European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 10, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse                                February the stars and stripes Page 23 Smiths bait 500 grand in Pillowcase even nine months the Awe of the moment remains in Larry Holmes voice when he talks about Harold Smith had this big i think it was a and it was full of packs of Mon Holmes was he told me he had 000 in there just for me if id let him promote he had two Cashiers checks from the Wells Fargo each for that million but that in i aint never seen that kind of Money before or i got a lot of but All i Ever see is the checks or the Bank i never see the Money i never touch the time that Harold came Here last May to try and sign i saw the and that was something to Over the Telephone from his the unbeaten world boxing Council heavy weight was talking about the mysterious and missing chairman of Muhammad a profession Al sports the scandalous promotional firm known As As it turned i never took harolds i never signed with he Don King taught me never to mess with Cash but that the Way Harold Harold liked to put All that Money in front of Ever since Smith disappeared in the alleged embezzlement of million from a Wells Fargo Branch in Beverly stories about him have been stories that boxing people did not talk about or did not want to talk but this is the most fascinating Story yet How Smith tried to promote the Holmes Ali fight by us ing in a Pillowcase to steal Holmes from Don the flamboyant promoter who has Nur tured the wac Champion with an almost fatherly As Well As fiscal it goes Back to late says Don when Larry and i were in Las vegas for the Leonard Benitez i think it Smith was sneaking around like a thief in the night trying to talk to and when he knocked on the door of larrys i opened i called him everything but a child of god and he backed but he didst quit he wanted to put on a Holmes Scott Ledoux he already had Ledoux but i had the but when Smith wanted to visit Holmes in Easton to talk about a Ledoux King i told says that if Harold wanted to give him million for the Ledoux then he should take the Best i could do for Larry in that fight was so if Larry could get almost double i didst feel i should stand in his and All Harold had talked about up to then was the one fight with nothing beyond Smith arrived at Holmess office in Easton after a flight from los Angeles with a few associates on his leased executive but King was Harold took out that in Cash and told Larry he could put it All in his King but i reminded Larry that to get the Protection of the Constitution in this youve got to pay your if you dont report that sooner or later youre going to get and when you do get youll be broke the rest of your i told Harold to put the in Cash in the con tract to protect Larry and his but then Harold took me out in the Hall and tried to bribe Harold showed me a letter of intent from a Hong Kong Bank for million and he told me he really wanted to promote the Holmes Ali he told you bring Holmes and Well be 5050 but i told i dont want nothing to do with when we go Back into the Harold even tells Larry that him and me Are going to work it out and i Tell we aint Goin to work out hats when i told Larry that Harold had no Intel Don King Larry Holmes Tell of Smiths efforts to promote wac Champ tons of just putting on a Ledoux that he wanted the Ali even Holmes and King insist they were willing to accept Smith As the promoter of a Holme Ledoux but Holmes Harold wanted to delay putting my Money in the Bank until i think it was 15 Days before the Don told him the Money had to be up 30 Days before the i even compromised to 20 Days but then Harold backed 1 dont think he wanted the Ledoux fight at 1 think he just wanted to get me for an Ali Smith stalked several weeks on july Holmes knocked out Scott Ledoux in the seventh round of a wac title bout in that King but after Smith departed that May Holmes and King drove Over to Deer where Muhammad Ali was training for his when we got Harold was Flash ing that Money in the Holmes i told Ali that Harold was a Jive but i was willing to let Harold promote a fight with me and Ledoux but that Harold let that part about when the Money had to be up get in his that any promoter that did that had to be a Jive but Holmes Harold turned on me and you aint alis the not that was harolds big As soon As Ali heard he jumped up and shut Hes the heavyweight Champion and he tells me when he wants to dont you Ever say that about Holmes Smith shut King promoted alis comeback fight 2 when the three time Champion surren dered on his Stool to Holmes after 10 sad Only a few weeks Holmes was saying Smith called my Richie and offered me million to fight Gerry Cooney in the figuring i guess that Cooney would beat Ken but i didst pay any attention to that i didst want anything to do with now the Coone Norton a victim of the 23 card at Madison Square Garden that was cancelled after the maps scandal appears on its Way to Caesars Palace next month in Las where Holmes plans to defend his title against Trevor Berbick of Canada april 11 and against Leon Spinks on May if Cooney beats the wac Champion ill fight Cooney in the then hang pm and then Holmes talked about having All the Money he even without in a Pillow the new York times Hamilton figure King continued from Page 22 time in his they came in composition and after the judges awarded him five in required from Fol Lowed with a routine featuring a flamboyant six triple revolution but was unable to overcome the Points built up by Hamilton and Veteran skating officials and coaches said the intense Battle and Standard of excellence was unmatched in the history of the it made us All a lot said Hamil enthused i want to buy a video tape of who finished third in the nationals last year behind Charlie now a and finished the Competition with nine ordinals and san a nine time National medallist but never a had 18 ordinals and Wagenhoffer had 27 ordinals and All three earned berths on the United states team that competes next month in the world championships in according to the May be heading for one of its Jestever showing in the world Smith informs up hell still promote spectacular Scott Hamilton spectacular three Way Duel new York up fugitive boxing promoter Harold Smith resurfaced briefly late sunday night to Issue the surprising announcement that he still intends to pro Mote his cancelled million boxing spec the four fight titled this is it and scheduled for Madison Square Garden on was cancelled late thursday night after the head of Muhammad Ali pro sports maps and co promoter of the was named in a embezzle ment suit filed in los Angeles by the Wells Fargo the this is it show will be postponed for 30 Smith said in a Brief Tele phone Call to United press International in new i intend to do the this is it will Tell Don King and Larry Holmes that they buried me too Smith in going to keep the agreement As is and the purses to the fighters will be the King is a rival boxing Holmes is the current heavyweight Champion of the world boxing who disappeared two weeks ago and broke his silence last tuesday with a bizarre Story that his son was kidnapped and that he was chased through Europe by said he was calling from los an Smith called two los Angeles sportscasters and a new York times sports writer tuesday night after returning to the United states but has not been heard from he reportedly has enlisted the services of criminal attorney Paul horse ordered entered in race Santa up a judge sunday issued a temporary order allowing a suspended race believed to be owned by missing boxing promoter Harold Smith but legally registered to another to be entered in this weeks san Vicente chairman of Muhammad Ali professional and several other persons were charged last week in a lawsuit by Wells Fargo Bank with embezzling More than the Board of stewards at Santa Anita race track sunday ordered another defendant in the Lloyd Ben Smiths partner in an entertainment promotion business and an operations offi cer of the to appear before the Orange county Superior court judge Robert Ppd signed the temporary stay or Der permitting Johnlee n Winner of this years California breeders Champion to be entered in the race