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■ — = r AT THE RINGSIDE By Barney Nagler NEW YORK, May 16. — Cus DAmato, who has confessed his love of boxing, wants it known that he hates monopoly, espe-_ ■ — = cially cially when when he he is is not not r cially cially when when he he is is not not the monopolist. The man who owns and operates the world heavyweight champion according to his own whim wants to own and operate boxing in place of Jim Harris. He has barred the International Boxing Club from promoting Floyd Pattersons first defense, he says, because the IBC has put other promoters out of business by barring them from putting fights on television. He is fighting fire with fire, he says. The alarm is herewith sounded: To arms, men, before the fist-fighting business bums to the ground. • A « DAmatos choice as promoters of the future are Emil Lence, in New York, and Jack Hurley, in the Pacific Northwest. He says he will line up other promoters to put on other defenses by Patterson. In lieu of i Joe Louis Bum of - - the - Month Club. DAmato is establishing the Promoter-of-the-Month Association. He is to be the lord high poobah. In reply to this, promoter Norris turned literary. "Much ado about nothing," he said. In truth, however, there is much to be said about a great deal. DAmato called a press conference at Leones the other day to announce his war against the kind of monopoly he cannot monpolize. The food was wonderful, as usual; the conversation was something less than beguiling. DAmato is a press speaker. He keeps going along under his own steam. The longer he speaks the faster he speaks. The faster he speaks the less his audience makes out. He said something, it seems, about the IBC plotting long ago to keep Patterson from becoming a main event fighter. He compounded the plot by delineating a scheme whereby Al Weill attempted to get Patterson knocked off in the" Garden, only to help the young mans build-up. In the end, of course, truth and justice triumphed. Patterson became the champion and now, at long last, boxing is out of the hands of the miscreants and back in the immaculate clutches of Cus. * * * Cus admitted he borrowed 5,000 from Norris some time ago, but said he would return the money quickly because he could not stand the thought of being in debt to the IBC and/or Norris. He said he was doing what he was doing for the youth of the land. He would end the TV monopoly set up by the IBC through its Wednesday and Friday, night sponsors and hoped to accomplish this, by projection, through a regularly scheduled weekly series of tele- vised fights. It is presumed he would run the thing. Only "I Love Lucy" is safe. In the course of DAmatos diatribe, he employed first person singular 277 times, by dishonest count, a world record for middleweight competition. He even got around to saying, "I love boxing. It is my life" He is to be known hereafter as Happy DAmato, in remembrance of another "Happy" who once said, "Ah love baseball." Only the accent is different. DAmatos love of boxing is matched only by his love of oversimplification. He told his luncheon guests he fell out with the LBC because they would not give his preliminary fighters the chance to fight in the Garden. He did not tell how one of his associates went to Billy Brown, the IBCs matchmaker, after Patterson knocked out Moore last November, and said, "Now were in control. Youll run things the way we want it." Apparently, the IBC entered a demurrer; things were not run according to DAmatos way of plotting. So he has turned square and now is peddling the world heavyweight Continued on Page FHty-Oni I AT THE RINGSIDE By BARNEY NAGLER Continued from Page Two champion to sundry promoters. He has reached into the "garment jungle" to get a New York promoter. Lence, it might be remembered, owns a series of dress factories. He also owns Eastern Parkway Arena in Brooklyn where Patterson fought most of his early bouts. Pattersons first defense will not take place at Eastern Parkway, however, although there is a notion here that DAmato believes the world heavyweight champion will be on display at Ebbets Field on a night in July. Best hitter the place may see all season. It depends, however, on whether a worthwhile challenger is forthcoming. Hurricane Jackson is No. 1, but his owner, Lippy Breidbart, says he wants a guarantee of 40,000, based on 20 per cent of a potential gate-TV take of ,200,000. "If Jackson doesnt take it," said DAmato, "well just move along to the next challenger. If they all turn us down it will be the first time in history a heavyweight champion couldnt find a challenger. If it happens well know where to put the blame." Which recalls "Freckles." Remember the tune? He was blamed for everything, even when eight kittens were born in the barn, and one was black and seven were gray. "Freckles" Norris, of course.
