BOXING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 148, 23 June 1923, Page 21

BOXING.

RINGSIDE GOSSIP. Tho Auckland provincial amateur boxing championships, 1>123 (to use the , ollicial title) will bo held on Tuesday and ; Wednesday, July 17 and IS, at the Town Hall. The dates formerly announced have been altered. Entries close with the ■ secretary on July 11. 1 -V number of letters of inquiry have j Veen received by the secretary of the Northern Boxing Association (Mr. Carter), the majority being from country districts, whence emanate reports of j promising lads. 'Die Northern Boxing Association hope to send a strong team, representative of all class/'s, to compete at tho North Island championships at Napier on July 27 and 28. All arrangements for billeting aro being rnado by the Xapier Association. ■ It would seem ttiat the fact of Napier being the centre allotted for the North Island championships this year would result in the boxing game receiving a big j fillip in that district. However, "Upper- | cut," in the Napier evening paper, writes i thus of the Ilastings championships: | "Tho entries which have been received are not by any means encouraging, and prove that, like professional boxing, the pamo amongst the amateurs is not so high as it was about two years ago when the boom was in full swing." This writer goes on to say that instead of the 50 or 60 entries that might have been expected from such a largo district tho number is only 32. Some of the classes are lamentably weak. All. Lewis, featherweight, i 3 looking for a fight, and has made applications to a number of associations. Stewart Smith, of the Customs Street gymnasium, has applied to the Northern | Boxing Association for a contest. Since defeating Jack Keenan he has been out of the game, but intends to take it up again. Nothing has been heard of Matt ITatton. conqueror of Charlie Purely, for some months, hut it is stated that he has I takon out a professional license. In view | of this, how would a contest with Hatton | and Mike Flynn appeal to the public? Matt and Miko have sparred together quite a lot, and know each other's ways well. Mike Flynn took his arm out of the sling last Monday, and will, commence active training at Trainer Peoples' gymnasium next week. lie does not anticipate that the injury will have permanently disabling effects. Mike informed tho writer that there was a probability of his being matched with Len Rohinson at Wanganui. Mike, who holds the New Zealand professional featherweight crown, intends to return home—Sydney if he is not matched between this and August. Clarrio Blackburn (Green Lane) is training hard for his clash with the New Zealand professional light-weight champion, Los Murray. The fight takes place at Wellington on July 11, and the title is involved. Ned Strafl'en (WVinganui), an ex-Wel-lington man, will take some beating in the , light-weight class at the championships, ii reports be true. The announcement that Tom Fairhall knocked out Paul Hannah at Petone on Monday night, at the first contest of the newly-formed Hutt Valley Association, did not occasion followers of the game much surprise. Fairhall has a great Australian record, and Hannah was up against a tough proposition, and the fact that he has been lighting a long way below form lor some time past did not help him any. Hannah has just about "cooked his goose," since this is his third successive defeat, and the New Zealand associations are not likely to give ;him another match in a hurry. A boxer lin such circumstances would be well adj vised to go to Australia, and there join I one of the best schools, where he should I improve out of sight. On returning to little New Zealand, a lad with Australian experience would have sound claims to a fight with some of the best.

An enthusiast, with the best interests of the game at heart, is Trainer Charles Peoples, the jovial instructor at the Customs St. gyranas ium, where his largo classesof youthful trainees know him as a i good sport, al- I beit a strict I d isciplinarian. I j Mr. Peoples I 1 brought the I bald - headed I Colin Bell to , New Zealand in.il 1921, when the" veteran was heavy - weight

I champion of Australia. Since taking lup residence hero he has trained sucj eessfully such well known boxers as ! Mike Flynn, professional featherweight I champion; big Jim O'Sullivan, Stewart J Smith. and that promising lightj weight Harry May. By virtue of a J genial personality, Mr. Peoples is of ! the type that is immediately popular I with the youthful clement ever asso- . dated with the squared ring. ] Trainers, amateurs and associations should keep in mind the Olympic games, to be held in Paris in 1024. Xew 7,caland must be there. Word of a boxer waxing "crook" over the use of a nick-name comes from Wellington. Pat Connor writes to a serine i as follows: —One word of advice to all. j Anyone who wishes to keep or gain my friendship will have to refrain from [ Using the word "nutty" when speaking! of Tommy Fairhall. He is not n-eak on I top. as the word infers. Indeed, -no, lie I is quite a sensible little fellow, with «. I good fighting head. Well, well, fancy the liberty of the Press being inteifered with in this way! By the sa.no token, it is a matter of rollcf to the wri ter that A-kW PU f do not b e , tad to lose" a.l one's fi-ipnds like that. , ■ When Jack Pcmpscy is in Los Angei fviin* at the gympasmm reind e uctert by "Dutch" Myers and Earl Mulr s On the wall of thn gymnasium is " n 'gjfrn: "Persons boxing with .Tnck so at tlioir overt risk."