The BAWLI Papers
(Boxing As We Liked It)
Edited by J Michael Kenyon
Issue Number 83
Tuesday, May 11, 1999
New York City, New York, US of A
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IN THIS ISSUE: THE ROCKY GRAZIANO 'BRIBE'
CASE INVESTIGATED BY NEW YORK'S D.A.
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CAL BOXING COMMISSION CRACKS DOWN
(Glendale News-Press, Friday, Jan. 9, 1931)
Despite threats of court action, the California State
Boxing Commission today stood firm in its
determination to govern ring activities with an iron hand.
Dr. Harry W. Martin, chairman of the new boxing
commission, has declared that despite the threats of
"bootleg" clubs and suspended managers the
commission is going to thoroughly clean up the ring
sport in the state.
Suspended managers and fighters are going to be kept
out of activity, he declared, and any boxer who
disregards this suspension will start his "outlaw"
sentence all over again any time he tries to fight
anywhere.
Also, Dr. Martin announced, promoters and
matchmakers who deal with suspended fighters or
managers will themselves face suspension. "Bootleg"
clubs, operating without A.A.U. or commission amateur
sanction, will be closed, the commissioner declared.
At a meeting with sports writers yesterday, Dr. Martin
outlined the plans for the commission's clean-up
campaign.
Referring to threats of court action said to have been
made by two "bootleg" clubs which have been ordered
to close up, and by Frank Churchill, suspended
manager, Dr. Martin said:
"Let them threaten. We are going to enforce our rules
and laws without regard to anything but the good of the
game."
Use of pneumatic supporters to prevent injuries by
fouling will be forced by the commission, Dr. Martin
stated. Stricter medical examinations of fighters will be
made to eliminate unfit boxers.
Among other reforms promised by the commission is
the elimination of the practice of "underwriting" bouts,
whereby ring cards are turned over to managers, who
pay off the fighters.
The commission will also resume the practice of
selecting referees, Dr. Martin said. A list of eight eligible
referees will be named, with Duke Kenworthy, Jack
Kennedy and Abe Roth heading the roster.
There is also the likelihood of a chief inspector being
named. The inspector, to be paid $6,000 a year, will
have greater powers and discipline, and will work out of
Los Angeles and San Francisco, under the plan.
The commission will endeavor to work in cooperation
with governing boards in other states, particularly in
New York and Illinois, with suspensions and disciplinary
measures mutually applicable.
Speaking of the suspension of Churchill, the
commissioner declared that "he has been suspended
for some time, and I see no reason to lift the ban on
him.
"Also," he declared, "Churchill's fighters have been
working under cover and he is too active in
matchmaking here. I am going to call in the Olympic
and Hollywood matchmakers and let them know
forcefully that if they negotiate with suspended
managers they will be disciplined, and, if necessary,
their permits will be revoked."
Dr. Martin also commented on the demands made by
many wrestling fans for a match between Gus
Sonnenberg and Jim Londos.
He declared that Ed "Strangler" Lewis has prior right to
a match with Londos, who claims the N.B.A.
championship.
The "Strangler's" claim is given priority by the fact that
he has a $2,500 forfeit up for the match, posted with
the old commission, the commissioner declared.
Members of the new commission will hold their first
official meeting at Fresno next thursday, at which time
action will probably be taken on all of the plans outlined
by Dr. Martin.
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JACK DEMPSEY NAMES LEADING BOXERS
(Associated Press, Sunday, January 11, 1931)
NEW YORK -- W. L. (Young) Stribling of Macon, Ga.,
is the best of the current crop of heavyweights in the
opinion of Jack Dempsey.
Making his annual selections of world fistic stars,
Dempsey places Stribling at the top of the heap with
Max Schmeling second and Jack Sharkey third.
"To Stribling, I think, we must look to regain American
supremacy in the heavyweight ranks," said Dempsey.
"For it is my opinion that if Sharkey has ten more
opportunities to win the crown, he still will fall short of
the mark.
"Were I to attempt a comeback, which I am certain I will
not, poor as I might be, there is one heavyweight I am
sure I can knock out -- none other than Jack Sharkey."
Here's the way Dempsey ranked the leaders in the
various fistic divisions:
Heavyweights -- Young Stribling, Max Schmeling, Jack
Sharkey, Primo Carnera, Tuffy Griffiths, George
Godfrey.
Lightheavyweights -- Maxie Rosenbloom, Jimmy
Slattery, Larry Johnson, Lew Scozza, Tait Littman, Pete
Latzo, George Courtney.
