THE SQUARED RING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 27, 13 November 1935, Page 3

THE SQUARED RING

“A MISBEGOTTEN PRODUCT.”

MODERN “ALL-IN” WRESTLING.

(By “Referee.”)

It ft some time since the South African public was first initiated into the intricacies of modern “all-in” wrestling by a band of American troupers (remarks the “ Johannesburg Star” editorially). Now, having been sufficiently educated by the pioneer missionaries of the cult, we are haying our knowledge of the finer points of this delicate sport polished by touring specialists. They show all the inventive genius of Torquemada and by displays of “frightfulness,” relieved by flagrant burlesque and comedy, both conscious and unconscious, take more money out of the country after a few months here than the average efficient professional man can earn in a year. We have no quarrel with manly sports like boxing and wrestling, oven when the professional side of these sports is so organised, in keeping with the whole commercial trend of all sport to-day, that largo sums of money are divided between the public gladiators. We cannot, however, see the sportsmanship, or even entertainment value, of some recent alleged athletic spectacles which have been nothing more nor less than public brawling for money prizes, even if they do bear the guinea stamp of approval by the police and “boards of control.” Recent reports of these sporting spectacles in the Johannesburg City I-lall and in every town of note in South Africa, must have made the average citizen rub his eyes in wonderment. The “all-in” wrestler, educating the South African public up (or down) to the tastes of the American Middle West, provides a Roman holiday by using tactics on the wrestling mat which can only be described as a kind of hooliganism. Happenings in the most recent matches are scarcely a credit to a civilised community. The throwing of a bucket of water hy one wrestler over another, the attempt of one to hit his opponent with the timekeeper’s gavel, and tho removal of the opponent’s trousers, all incidents which occurred recently, may have their humorous side, but are scarcely a spectacle to offer a mixed audience and. present to hero-worship-ping boys as tho approved tactics of champions. British Punch to Go? The time will come, no doubt, when the old-fashioned British “punch on the nose” will disappear from our school playgrounds as a method .of settling juvenile differences, and kicking, biting, scratching, eye-gouging, and jumping on a floored opponent — to mention only a few of the moves, generally employed by these “sporting” champions—will he tho rule. Hooded, masked and otherwise eccentrically ornamented showmen who seek publicity for the “sport,” the theatrical antics of the men in the ring, the monotonous regularity with which the same opponents meet each other in matches and “return” matches, and the fact that there appears to he a “legitimate” world’s champion m town in the world where this weird business is practised, having long since taken the seriousness out of the contests. When, however, after quietening down some timeago (after the City Council temporarily withdrew the use of the City Hall because of a particularly reprehensible display 7), ■ these public entertainers again cause riots and uproar, it is time to call a halt. The police, who have been quelling disturbances at Durban and elsewheie, and who it was proposed some time ago to station in plain clothes among the spectators to keep order in the Johannesburg City Hall, could he much better employed elsewhere.

Strange indeed are the developments caused by highly organised publicity methods and the money involved m modern sport. Even if, in classic times, strangling, butting and kicking very soon found their way into the game, it is difficult to imagine how Homer, who established himself as the world s premier wrestling reporter with his description of the match between Ajax and Odysseus in the Iliad, would describe this modern misbegotten product of the original wrestling of ancient days. Abe Wiilis Passes. Hied at Orange (N.S.W.) recently, Adam (Abe) Willis, one of the bestknown of Australian boxers of years ago, who performed with credit on both sides of the Pacific. Abe’ was born at Woollahra on June 15, 1868, and in his early fistic days achieved prominence as a hare knuckle exponent. He had 12 contests under the London prize ring rules, some as shoit as two rounds and one going 72 rounds. This lasted 3-\ hours, his opponent being H. Regan. On January 17, 1891, at the Amateur Athletic t Club, Darlinghurst, he had much the better of Ike O’Neill Weir, the Belfast Spider, ex-featherweight champion of the world, in four rounds. A few days later Abe left for America with Jim Hall and Billy (“Shadow”) Maher. Ik© Weir- on his return to the States spoke in an exalted way about the standard of Australian boxing, and so wonderfully did Willis shape in a try-out against one Mahony that leading American authorities deemed him a worthy opponent for George Dixon and for a while before their meeting he was favourite. Dixon beat him in five rounds.

Abe met Griffo twice, first on July 27, 1887, after a dust-up at the Haymarket, in Sydney: After 20 rounds the battle ended in a. draw. They met again 18 months later, and Griffo knocked him out in three rounds. After returning from America Abe continued boxing at the Golden Gate and Gaiety, and later proved one of the shrewdest seconds in the game. He also taught boxing. Tommy Hanley, himself a good teacher afterwords, was bis best pupil.