Show:410641

1931-07-03 Mid City Arena, Laurel, Maryland, US

• Herman Weiner W KO Mike Sullivan
• Babe Hunt W PTS Pietro Corri
• Arthur DeBeve W PTS Mickey Diamond
• Billy Edwards W KO Hayes Scott
• Billy Essinger W PTS Jimmy Reed

REPORT

From Washington newspapers (Laurence Fielding).

Laurel's outdoor boxing arena met mysterious end
By Kevin Leonard: Baltimore Sun 6:00 a.m. EDT, October 2, 2014[1]
QUOTES:
promoter Angy Gerrin built a huge outdoor, wooden arena with a capacity of around 7,000. Gerrin, a flamboyant Frenchman who 
entertained the boxing writers with his mangled English, operated a boxing club in Washington, D.C. With the backing of some 
"silent partners" Gerrin formed a new company, the Mid City Boxing Club Inc., to build and operate the Laurel arena, 
according to the Washington Post in May 1931.
Opening night
To much fanfare, Gerrin announced the opening night 10-round feature bout between heavyweights Babe Hunt and Pietro Corri. 
Hunt, called "the Giant Oklahoman" in all the boxing columns, was 6 feet 4 inches and weighed 195 pounds. The much shorter 
Corri outweighed Hunt by five pounds but gave up a substantial difference in reach.
Hunt was the big favorite. Of the two, he had a much more distinguished career. The web site sports-ratings.com listed Hunt 
at No. 116 in their list of the top 500 heavyweights of all time. (Muhammad Ali is No. 1.) His most famous fight was in 1930 
when he beat future heavyweight champion James J. Braddock, the subject of Ron Howard's 2005 movie, "Cinderella Man." Hunt's 
career record was 89 wins, 32 losses and 10 draws.
Corri, on the other hand, was a palooka. With a career record of 13 wins, 65 losses and 6 draws, he wasn't expected to put 
up much of a fight. His career "highlight" was his bout against heavyweight champion Max Schmeling in 1929, when Corri's 
glass chin kissed the canvas in 59 seconds. It was the fastest knockout of Schmeling's career. Shirley Povich, the legendary 
Post sports writer, put it best: "If Corri remains vertical tonight the fight may be worth watching."
Opening night for the Mid City Arena on July 1, 1931 was rained out and rescheduled for July 3. Gerrin must have been 
disappointed when opening night only drew 2,000 fans. After waiting through five preliminary fights, Hunt and Corri entered 
the ring for the main bout.
Corri did indeed remain vertical for 10 rounds, but Hunt won the decision. As described in The Baltimore Sun, "Corri 
showed courage in resisting the attempts of Hunt to knock him out in the last two rounds after administering a beating 
throughout the major portion of the fight."
Attendance woes
From the start, the Mid City Arena's attendance was dismal. Rumors quickly spread that the venue was in danger of closing. 
On Aug. 12, 1931 the Post reported, "Despite poor attendance, influenced by poor weather on two of the three occasions the 
club has presented its offerings, and though the receipts of the last show on July 30 were clawed by the law, Mid City will 
come back 'in about 15 days' it was stated by Gerrin."
But there were no more bouts in 1931, and Gerrin sold out to C.E. Cornell, "a lunchroom proprietor who will serve in the 
dual capacity of promoter and matchmaker," according to the Post. Cornell renamed the venue the Twin City Arena.