chicago. Lewis and I met him at , the Drake Hotel. “Nate had previously put the proposition up to me. He said he had I, been in New York talking to Joe .■ Jacobs and that I could have a fight ; with Schmeling. He told me they figured the match would draw 100.000 II and I would get at least 25 per cent. | but I would have to lose in four or p five rounds. ‘Joe Jacobs shook hands with me

at the Drake Hotel and satd. Meres a chance for you to make yourself a nice piece of money and you won’t get hurt.’ “I asked, “What’s the proposition?' He said, ‘You got a chance to fight Max Schmeling. Now, listen, Max don’t have to fight you. This is where - you get some national recognition. You go out and look good for a few round and then lose by a knock-out.' > “I told Jacobs I never had been ' knocked out and I didn’t want to get knocked out, if I could help it. I “Then we settled on terms. We ? left the Drake and drove to another ’* office, the location of which I don’t exactly remember. We then drew up i a contract. A girl took down everything and put seals on the papers. She ’ was a notary public. ' “I stayed around Chicago a couple • of days. Then I drove nome. I told I jmy father, my mother, and my brother Henry that I was going to ’ ! light Schmeling. I told them the ■ Struth about the arrangements.” Schmeling Affair Asked about the details of the fight with Schmeling. Thomas said: “Things moved along as planned until the bird round. Schmeling hit rne a fairly hard right-hand punch to the jaw. I could have gone down, but our agreement called for me to lose in the fourth. Before the end of the round I landed a left to the jaw that shook up Max badly. “He apparently felt I was trying ito double-cross him, because in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds he • throw punches hard enough from which I could have gone down. "Towards the end of the seventh he ltaught me a glancing blow on the I chin which wouldn't have knocked down a young boy. However. I went to my knees to give him a sign I was ready to fall whenever he opened up. “In the eighth round I whispered to 'him to keep throwing punches. I went Mown six or seven times, always coming up at the count of one or two.” The referee stopped the bout before i the round was concluded. i Thomas said he wrote to several i friends and relatives in Chicago and ’ elsewhere advising them of the agreeIment in advance of the bout so they wouldn’t wager on him. Several of 'these letters are in the Tribune’s pos- ' session. Paid Off Thomas stated he was paid off the hay after the Schmeling match. Thomas said arrangements for the dive he took in the Galento match j were made by Lewis and Joe Jacobs in New York. The tight drew 12,000. ' Receipts were approximately 23,000 (dollars. Thomas said that as a result iof the deal worked out by Lewis and Jacobs, he, Thomas was promised 6000 ‘dollars. However, Thomas said, he I was short changed at the time of settlement and got between 600 dollars and 800 dollars less than he had been promised. , Lewis advised him, according to Thomas, not to stir up any trouble 'over the shortage in his compensation,

ibecause the bout had resulted in an' unpleasant aftermath and the Boxing ' | Commissioners were exercised by the suspicious aspects of the fight. | Before taking off in an aeroplane j for Seville the other day, Max i Schmeling, former world heavyweight boxing champion, told an interviewer bn Madrid that he would like to go to [the United States to challenge Joe Louis, but that the trouble of transportation was bothering him. “Bermuda’s British,” says Max . Asked why he couldn’t take the jClipper from Lisbon, bushy-eyed Max, 1 sipping orange juice at the airport, 'eagerly replied: "Oh yeah! The Clipjper sometimes stops at Bermuda —and that’s British.” | Schmeling said he would like three jor four preliminary bouts in the I United States before tangling with Louis. (He has been suspended in the iSt ate of Illinois for an allegedly faked fight). “I’m keeping in trim with daily , work-outs,” he explained. “There’s ’no one now in America who can stand [up to Louis,” Max went on. He jsaid he felt he was not needed •now on Germany’s Siegfried Line. ; • “It’s a quiet war.” he added. “Why, I j ’hear they entertain one another with ! musical broadcasts from the front ' (lines.” i | He explained that the lines are con- • • 'olidated on such a short front that ' Germany has plenty of men there now j. without his shouldering a gun.