BOXING.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 224, 20 September 1924, Page 21

BOXING.

RINGSIDE GOSSIP. It is good to learn that Charlie Purdy was the most popular boxer at the recent tournament at Dublin. This goes to show that the young Aucklander impresses strangers not only as a capable performer, but as a good sportsman, and it reflects little credit on those of the local enthusiasts who, in the past, refused to see the young champion's excellent qualities and habitually expressed disapproval of decisions in his favour. Of late, Clarrie Blackburn has begun to justify his existence as a professional. After a long and comparatively unsuccessful spell following on his return from Australia, Blackburn seems to have struck something approximating his old form, and he has now four victories to his credit, to say nothing of the professional welter-weight title, which he won from Harry May at Wellington last Monday night. He started his winning sequence at Frankton, by defeating Hansen. In the same week he met Ridgway at Napier, gaining the decision, and soon afterwards he secured a win from Larry ..Lasher at Stratford. Possession of the welter title should put him in line for plenty of contests, providing he maintains form. Following on a suggestion made at the annual conference of delegates recently held in Wellington, the Northern Boxing Association is now endeavouring to Btage a first-class amateur programme on October 6, and negotiations are under way with the Wellington Association to send a team of champions to Auckland. The feeling locally is that a' tournament of this description would be thoroughly appreciated. The public is tired of professional contests which fail to come up to expectations. All things considered, good amateur bouts provide better all round exhibi-

tions than do professional contests, an< indications are not wanting that th day is approaching when tournament which rely for their popularity on th attractions offered by a "bifp profes sionsl fight will be a thing of the pasi If tile public could be reasonably cur that the professional contestants wer really first-class boxers, and that the; would provide an exhibition worthy o the best traditions of the sport, publi opinion would be different, but it si often happens in New Zealand that con tests billed as something big, fail to b anything but dismal displays of mcdi ocre ringcraft. The consequence is tha quite often the entertainment finishe all too suddenly, and the only impres sion left in the minds of patrons as the; return home is one of disappointment It is not difficult to imagine thai where the professional bout is a failure patrons would be, not only disappointed but considerably annoyed, if their appe tite had not been appeased by a fey meritorious amateur contests. So i is, that an entertainment comprisinj bouts between Auckland and Wellingtoi amateurs ia expected to/ arouse mud interest. Word has been received that Welling ton is hopeful of sending a reasonably strong team to Auckland for the tour nament. The local association, for iti part, may be relied upon to supply lad of sufficient ability to maintain Auck land's prestige. It is believed thaLoveridge, who beat Reg. Trowern a the New Zealand championship meeting will be unable to make the trip. Th. N.B.A. are endeavouring to get Pa'scoe of Greymouth, the clever ex-lightweigh champion, who was beaten this year b; Loveridge. There can be little doub that a programme of bouta featurin; some of the best amateur pugilists ii the Dominion would bring a crowd to the Town Hall at least as big as tha which the average- professional contes attracts. Alf Lewis, who ia now in the Unite< States, billed as an Australian, ha; written to the Wellington "Post's' boxing scribe "Milo," to say that he i doing well over there. He mention: incidentally that he thinks that Ton Heeney made a great mistake in goinj to England, as there are more opportu nities of big money and classy matchei in America. Lewis, who has seei Heeney in action, is of opinion tha the ex-heavyweight champion of Nev Zealand would cause a sensation in thi States, that is, he says, if the Yankee; lid not treat him like they did the lati Les Darcy, about whom they still oftei talk. Jack Dempsey had '.a birthdaj recently. He is 29 years old. He ha! capitalized the heavyweight champion' ship as no other fighter has dorm in the history of the ring. He owns -valuable real estate in Los Angeles, coal mines in Utah, clips coupons from valuable securities, and lives the life of a prosperous captain of industry. Strange ai it may seem, with all his prosperity, this last birthday was the first that Dempsey has ever been able to celeirate. Last year at this critical time jf hia life he was training at Shelbr foi ;he Gibbons fight. In 1921 he was in rraining for Carpentier, and in 1919 he ra3 at Toledo training for the Willard scrap. And as Dempsey puts it, before ihat he never had the wherewithal to «lebi»tj» * tfrtbdkjk