BOXING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 172, 20 July 1907, Page 12

BOXING.

The Northern Boxing Association have received a record number of nominations for the Auckland Provincial Amateur Championships, which are to commence next Monday evening, July 22nd, at the Koyal Albert Hall. In addition to the local entries received several outside districts are well represented this year, including Waihi, Kohu Kohu and the King Country. In consideration of the large number of entries the association has decided that in classes where more than four compete an additional trophy will be awarded for third prize. The bantams are a fine even class of boxers. In the featherweight ranks this year a gap is made by the absence of Godfrey, Gault and Saunderson.. There are, "however, several promising aspirants. The light weight division this year heads the list with seven entries. The meeting of Cottrell and Whitford in this class will afford an opportunity of clearing up all doubts which exist since the decision given to Cottrell at Kohu Kohu. In the middle - weight class, Lewis and Brain stand out as the most likely winners, though a surprise may turn up in McCoy, or the untried Millen. In heavy weights this year, quite an influx of young giants are coming out for championship honours, the issue of which should prove one of the features of the tournament.

Amateur boxing and wrestling championships will be held in the Drill Hall 22 and 23 next, under the auspices of the Auckland Garrison Officers' Club, for enrolled volunteers only. The proceeds of the tournament are to be devoted to securing a gymnasium for volunteers in Auckland. The programme will include boxing, feather-weight under 9 stone 41bs, light-weight under 10 stone, middle under 11.4, and- heavy over 11.*. Wrestling: Light under 10 stone, middle under 11.4, and heavy over 11.4. Very good trophies are promised for the winners, and already there are a good number of entries.

Despite the showing made by Squires in his match with Tommy Burns many Australians still stick to the belief that their hero is the better man, and subsription lists for another match are suggested. Wren, Squires' backer, has cabled offering to give Burns £500, and the whole of the gate, for a return match within a month. "Amateur," in the Sydney "Referee," thus sums up the match: —"There is not the shadow of a doubt in my mind but that Squires didn't get fairly started; he isn't skilful enough to feel sure of fending the attacks of any really good boxer, and we all know he commences somewhat nervously or anxiously, and is, on that account, much more open to a seasoned and clever opponent."

The Monday night of Derby week is generally signalised at. National 'j Sporting. Club by a "big fight" between champions of some sort or other (says | our London correspondent). Once upon a time Peter Jackson and Frank: Slavin met at the club on "Derby Monday" to decide which was the world's champion. As all the world knows the white man went under after nine rounds of as heavy fighting as any person possessing a remnant of human feeling could wish to see. Since then many more or less famous boxers have either met their Waterloo or improved their reputation on the Monday .night preceding Derby Day at the National, but very few contests held on this special evening have evoked quite as much interest as that between Joe Bowker, bantam - weight champion of England, and Jem Driscoll, the clever Cardiff featherweight, which took place last Monday night. These two cracks were matched for 20 rounds at 86t 101b for £200 aside and the club purse of £250. The match was the outcome of a defeat sustained by Bowker at Driscoll's hands last May, when the bantam weight champion took the ring as a substitute for Johnny Summers. , Taken "off the nail," as the saying goes, Bowker courted the defeat which was then his portion, but his friends were confident that fit and well he could reverse the verdict, and had Driscoll's friends possessed the faith that was in Bowker's party the side stake could have been £1000 aside.

Big matches have a way of ending in short order, but the patrons of the N.S.C. had nothing to grumble at as regards the length of the fight between Driscoll and Bowker. They had sixteen of fast and vicious fighting, and were well into the seventeenth ere Driscoll administered the coup de grace to his redoubtable opponent. There were three other matches decided the same night. That between the fatencumbered Seaman Broadbent and the pitman Tom Lancaster was a decent contest and lasted nine Tounds ere the pitman had his man beaten. The other two were more or less farcical. The nigger middleweight, Sam Langford, who recently settled "Tiger" Smith's hash in such short order, made Geoff Thorne lie down in less than a round, an,d another nigger, a heavyweight named McVey, made a chopping block of Ben Taylor, the "Woolwich infant," who was put out of court in the third round. Langford is the best middleweight we have seen on this side for many a day, and will probably be found in the ring with Gunner Moir in the fall. Moir is cercainly the only man we have who is in the least likely to take down the Yankee's number.