BOXING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 62, 13 March 1915, Page 16

BOXING.

Evidently the boxing editor of the Sydney "6un" doee not place much weight on Dave Smith's retirement from the ring, for in this connection he saye: —"So 'Dave Smith has retired again. One or two more retirements will see him running abreast of Adclina Patti'* world* records. In making thi* reckoning I am not taking into consideration hie retirement within a retirement, declared a little over twelve months ago, when he publicly stated that he would not fight as a heavyweight any more— lie discovered after the Lang battle that he was really a middleweight. It is bard to know when one of these retirement* may prove the real thing. Even Patti broke away at last, but not till old Father Tune would stand her no longer. She could not resist the lure of the glare until actually torn from it. Smith is only yet 28 yeare of age, and consequently much too young 'to. think seriously of burying himself among the rank and file of the city's worker*. Patti'e retirements did not begin until she was a lot older than Smith. At what prame will our heavy champion make anything like the money he haa made, anil may still make, a* a boxerT None that T can think of especially during these war timps. Not even ie bookmaking better nowadays than boxing, for the hoxpr who is well in the public eve. David, you are, I am sure, only creating a scare. You want us to coax you back. But whether you go or not. the world will wajr just -tie same. If you really do intend to give the game best this time, you may be on the right track. You have worked your way up from email beginnings, givinc the sedative, in one form or another, to nenrly every adversary, until Australia calls you champion. Usually one so placed, not content to retire upon his laurels, allows himself after a while to be taunted by his vanity and the world to a point where pride gets the better of discretion, and he tries to do it all over ajrain. The result is I that he goe* down to defeat. Sullivan, ICorbett. Titzeimmons. Jeffries, all in , turn went down the long roa<l that so ' many successful men in every line of human endeavour have trod. However. I for one cannot bring myself to believe in the slightest depree that the time hns come when the chronicler must write Dave Smith's pugilistic obituary. There «re too many tnines likely to tempt him to change Wβ mind."

A New York writer is responsible for the statement that during five weeks ended December 2. when Froddio Welsh met Young .Toe Shu|irue at Madison Square Gardens, the world's lightweight boxer had collected 50,000 dollars ( £10,000) as his eha.ro of the gate receipts. Wcteh lias not picked an

opponent since he became champion. Any boxer the promoter selected wae good enough for him. Up to he fight ■with Shugrue, Welsh met more men in the ring since becoming champion cix months previously than Willie Ritchie encountered during the year and a-balf that he held the title. After arriving from London with the crown, he faced Matty Baldwin, Ad Wolgut, Charlie White, Jimmy Duffy, and Fred Yelle. This must have been an eye-opener t* American fight fane, who had become accustomed to boxers naming their own opponents, fixing their own weights, and getting their own terms.

J Id reply to a deputation that recently , waited on him to try and get him to stop boxing at Antrim (N.S.W.), Mr. Flower*, the N.S.W. Minister for Public Health, eaid:—"l think this ie the wrong way to subdue the fighting spirit in our young men. I attend the Stadium, and I have never seen anything there I could very strongly object to. Probably I am a subject for prayer, but I cannot help that. Boxing is * aplendid thing for building up the character of those who .take part in it. We ought' to be proud of the fighting spirit in the British race, and it ta being displayed in the trenches.

"fo long ac boxing wae conducted v it has- been during the past three or four years, with an absence of brutality, end to bring out the fighting spirit which is the best aaeet we have at the present time, I shall not interfere with the sport," he added, "i ratner think it would be better to encourage boxing in some respects. '1 believe we ought to develop along the old British line*, and encourage the young men to develop the fighting spirit" Mr. Flowers offered to go to the Auburn Town Hall, incog., with any two members of the deputation, and said it he did not find the contents conducted fairly he would be prepared to take immediate action. The challenge was not accepted.