Middleweights -- Mickey Walker, Len Harvey, Dave
Shade, Harry Smith, Angel Cliville, Vince Dundee, Jack
Hood.
Welterweights -- Young Corbett, Tommy Freeman,
Jimmy McLarnin, Jackie Fields, Young Jack
Thompson.
Junior welterweights -- Jack (Kid) Berg, King Tut,
Manuel Quintero, Billy Townsend, Sammy Mandell,
Joey Medill, Stanislaus Loayza, Herman Perlick,
Mickey Cohen.
Lightweights -- Tony Canzoneri, Jack (Kid) Berg, Billy
Petrolle, Justo Suarez, Al Singer, Louis (Kid) Kaplan.
Junior lightweights -- Benny Bass, Roger Bernard, Al
Foreman, Johnny Farr, Pete Nebo, Freddy Miller,
Davey Abad.
Featherweights -- Battling Battalino, Earl Mastro, Fidel
LaBarba, Kid Chocolate, Eddie Shea, Tommy Paul,
Lew Massey, Bud Taylor.
Bantamweights -- Al Brown, Kid Francis, Newsboy
Brown, Joe Scalfaro, Pete Sanstol, Archie Bell, Vidal
Gregorio, Domencio Bernasoni.
Flyweights -- Midget Wolgast, Frankie genaro, Phil
Tobias, Frankie (kid) Anslem, Steve Rocco, Marty
Gold, Black Bill.
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D.A. SEEKS BRIBER OF GRAZIANO
(United Press, Tuesday, January 28, 1947)
NEW YORK -- The district attorney sought today to
learn who offered Rocky Graziano $100,000 to "take a
dive" and how three big-shot gamblers, one of them in
jail, allegedly tried to "fix" a world championship football
game.
Frank S. Hogan, hard-hitting New York district attorney,
moved in with a knockout punch poised for the
gamblers who tried to substitute greed for the "may the
best man win" creed of bigtime sports.
Hogan had grand jury indictments against Harvey
Stemmer, already in jail for the 1945 Brooklyn College
basketball bribery scandal, and two other prominent
gamblers as the alleged brains of Playboy Alvin Paris'
attempts to bribe two New York Giants players to throw
the championship game with the Chicago Bears.
Hogan also had an admission from Graziano, top
middleweight contender and box-office "golden boy,"
that an unidentified man twice offered him 4100,000 to
throw a fight scheduled as a tune-up for his title bout
with Tony Zale.
Graziano, one-time "Dead-End Kid" from New York's
East Side, may have thrown away his chance at the title
-- and the winner's share of a $400,000 gate by not
reporting the incident.
Col. Edward Egan, state boxing commissioner,
summoned him for a hearing next Friday. The state
athletic commission's rules provide that a fighter who is
asked to participate in a "sham or collusive" contest
must report it to the commission. Graziano didn't.
His amazing revelation to Hogan that he had listened to
a proposition to throw his Dec. 27 bout at Madison
Square Garden to Shank, then faked a back ailment
because he didn't want to go through with the deal,
provided boxing with the most sensational scandal in its
history.
Graziano was not under arrest, but Hogan let him know
the round of questioning would continue to a decision.
There is no law which makes it a crime for an athlete to
listen to a bribe so long as he does not accept it.
His career, which already has netted him close to
$400,000, hinged on how much of his story the boxing
commission accepts.
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WHAT HAPPENED AT THE D.A.'S OFFICE
(United Press, Tuesday, January 28, 1947)
By Rocky Graziano (as told to Jack Cuddy)
NEW YORK -- Sure, I read the district attorney's
announcement about guys offerin' me a hundred grand.
But the way he announced it and the way I said it was
two different things. They took my words and twisted
'em around to make me look bad.
They had plenty of time to get the story straight,
because they bulldogged me for 18 1/2 hours. The
whole thing started Saturday forenoon, about 10:30.
Four detectives say the district attorney wants to see
me. Two of them take me to Mr. Hogan's office. He's
there with his assistants.
They start in easy, askin' about my vacation at Miami,
an' how's the family. Then they ask if anybody ever
tried to bribe me before a fight -- to put it in the bag, you
know.
I grin and say a lotta guys had kidded me around the
gyms about maybe I'd do a tank job -- you know, the
way guys kid around the gyms. I say one guy even
come into my dressing room at Stillman[s gym before
the Bummy Davis fight and asked, "How'dye like to
make a hunnert grand, pal?"
I tell the district attorney I figure the guy in the dressing
room is gaggin', and that I stretch out my hand to the
guy and say, "Sure, give me the hundred grand."
