Boxing Writers on the Take in the Golden Era

[scribbs]

It was Malcolm 'Flash' Gordon who exposed the 1977 Ring/US Championship scandal. Check out this article about it.

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[Senya13]

Originally Posted by rantcatrat

Hmmm. That is worth noting. Maybe Runyon wasn't on the up-and-up in the late thirties then?

I don't have the book, but the accusation is supposedly about him during the Pueblo/Denver period, before he became famous as boxing and baseball writer in New York American. In this case, it'd be better to hear what Otto Floto or Emerson Dickerson had to say about him, as they were sports editors of Denver Post and Denver Rocky Mountain News at the time Runyon started his writing career in Colorado. Nagler couldn't know Floto as he died in 1929 many years before he started writing sports. I don't know when Dickerson died, but I doubt Nagler could be familiar with him either. So his words could be based on gossips rather than actual knowledge.

[rantcatrat]

Originally Posted by Senya13

I don't have the book, but the accusation is supposedly about him during the Pueblo/Denver period, before he became famous as boxing and baseball writer in New York American. In this case, it'd be better to hear what Otto Floto or Emerson Dickerson had to say about him, as they were sports editors of Denver Post and Denver Rocky Mountain News at the time Runyon started his writing career in Colorado. Nagler couldn't know Floto as he died in 1929 many years before he started writing sports. I don't know when Dickerson died, but I doubt Nagler could be familiar with him either. So his words could be based on gossips rather than actual knowledge.

I'll look into them. Thanks for the direction.

[fatcity]

Originally Posted by scribbs

It was Malcolm 'Flash' Gordon who exposed the 1977 Ring/US Championship scandal. Check out this article about it.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Man,how we could use Flash's inside reporting today.He would have a field day.How I miss his newsletter.

[SLAKKA]

Originally Posted by rantcatrat

Are there any sources for this? In "Boxing's Brainiest Champ and his Upset of the Great Jack Dempsey," Jack Cavanaugh states that quite a few writers in the teens, twenties and thirties accepted bribes for writing positive reviews of boxers and their fights. Was this behavior widespread? What other sources verify that this was common? What writers accepted bribes? Proof? Did any writers own portions of contracts of boxers? I'm interested in the subject and thank the posters at East Side Boxing in advance for their input. I appreciate it.

Originally Posted by rantcatrat

This is all very helpful.

On your recommendations, I'll watch the Humphrey Bogart movie. Thank you for that recommendation.

Were the Ring Magazine's unsavory activities reported at the time in articles and the like?

To give you further example of what I am referring to, in the Jack Cavanaugh book cited above, on page 115, he states that Barney Nagler, a well-respected boxing writer of the time, became "almost apoplectic when he would hear a young sports reporter wax reverentially about Runyon's work. 'He was the crookedest writer around, with his hand in every promoter's pocket and in a lot of managers' and fighters' pockets too.'" Additionally, in Jimmy Breslin's biography of Damon Runyon, he stated that Damon Runyon had ownership rights in fighters and would write favorably about them as a result.

Originally Posted by Senya13

Barney Nagler only became sporting journalist during Runyon's later years, around 1937 or so. He couldn't know personally what Runyon was doing or writing when he worked in Denver Rocky Mountain News (Nagler wasn't even born yet) or NY American.

Originally Posted by rantcatrat

Hmmm. That is worth noting. Maybe Runyon wasn't on the up-and-up in the late thirties then?

Originally Posted by Senya13

I don't have the book, but the accusation is supposedly about him during the Pueblo/Denver period, before he became famous as boxing and baseball writer in New York American. In this case, it'd be better to hear what Otto Floto or Emerson Dickerson had to say about him, as they were sports editors of Denver Post and Denver Rocky Mountain News at the time Runyon started his writing career in Colorado. Nagler couldn't know Floto as he died in 1929 many years before he started writing sports. I don't know when Dickerson died, but I doubt Nagler could be familiar with him either. So his words could be based on gossips rather than actual knowledge.

The evidence is overwhelming!
Both of Gene Tunneys books "Arms For Living" and "A Man Must Fight"
contain many direct associations of boxing writers of his day making it clear they appreciated "gifts" and that his Mgrs Doc Bagley and later Billy Gibson recommending to young Gene they best comply. He did.

