The fight, in effect, was for charity. Referee Jack Dempsey gave his services free. Film Comedians Bud Abbott & Lou Costello promoted it as a benefit in aid of the youth foundation established by Costello after his infant son died in 1943. Lightweight Champion Ike Williams, a cool, sharpshooting Negro from New Jersey, whose manager is a good friend of Costello's, took only 7½% of the gate, although Enrique Bolanos, the Mexican-born challenger, got 17½%.
The buildup was satisfying and 19,000 people paid $108,000 to get into Los Angeles' Wrigley Field. The question was whether it would be a show or a...
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