SPORTS
1957 BOXING
Boxing in the United States made steady, though small, gains during 1957, with shows being staged in many cities which were without fight cards for many years. A Ring magazine survey showed a rising trend of nontelevised fights grossing over the $10,000 mark (a 52% increase over 1956), a good indication that the sport might be in for at least a mild revival. This increase was not limited to any one sector but was being strongly felt in California, Texas, Minnesota and Massachusetts. The areas still lagging were those from which the nationally televised weekly shows usually emanated, mainly Chicago and New York.
The opening of more independent boxing clubs was further encouraged in July when the federal government was successful in its antitrust suit against the International Boxing club. Federal Judge Sylvester Ryan found the Madison Square Garden Corp., the Chicago Stadium Corp., James D. Norris and Arthur Wirtz, his partner, guilty of conspiracy in unreasonable restraint of trade in the promotion of professional championship boxing and of conspiracy to monopolize trade and commerce in the same field in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust act. The judge de• creed that the International Boxing clubs of New York and Chicago, subsidiaries of Madison Square Garden and the Chicago stadium, respectively, must be dissolved.
World Championship Matches.
Spurred by the antitrust decree, for the first time in many years independent promoters put on championship matches involving the world heavyweight champion. Floyd Patterson successfully defended his title in two bouts, stopping Tommy (Hurricane) Jackson in 10 rounds on July 29 at the Polo Grounds, New York, and knocking out Pete Rademacher in six rounds on Aug. 22 at Seattle, Wash. Rademacher, 1956 Olympic games heavyweight champion, in challenging Patterson for the title became the first fighter in history to engage in a world championship match in his first professional contest.
Archie Moore defended his light heavyweight title once, knocking out Tony Anthony in seven rounds at the Olympic auditorium, Los Angeles, Calif., on Sept. 20.
Ray Robinson lost the world middleweight title to Gene Fullmer on Jan. 2, at Madison Square Garden, New York, on a 15-round decision, then regained the title from Fullmer on May 1, at Chicago, Ill., with a five-round knockout. This was the fourth time that Robinson held the middleweight title, a world record.
Carmen Basilio, world welterweight champion, won the middle-weight title from Robinson on Sept. 23, at Yankee stadium, New York, on a 15-round split decision. Basilio soon after vacated the welterweight throne. Earlier in the year, on Feb. 22, Basilio defended his welterweight title, knocking out Johnny Saxton in two rounds at Cleveland, O.
Joe Brown was successful in three defenses of his world light-weight title, scoring a technical knockout over Wallace (Bud) Smith in 11 rounds on Feb. 13 at Miami Beach, Fla., stopping Orlando Zulueta in 15 rounds at Denver, Colo., on June 19 and turning back Joey Lopez in 11 rounds at Chicago on Dec. 4.
Following his injury in an automobile accident in 1956, world featherweight champion Sandy Saddler relinquished his title in Jan. 1957 and retired. An elimination series saw Hogan (Kid) Bassey and Cherif Hamia of France advance to the finals. They fought for the vacant title on June 24 at Paris, Fr., with Bassey scoring a knockout in the 10th round.
Alphonse Halimi of Algeria won the world bantamweight title by outpointing Mario D'Agata of Italy in 15 rounds on April 1 at Paris, Fr., and on Nov. 6 in Los Angeles, Calif., he gained undisputed possession of the title by winning a 15-round decision over Raul (Raton) Macias of Mexico, the National Boxing association champion. In a bout on June 15, Macias had knocked out Danny Ursua of the Philippines in 11 rounds at the Cow Pal-ace, San Francisco, Calif.
Pascual Perez, world flyweight champion put his title on the line three times and was successful on each occasion, knocking out Dai Dower, British Empire champion, in one round on March 30 and outpointing Luis Angel Jimenez in ten rounds on July' 12. Both fights took place in Buenos Aires, Arg. He also scored a three-round knockout in a bout with Pablo Sosa at Tandil, Arg., on Aug. 24.
Boxing Hall of Fame.
Six new members were elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1957. The Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 1954 by Ring magazine and is housed in the Ring museum in Madison Square Garden. The board of directors voted in one pioneer of the game, Charley Mitchell. The old timers' commit-tee elected four, Kid McCoy, Packey McFarland, Les Darcy and Battling Nelson. The modern group named one, Johnny Dundee.
The following is a complete list of the 47 who had been elected to the Hall of Fame:
Pioneer Group.—James Figg, Tom Cribb, Jem Mace, Tom Sayers, Gentleman John Jackson, Arthur Chambers, John C. Heenan, William Richmond, Nonpareil Jack Dempsey, Jack Broughton, Daniel Mendoza, Tom Hyer, Young Griffo, John Morrissey, John L. Sullivan, Jack Mc-Auliffe, William Thompson (Bendigo), Peter Jackson and Charley Mitchell.
Old Timers' Group.—Stanley Ketchel, Jack Johnson, James J. Corbett, Terry McGovern, Abe Attell, George Dixon, Joe Gans, Bob Fitzsimmons, James J. Jeffries, Sam Langford, Joe Walcott, Jem Driscoll, Kid McCoy, Packey McFarland, Les Darcy and Battling Nelson.
Modern Group.—Jack Dempsey, Henry Armstrong, Harry Greb, Joe Louis, Mickey Walker, Gene Tunney, Benny Leonard, Tony Canzoneri, Jimmy McLarnin, Barney Ross, Tommy Loughran and Johnny Dundee.
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