BOXING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 277, 4 September 1936, Page 3

BOXING.

FOUR K.O.’S IN JUST FIVE ROUNDS. Aurelia Herrera knocked out Young Corbett four times in five rounds when they fought. The first round was hardly a minute old when the Mexican hit Corbett with one on the chin. Corbett said he was not out and would have fallen had not Herrera clinched and held him up. The same thing happened before the first round was finished and, again in two of the succeeding rounds. Each time, except the last one, when Corbett went down completely and for keeps, Herrera unwittingly held his man up by clinching. These secure holds taken on Corbett are explained by the fact that Herrera feared his punishing body blows. A smarter boxer would have sensed out Corbett’s condition and stood off. The fight took place in Los Angeles on January 12, 1906.

WHO WAS THE GREATEST BOXER? There never will be an end to the argument about the old-timers and the present-day crop of fighters. I’ve been listening to it ever since I’ve followed the whirl of the padded fists. M ould John L. Sullivan have whipped Dempsey? (writes a life-long friend of John L. Sullivan). “Would Dempsey have whipped Corbett? Was Jeffries a better champion than Dempsey? Would Benny Leonard, have had a chance against Cans? Was Gans a more scientific hitter thaii Benny? Was Herrera a harder hitter than McLanin?

“And so down the line. The question never will be answered to the satisfaction of the fans. You can’t make the new fans admit that the old

boys could have trimmed the new lads.” John E. Madden, famous breeder oi horses, a splendid athlete himself and John L. Sullivan’s lifelong friend said:

“I saw Jeffries and Sharkey fight 25 rounds and they left the ring without crutches and without a mark after tearing at each other for the full distance. Dou you think for a moment that any man aliye could have carried a fight to Sullivan more than four rounds and remained on his pins?”

MAURICE STRICKLAND. NEEDS CONFIDENCE. Maurice Strickland is not finished. According to “Reynolds’ News,” he “can beat them all,” and only requires confidence to justify an assertion of that nature.

“If Strickland could only settle down, he has the beating of any heavyweight in Europe,” said “Reynolds’ News.” “He has already whipped Ben Foord, and he might have beaten Jack Petersen had the Welshman been in the ring with him that night! Every prominent boxer who has watched Strickland declares that the New Zealander’s punch is like dynamite. Yet, somehow, he seems to be missing in that great asset—confidence.”

JEFFRIES HOLDS WORLD’S RECORD. A record is held by Jim Jeffries of which few fans have taken notice of and that is that he won the heavyweight championship of tlie world in his eleventh fight—something that no other man lias ever accomplished in any division.