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An attempt by Joe Louis to regain the world heavy-weight championship title from Ezzard Charles high-lighted boxing during 1950. Box-office receipts and attendance figures for the sport in the United States remained in the moderate range. No gate receipts reached the $400,000 level. No event attracted as many as 40,000 people. The International Boxing Club. Inc., with its boxing monopoly in New York city, Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis, grossed slightly in excess of $2,000,-000 for a year's activity. More than half this sum was attracted to their promotions in Madison Square Garden, Yankee stadium and St. Nicholas arena in New York city. Madison Square Garden attracted 225,000 onlookers and grossed $875,000 in receipts for 25 boxing shows. This compared with crowds aggregating 227,154 and receipts of $804.081 for 21 shows there in
1949.
Observers attributed this comparatively static situation to two conditions; lack of good fighters and the effects of television on attendance. Steps to correct the first were under way as the year ended. Development of talent was the paramount issue. With respect to television, however. difficulties were growing. The argument was advanced that television keeps fans away from the ringside and the echo was found in a campaign for countermeasures to meet a situation which found reduced in-comes the lot of boxers who were the media for the growing popularity of television in its relation to sports.
A virtual strike of New York's Boxing Managers' guild early in the year resulted in a compromise which brought increased income for boxers from television receipts. The campaign as the year ended, however, was to effect an agreement whereby income from television would be lumped with dwindling box-office receipts as the pay-off basis for boxers.
Emphasizing the television situation was the fact that two bouts held during 1950 which were not televised attracted the largest box-office receipts. Defending his world middleweight championship in Madison Square Garden July 12, Jake La Motta. New York, retained the title against Tiberio Mitri, Italy, before a crowd of 16,369 which paid receipts of $99,841. On Sept. 8, at Yankee stadium, New York, Sandy Saddler, New York, lifted the world featherweight championship from Willie Pep. Hartford. Conn., before a crowd of 38,781 which paid receipts of $262,118. Neither bout was televised.
The Saddler-Pep bout was the year's highest in attendance and box-office receipts.
Largest receipts on an over-all basis, however, were produced by Louis' comeback effort against Charles in the Yankee stadium Sept. 27. This bout attracted only 22,357 and the receipts amounted to $204,843. However, the sum of $146,000 from television and radio contracts boosted the receipts to the highest for the year. Louis lost the decision to Charles in a bout which accentuated the deterioration of the once-famed "Brown Bomber," who had announced his retirement in 1949 following his second defeat of Jersey Joe Walcott in 1948. Louis came out of retirement as boxing director for the I.B.C. when he decided to return to the ring in a bid to regain his title against Charles. The latter was recognized as champion by the National Boxing association. This recognition covered most of the United States. The state of New York withheld recognition until the Sept. 27 bout. in which Louis, only a faint reminder of the superlative boxer-fighter he once was, absorbed a thorough beating. Charles won a decision in 15 rounds and became recognized as champion in the United States. However, Lee Savold, Paterson, N.J., was recognized as heavyweight champion in Great Britain and Europe, on the strength of a four-round knockout victory he scored over Bruce Woodcock, in London, Eng., June 6, in a bout recognized abroad as a world heavyweight championship match.
All told, 12 championship bouts were held in various sections of the world during 1950, involving seven of the eight standard ring divisions. Four new champions were produced. In addition to Saddler, they were: Dado Marino, Hawaii, in the flyweight class; Vic Toweel, South Africa, in the bantamweight class; and Joey Maxim, Cleveland, 0., in the light-heavyweight class.
During 1950 Pep twice successfully defended his featherweight title before succumbing to Saddler. At St. Louis on Jan. 16. Pep knocked out Charley Riley, St. Louis, in 5 rounds of a scheduled 15-round bout, and, on March 17, in Madison Square Garden, Pep won a 15-round decision over Ray Famechon of France, Saddler received credit for a knockout in seven rounds in winning the title from Pep Sept. 8, when Pep sustained a dislocated shoulder and was unable to respond for the eighth round.
La Motta's title defense against Mitri was one of two in which the champion engaged. La Motta followed this with a knockout victory over Laurent Dauthuille, France, in the 15th round of a championship battle waged at Detroit, Mich., Sept. 13. Maxim succeeded to the world light-heavyweight title on Jan. 24. by knocking out Freddie Mills, England, in ten rounds, at London, Eng. Ike Williams, Philadelphia, Pa., did not once defend his world lightweight championship during 1950.
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