Chapter Twenty
The TraversSaratoga, New York
August 14, 1926
The next week the right side of Kelly’s face was bruised and swollen. Costello said it was only a “shiner.” Although delighted with the outcome of his exhibition match with Firpo, Kelly was not thrilled about the possibility of entering the Dempsey fight with a black eye.
Dempsey’s upcoming local exhibition was to be held at the White Sulphur Spring Hotel in Saratoga, New York, about thirty-five miles from the Kelly home. Although Saratoga was a day trip for Kelly, the major decided to make it a two-day trip so he could also “play the ponies” at the Saratoga track the day before the fight.
Kelly decided that the best way to secure the job of Dempsey’s sparring partner was to “ambush” Dempsey’s manager, Jack Kearns, at the T
