Overmatched, The Nba Concedes To Archie

The Moore-Schoppner fight is expected to take place this summer at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, N.J. There will almost certainly be a return-bout clause to cover Archie in the event that Schoppner wins, and in that case Harold Johnson would seem to be at least a year away from his chance at the title.

The NBA then picked up another thorny rose—the problem of what to do about Hurricane Jackson. After Eddie Machen brutally battered him into a 10th-round TKO in November 1957, Jackson was banned in California and New York. At that time California was still in the NBA and sister NBA states were presumed to honor the ban, but Jackson managed to get a few fights in such outposts as Boise, Idaho and Sherbrooke, Quebec. Now California is out of the NBA, and that organization was willing to take a second look at Hurricane's situation.

George Gainford, who had picked up Hurricane's contract, presented the testimony of five physicians that the boxer was in fine physical condition, thus begging the question. The problem is not Hurricane Jackson's physical condition, which must be superb or he would not have been able to survive such beatings as he endured at the hands of Machen and Floyd Patterson, but his retarded mental condition. As Patterson once said, "Some day a few years from now they'll point a finger at Jackson and say he's punch-drunk. Then they'll blame boxing for it. But I knew him well before he had more than some preliminary fights. Boxing has nothing to do with it."

Gainford promised that he would not overmatch Jackson against the likes of Patterson and Machen, and that he would retire the fighter if he showed signs of being hurt. The NBA then tossed the hot biscuit to the Pennsylvania commission, with a flattering request that it give Jackson still another physical examination by its highly regarded medical board. Pennsylvania's Al Klein said he would be glad to oblige.

As for Archie, he sent word from his Salt Mine training camp near San Diego that all was forgiven and the NBA can come home now if it likes. He has withdrawn his refusal to recognize the NBA.