Three days later this same bozo is standin' outside the
dressing room, an' he says, "Don't forget, that deal is
still on. You'll make a hundred grand." I just laughed at
him and said, "Are you kiddin'?" Then Bimstein came in
and the guy blew.
What about me callin' off the Shank fight, they want to
know.
I tell 'em I didn't call it off; my manager did. I wouldn't a
called it off, because I figured I could beat Shank even
if I was half dead. Because I felt so lousy I am relieved
when my manager calls it off, even though I could beat
Shank easy.
"Oh, so you were relieved, eh?" says one of Hogan's
assistants. Then he says I was relieved because I won't
have to take a dive or double-cross the guys who bet on
Shank.
Well, about 3 a.m. Sunday, they call in Eddie Eagan,
chairman of the boxing commission. After they've
loaded Eagan with the wrong dope, they let me tell my
side. By that time Eagan don't seem too interested, and
he says I should have reported to him what the
hundred-grand guy said. I said if I reported every time
anybody mentioned "tank" to me, I'd be runnin' my
shoes off, goin' back and forth to the commission.
Then Hogan asks me if I knew certain racket guys and
bookmakers. I said sure I knew them -- from around the
fight game and from around Second Avenue, where I
was raised. And what was wrong with that? A guy can't
help where he was brought up, or who hangs around
gymnasiums.
That's exactly what happened at the D.A.'s office.
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NEW YORK D.A.'S OFFICE CONTINUES PROBE
(United Press, Saturday, February 8, 1947)
NEW YORK -- The District Attorney's office cocked
another blow today for crooked gamblers.
Before the public had recovered its breath from the
knockout tagged on Rocky Graziano by the State
Athletic Commission yesterday, the District Attorney's
office had Morris Krasnick, alias Mushy McGee, former
employee of Promoter Mike Jacobs, in for a lengthy
sparring session.
Krasnick was questioned for three hours last night by
Asst. Dist. Atty. Alfred J. Scotti, in charge of
investigating reackets.
He was asked if he was present when a notorious
racketeer allegedly threatened Jacobs, who is now
convalescing at his estate in Rumson, N.J., from a
cerebral hemorrhage suffered last December 3.
Krasnick repeatedly denied any knowledge of the
alleged conversation between the kingpin racketeer and
Jacobs.
After the session, Krasnick said Scotti asked him if he
heard the unnamed racketeer threaten to throw Jacobs
"under the wheels of a car if you don't do exactly what I
tell you to."
"I told him I never heard anything like that," Krasnick
said.
The suspending of Graziano's license to fight in New
York state was taken as an indication that officials were
leaving no stone unturned in their investigation of the
fight business.
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CHICAGO CONSIDERS ZALE-GRAZIANO BOUT
(United Press, Saturday, February 8, 1947)
CHICAGO -- Sam Pian, manager for middleweight
champion Tony Zale, admitted interest today in a
proposed Chicago bout with challenger Rocky
Graziano, but indicated he was willing to listen to other
offers.
Boxing promoter Ben Zenoff opened negotiations to
stage a championship bout here after a scheduled
March 21 match in Madison Square Garden between
the two fighters was ruled out by action of the New York
Athletic Commission.
The commission, invoking its most drastic penalty in its
power, yesterday barred Graziano from the ring in his
home state for failing to report two $100,000 offers to
"throw" fights.
Zenoff said he was prepared to offer Zale and Graziano
60 percent of the gate as a purse for the match, which
he proposed to stage within the next two months in
Chicago's International Amphitheater. The terms were
the same as those originally offered for the March 21
bout in New York.
Informed of the proposal last night, Pian said he had not
been approached by Zenoff but that the promoter's
proposition was "a nice offer."
Zenoff said the fight would be held under the rules of
the Illinois Athletic Commission, a member of the
National Boxing Association, which does not recognize
decisions of the New York commission.
"The N.B.A. hasn't barred Rocky yet, and we can hold
the fight here under the N.B.A.," Zenoff said. "Those
are the rules we have."
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JOE LOUIS DENIES MINISTER'S CHARGE
(Associated Press, Saturday, April 3, 1948)
PARIS -- Joe Louis denied today he had stolen the
affections of a Negro minister's wife.
"There's no truth in it," the heavyweight champion said,
while eating a noon breakfast in his Paris hotel.
The Rev. Matthew C. Faulkner, 32, Baptist minister of
Atlanta, Ga., sued Louis in Chicago yesterday for
$500,000. He said the heavyweight champion had
stolen the affections of his wife, Mattie, a New York
model.
Louis said he had met Mrs. Faulkner several times but
had only gone to one party at which she was present.
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