The Key West Citizen

Saxton Beats The Rap Thurs.
NEW YORK—It was December in October for Johnny Saxton today.

Santa Claus paid another visit to the freshly crowned welterweight champion and dropped another present down his chimney—a suspension of his 15-day jail sentence for 12 traffic violations.

But just how long Santa will continue to bestow favors on the 24-year-old Negro champ remains to be seen.

There was talk of a possible title bout between the New Yorker and Carmen Basilio, the No. 1 contender from Canastota, N.Y., but that was clouded by the shouts of ex-champion Kid Gavilan's handlers that the Cuban has "an ironclad return bout contract."

Norm Rothschild, the Syracuse, N.Y., promoter, has offered Saxton $40,000 to put his title on the line against Basilio in Syracuse. But there's the big question of whether Saxton would draw a gate with anybody, including a hot local attraction.

The reluctant champion, about as cautious and boring a fighter to come on the scene in modern days, has been a party to four prize "stinkers" in the last three years. He reached the apex of his career of etherizing the customers in Philadelphia's Convention Hall Wednesday night when he decisioned Gavilan.

Gavilan, Manager Angel Lopez and trainer Mundito Medina had cooled down somewhat yesterday from their high fever at post-fight time. Then, in the heat of the announcement that the Kid had lost his crown, they had shouted the old refrain of boxing: "We wuz robbed."

The dapper manager and night club owner insisted, "We have an ironclad return bout contract for New York City. Saxton can fight nobody else until he fights the Kid first."

Frank (Blinky) Palermo, the Philadelphia manager of Saxton, who once said his buddy Lopez didn't have to worry about a return—"He has my word"—now was singing another tune.

"We ain't signed for nobody," said the Blink. "All we want is dough."

Harry Markson, managing director of the International Boxing Club, said as far as the IBC knew there was no return contract. He shuddered when the question was put to him. He said the IBC was interested in a Basilio-Saxton match.

Saxton, who had $600 in fines for his traffic tickets, paid another $50 for a speeding charge.

"Don't let it happen again," warned Chief Magistrate John Murtagh when he suspended Saxton's jail term.

An eloquent plea by Saxton's lawyer, John J. Duff, helped get Saxton off. The attorney said Johnny's dull performance was the result of worry about his pending jail sentence.

"Even the defendant's best friend could not say he fought his best fight," said Duff.