Читать книгу Jacobs Beach. The Mob, the Garden and the Golden Age of Boxing онлайн

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When the unaffected and trusting young man from Detroit turned twenty-one in 1935, he signed over half his gross earnings for the following ten years to his first manager, Julian Black; his other manager, Roxborough, claimed a quarter “for an indefinite period”; his trainer, Jack “Chappie” Blackburn, a convicted felon but a man the champ considered his one true friend in boxing, took his wages from the quarter that was left for Joe. Then the taxman went to work on Louis. It was a salami slice. From the day he entered the gym back in Detroit, Joe never stood a chance.

Initially, Madison Square Garden wanted Braddock to defend against Schmeling in June of 1937. But Mike Jacobs wasn't so interested in that. Not yet. He persuaded Gould to stall on any offers from the German, to keep his fighter for Louis later. Gould agreed—but he wanted the deal sugared. According to some accounts, about this time Roxborough was picked up by some persuasive gentlemen and taken to see Gould. The champ's best friend told Roxborough he didn't reckon Jim could beat Joe if he hit him until the sun came up. But, to make sure there was no upset, Gould wanted 50 percent of Louis. Roxborough, sweating hard in front of the interview panel, held out. “I can't do that, Joe,” he said, with good mathematical reasoning. “If you want to do a deal, you gotta talk to Mike.” Gould was outraged. He went to the Garden and talked to Mike. It was a conversation that would leave an enduring scar on Joe Louis.