THE FIGHT THAT ENDED MOB CONTROL OF BOXING
VIRGIL AKINS vs. DON JORDAN SIGNALS THE END FOR FRANKIE CARBO & BLINKY PALERMO
AKINS-JORDAN & THE END OF CARBO & PALERMO
During the 1950’s, boxing was dominated by a criminally run organization called the International Boxing Club, owned by mobbed-up businessmen James D. Norris and his partner, Arthur M. Wirt
z. Norris and Wirtz turned the day-to-day operations and matchmaking of the IBC over to ruthless mobsters Frankie Carbo and Blinky Palermo. Carbo and Palermo used their many Mob associates to act as behind-the-scenes managers for hundreds of top-flight prizefighters. As a result, many of these talented fighters were fleeced of their purses. Unfortunately, their legitimate managers were unable to prevent such thievery because they had been violently replaced with Mob-associated front men posing as managers by Carbo and Palermo.
Businessman and Mob Associate, James D. Norris
JAMES D. NORRIS & THE IBC
The nefarious criminal cabal known as the International Boxing Club, existed to solely benefit Norris, Wirtz, Carbo, Palermo and IBC lawyer Truman K. Gibson, along with various other Mob cronies. Norris was essentially a mobster in a Brooks Brother suit. He was no less guilty than Carbo or Palermo when it came to threatening, intimidating and cheating boxers out of their agreed upon purses. James Dougan Norris was a son of privilege. The D should have stood for Delinquent rather than Dougan. He was born November 6, 1906 in Chicago, Illinois into a prominent Illinois business family run by his father, James E. Norris, who was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on December 10, 1879.
James E. Norris
James E. Norris made millions from his massive cattle and grain holdings. He also owned three NHL teams, the New York Rangers, the Chicago Black Hawks and the Detroit Red Wings. In addition, he owned Madison Square Garden, Chicago Stadium and Detroit’s Olympia. He died on December 4, 1952. However, during the 1940’s, he turned over controlling interest in the Norris Grain Company and Madison Square Garden to his son James. The young Norris was 46 years of age and fabulously wealthy. He was also by nature an amoral thrill seeker. Ultimately, this would prove to be his undoing.
Norris had several tragic flaws. Chief among them was his fascination with and admiration for, gangsters. He loved to be around gangsters and listen to their lurid stories of torture and murder. He got off on it. His business and personal association with Mob killers would leave a permanent stain on his reputation and legacy. Falling under the spell of gangsters is always a dumb idea because these murderous thugs never view you as an equal. To a gangster, a rich businessman like Norris was nothing more than a patsy, a means to an end. Carbo and Palermo routinely drained fighters of all of their assets, both physical and financial, before dumping them by the side of the rode. Then they quickly moved on to other unwitting victims. No one during the 1950’s had the cojones or the muscle to go against the dictates of the IBC. A direct challenge to the IBC was also a direct challenge to the Lucchese Crime Family, which was not a smart idea, if you’re goal was to live a long and healthy life. These weren’t two bit, small time criminals. This was organized crime at its most powerful. Anyone who opposed the Lucchese’s in any of their rackets, including boxing, often ended up with a bullet behind their right ear.
Frankie Carbo & Blinky Palermo: Boxing’s Twin Cancers
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