I would be strongly influenced by what Barney Nagler had to say about Runyon and mention also, in Breslins book "Damon Runyon A Life" in the opening pages he referred to not only Runyon on the take but all the newspapers of the 1920s containing writers of all stripes who would write most anything when they got paid under the table.
Surely this is known to students of the great crash of 1929.

Lastly, Barney Nagler himself was strongly maligned in Ferdie Paccecios book "Blood In My Coffee" as himself always being the first one with his hand out to Chris Dundee and others.
No heroes, and the Lance Armstrong scandal of today contains much of the SOS!!

[Saintpat]

So much for newspaper decisions

[Senya13]

Originally Posted by SLAKKA

The evidence is overwhelming!

I'm not saying it didn't happen. I'm saying Nagler is kind of a "secondary source" if his statements were to be used to accuse Runyon. You know what I mean.

[SLAKKA]

Originally Posted by Saintpat

So much for newspaper decisions

It seemed to be centered in nyc. Its practice in other areas is less likely.

[TBooze]

Originally Posted by SLAKKA

It seemed to be centered in nyc. Its practice in other areas is less likely.

That was because 'No decisions' were the only way you could fight legally in NYC at the time.

[rantcatrat]

Originally Posted by SLAKKA

The evidence is overwhelming!
Both of Gene Tunneys books "Arms For Living" and "A Man Must Fight"
contain many direct associations of boxing writers of his day making it clear they appreciated "gifts" and that his Mgrs Doc Bagley and later Billy Gibson recommending to young Gene they best comply. He did.

I would be strongly influenced by what Barney Nagler had to say about Runyon and mention also, in Breslins book "Damon Runyon A Life" in the opening pages he referred to not only Runyon on the take but all the newspapers of the 1920s containing writers of all stripes who would write most anything when they got paid under the table.
Surely this is known to students of the great crash of 1929.

Lastly, Barney Nagler himself was strongly maligned in Ferdie Paccecios book "Blood In My Coffee" as himself always being the first one with his hand out to Chris Dundee and others.
No heroes, and the Lance Armstrong scandal of today contains much of the SOS!!

Slakka - other than the Pacheco and Runyon books - do you have any other sources you could point me to that would discuss this? Thanks in advance!

[thistle1]

there are two british books that mention very briefly the corruption of the boxing board and that it was the Promoters who called the shots and were the paid the piper. Tony Van Den Burg's "Who Killed Freddie Mills?" and referee's Eugene Henderson's "Box On" both are brief on the matter but very clear about these facts.

[SLAKKA]

Originally Posted by rantcatrat

Slakka - other than the Pacheco and Runyon books - do you have any other sources you could point me to that would discuss this? Thanks in advance!

The two Tunney books and the below incident in Harry Grebs career.


volution of the sports section in American newspapers from 1920 ... - Page 306

books.google.com/books?id=OsI7AAAAMAAJ
George Raymond Rinehart - 1932 - Snippet view
The charges of bribery were made by Harry Greb, boxer, decalred that he was forced to grease the palms of reporters ... president of the year-old New York Boxing Writers Associa- 2 tion, and member of the staff of the New York Sun, saying: 1.

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[rantcatrat]

Originally Posted by thistle1

there are two british books that mention very briefly the corruption of the boxing board and that it was the Promoters who called the shots and were the paid the piper. Tony Van Den Burg's "Who Killed Freddie Mills?" and referee's Eugene Henderson's "Box On" both are brief on the matter but very clear about these facts.

Thistle, I appreciate you dropping your knowledge. I've put them on my list to purchase.

[rantcatrat]

Originally Posted by SLAKKA

The two Tunney books and the below incident in Harry Grebs career.


volution of the sports section in American newspapers from 1920 ... - Page 306

books.google.com/books?id=OsI7AAAAMAAJ
George Raymond Rinehart - 1932 - Snippet view
The charges of bribery were made by Harry Greb, boxer, decalred that he was forced to grease the palms of reporters ... president of the year-old New York Boxing Writers Associa- 2 tion, and member of the staff of the New York Sun, saying: 1.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Thanks, Slakka. I really appreciate you dropping the knowledge on me. I need to see how I can find that book for purchase.

[scribbs]

Originally Posted by fatcity

Man,how we could use Flash's inside reporting today.He would have a field day.How I miss his newsletter.

What were they like?

I'm from the UK & was only born in 70's so heard about them but you don't see them online or being sold (well I ain't anyway). I've heard them described as the best boxing literature that could be found at one point, is that true or just hyperbole in your opinion?