CARPENTIER AT HOME.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9657, 14 July 1919, Page 2

CARPENTIER AT HOME.

FRENCH BOXER INTERVIEWED

La Gucrchc is a little village of white,' old-fasliioned houses, some. 200 miles from Paris. Here and there in its high street, that goes straggling along, American soldiers, ■tall, cleancut, were on duty, their big slouch hnts pulled down so as to screen theneyes from -a dazzling, glorious sun, revolvers peeping out: of their hip pockets; at the Cafe ]'Union dice were being thrown and rattled; pitched m the "market place was a kinema that had come to surprise the natives with, its panorama, of "movies" (writes B. Benneson in the "Daily Telegraph" of February-IS). Such was La Guerche, whence I have just returned after witnessing Georges Carpentier sign articles to fight in London either Bombardier Billy Wells 1 or the towering guardsman, Frank Goddard, or the sturdy, hard-hitting .Too Beckett, or Southampton. Temporarily freed from his duties as instructor at the Military School at Joinville le Font, the famous Frenchman is staying at the home of Francois Descamps, his manager, these days a prosperous manufacturer. I had not met Carpentier since he left London after beating Gunboat. Smith, to join the army of his country, m which, as a flight sergeant, lie has twice been decorated for daring and brilliant exploits in the air. I found him little changed from what he was iv 1914. Less of a boy, of course, for he is now 25 years old; and bigger in the shoulders, and several pounds heavier than when he last fought, but still the quiet, graceful Carpentier I knew before the war. Of all pugilists of high degree Carpenticr has always appealed to roe as one of-the most interesting I have known. You may talk "fight "with him, and see and concede only its highly scientific side. With him boxing, even for money, is an art, a great exacting vocation. ' In the drawing room of ■'"De-scamps's house, seated before a fire of crackling logs, he told me much) of his hopes and ambitions. " First," ho began, " ,you would have me say whether I have grown. The good Francois discovered this morning that I am I2st 81b, which is heavy enough for anything. I stand just a little higher than I did,, short of 6ft, but you would not expect me to say that I am sure that I am as good, as quick. as ever. That I will see when I get into the ring at Strassbourg against Dick Smith in July. When I volunteered for war I saw 1 would not have a fight until the war was over, and I have not; but I have, since I no longer fly, put myself to test, and I have been altogether satisfied with the result. "Five years is a long time %o be out of serious, actuar boxing, but I do not fear, for I have never ceased to keep myself fit. I play Rugby football; lately I have done much running—they say I am the second fastest sprinter in all France —and whenever possible I have made for the quiet of La Guerche to shoot over Francois's - estate.'. ■ ' ; ; .'■' But to-day I feel not" at all impressed or concerned about my re-start as a prize-fighter. This afternoon, when I signed a contract to come to London to meet the best heavy-weight in Britain, I think only of the romance of the game which I have made my profession. You will find over there a record of, my fights—6B I have had— and you will discover, too, exactly, what I was paid,for each contest; the first lOf.-the next a little more, until, when I appeared at your Olympia., I received more than £4000. Now, today, you come all the way from London and agree to pay more than £5000. It is wonderful, and I'think of the romance of it all. A little boy I was, who worked at the coal mines of Lens, when I was taken by, Descamps. With him, on Sundays. I made a tour of the countryside cafes; first, a fight with feet, then an exhibition? of English boxing, afterwards an acrobatic turn, and, by way of a gigantic finale, I allowed myself to be sent in a trance by Francois, and did • thought-reading.' The cap was taken round, and if," at the end of a. Sunday, we, had collected 30f or 40f, we had done what you call ' great business.' When war broke out I was worth IjOOO,OOOf. Most of it I invested in the Lens coalfields, and I must whistle /or a return. And you have come to make another fortune easy ! It is wonderful. . :■

"If I beat your Dick Smith in a way that is satisfactory to myself, I shall set out to make for the world's championship. If it is Wells that is to be my opponent in London, I have made arrangements with Mr O. B. Cochran to make a tour of all the large English towns. It is proposed that I should visit Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, and Cardiff, and at each of these places I shall have a contest. Afterwards, most probably next year, I shall visit America, and I shall challenge the man, whoever he may be, who holds the championship.- The game of fighting lias ever been to me a great thing, not the fighting part of it for fighting's sake, but fighting as a glorious speculation in oneself, One of my greatest fights was with a voting French jockey, named Salmon. I was then 18 years of age. It went 18 rounds, and then Descamps threw in the towel. My end of the purse was a few francs, but I got as much joy out of it —for Salmon was ra-fine little man —as any contest I have ever had. But. perhaps there was, none like that I had with your big "Bombardier Wells at Ghent. You know how near I came being beaten by him in the first round. I have seldom been hit so hard, and then you remember how I won. The second match, at your National Sporting Club, will ever remain more than I can understand. One punch—all over

"The war lias done wonders in spreading a, liking for boxing, and you may say, as you can of your , boys, that there is not a young soldier, in France who does not either- box or' wants to box. I do believe that France in the near future will hold her own against all countries. We have already got some remarkable little fighters, whose greatest ambition is to meet English boys, and for a very long time to come there will be contests between the pick of the two countries. It is very often said that the progress made by my country is almost unbelievable, but it is not, for the average French lad has the instinct for boxing, and there is no one who trains so hard, nor is there any who is so bent on excelling."