BOXING.

NOTES. (By C-BSTUS.) The amount raised iii Auckland towards the fund to defray- Blewden's* expenses fell a little short of £50. This satisfactory result was largely due to the efforts of Mr R. Keenan, secretary of the Northern Association, and those associated with him. From the time of Blewden's selection they have worked assiduously iu the direction of securing an amount which, added to the contributions forwarded, through the Council, would leave a fair margin over estimated bare expenses, as estin_a.es in cases of this kind have ah unhappy knack of be,ing open to puncture in various unexpected directions. The total amount collected and donated was about £125. W. W. Naughton, the American correspondent of the Sydney "Referee," writing of the big American negro, Johnson, who will be in Australia in the course of a week or two, says: — "If Johnson fights as I have seen him fight, it will be a good man, indeed, that will hold his own with him." The Melbourne correspondent of the Sydney "Referee" reported, on December 18, that Tim Hegarty was about to leave for New Zealand to box either Charlie Griffin or Tim Tracy. Hegarty, who is close to being a ha6-been, was recently defeated hi Melbourne by Griffin, and as regards Tracy* the Australian would be going out ot his claes. A match with either man would not be of the order that it is desirable to encourage in New Zealand. A question has arisen, and not for the first time (writes Mr R. P. Watson, in London "Sporting Life"), relative to the prospect of a boxer's succiess if pitted against a Ju-Jitsu wrestler. Not to my knowledge has this been practically put to the test in the best of good company. To cope with, a Jap, the boxer would need be exceptionally clever with head, hands and feet, and a perfect master of ring-craft. A few years ago this was very nearly put to the test at the Alhambra, Brighton, where Tani was engaged with "Apollo," the latter as elocutionist and manager. Charley Mitchell was to be Tani's opponent, wearing, as a matter of course, gloves. All the arrangements were satisfactorily made for 'the following day, but. fearing an accident to Tani, " Apollo and the manager of the Alhambra deemed it prudent not to risk ths Jap's possibility of being unable to fill his music-hall engagement. For a boxer to dispose of a Jap, to my mind, he must not be very looig about it. and perform his work effectually with a knock-out, not necessarily on the jaw. Probably the keenest man in the game to-day is Jack O'Brien. Recently, while in the company of some acquaintances, he was invited to join them in a social glass. " No, thanks," was O'Brien's reply, " I'm on the water rig for five years. Yes, I took a pledge when I was away, and I won't take a drink as long as lam fighting. As you know, I was never a hard drinker, but I found that the habit was growing on me, bo I simply cut out booze. I nave seen booze defeat too many good fighters, and I don't want to follow in their footsteps. When I retire, then I may take my occasional glass, but now I. am attending to my business." "Do you anticipate fighting five years longer?" he vrae asked. " Just about five years. IfM am lucky I ought to last five yeafrs, don't you think P I am a young man yet. take pretty good care of myself, ahif- don't see many youngs heavyweights coming up who amount to anything, so why shouldn't I hang on five years longer? But when I retire I want to go out as an unbeaten champion." Just about the time Australian sports were expecting word of the departure from San Francisco of Jack O'Brien to fulfil his engagement with Squires, the Australian champion, _ a cable was received from the American to the effect that, as the Australian public appeared to regard professional athletes as little better than rogues and vagabonds, he •had decided to remain at home. No one seriously took this to be O'Brien's real reason ; for- cancelling his engagement, and since the contents of his wire have become known in other parts of the world^ there have not been wanting rude persons who have bluntly declared that O'Brien's sudden action was due to his having' heard of what a tough proposition Squires is, and that he funked a hiding. In this connection the following extract from a letter received by the Sydney "Referee" from Joe Choynski is interesting: — " O'Brien's cable is certainly the effect of a disordered brain, duo to ' Nouveaux Rich,' which is prevalent in this hemisphere^ The old saw, ' Mendicant on horseback/ etc. A few years ago O'Brien was driving a sand waggon in Philadelphia. Of, course, he is to he oommended for his rise, but he, has no claims to aristocracy. He struts about and puts on airs like one -to the ' manner born.' I suppose, though, that in this age of commercialism that the public demands it. He apes all the manners of a gentleman, and is much cut up if he is not recognised as such ; but I found long ago that the pugilist is a pugilist. I never claimed anything else; people can take me as they find

me, and had I the chance to begin life over, again my decision would be the same. O'Brien's unqualified attack on sports and athletes is from the end of his tongue, and is not borne out by facts. Australia treated me like a native. 'An I should live a thousand years I never should forget it.' "