BOXING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 162, 10 July 1926, Page 27

BOXING.

RINGSIDE GOSSIP.

TO CORRESPONDENTS. ARGUMENT.—When Dempsey an.l Carpentiei fought for the world's championship at Jersey City in 1021. Demp*pv woijrhcd 13.<>, and Ca r pentier 12.4. A movement is afoot :o p.-tah'isli a boxing club it Auck'and University. Keg. Trowern \va. to have fought Norkpy Fowler at Loir-hhard: (Aus.i last night The new rccrotary ol the Southland Boxing As:-o<-iation U Joi-k Richardson. the famous All Black footballer. Charlie Purd« ha:. <?igne lup to meet Salvino Jamito at ChrUtchurch on August K>. Grand National nigbt. A sizzling -.-rap should be witt.es;ej in Sydney next Saturday night when Tommy L'ren will endeavotlr to stop "Sunny Jim" William;' victorious career. The Mai-donalds are a righting race. Three of them, Lachie. Hector and Al, have been waging fistic warfare up and down New Zealand in the past mouth or two Things are very quiet in boxing circles locally. Amateur contenders for the Auckland championship* are in eolid training Len Johnston, the coloured English fighter, has sailed for England with much good Australian gold, as a pleasant reminder of his brief stay He says he has a £1500 scrap awaiting him on his arrival in England, but generously offers to come back to Sydney to collect a few more shekels. Billy Murphy, who was the world's feather-weight champion in ISS9, now makes a living as a clothes cleaner in Auckland. In March last Billy was 05 years of age, and he is of opinion that he could still extend some of the best New Zealand lightweights over four or six rounds. Mention was made a while back of a young fellow who took Billy at his word and "put 'em on" with him, to discover that the old champ, still carries a punch in his right hand BilTy was impressed by the lad's gameness, and is preparing him for the provincial amateur championships. Hay and Jamito meet in Wellington on Monday night. At first it was intended to match Hay and Purely, but the Aueklander did not find the terms offered him to his liking, and according to Wellington advices "Iracked" at the idea of again having to concede the best part of a stone to the welter champion. According to the Napier "Telegraph," Purdy and Hay have been matched by the Hawke's Association for th< welter-weight title, A date has not been definitely settled, as Purdy has a long list of engagements ahead of him, and two or three months will elapse before he is clear. Chatting to the writer the other day on his career, Billy Murphy mentioned that among his playmates out Grey Lynn way when he went to school he was called "Spud" Murphy, and was ragged a good deal on account of his small size. His first fight cropped up accidentally when he and some mates were swimming out near Cox's Creek. Running about on the mudflats they started throwing mud about, ami eventually tempers were lost, and Billy became involved with a big chap. He beat him, and at once started on a career of knocking out his former tormentors. At once he lost the nickname "Spud" and was called Billy. It was about 1882 when Jem Mace took Billy up, and started him on his professional career. Harry Collins has taken some terrific slammings in his time, but the ironjawed Novocastrian invariable took all the punishment his opponents could hand out to him, and then waded in, and blew them out at their own game. Last Saturday week, however, it was a case of "the pitcher that went once too often to the well." Fresh from a holiday visit to Maoriland, Harry was pitted against "Sunny" Jim Williams, the American negro boxer. Australia's fistic idol and dual title holder was an odds on favourite for the event, but for once Collins found he had bitten off more than he could chew. The coloured man gave him the father of a belting, and for once Collins' wonderful recuperative powers were unequal to the pounding he had received. The end came in the eighth round, when Collins was battered well-nigh into oblivion. Describing the fight, the Sydney "Sportsman" refers to the closing stages when Collins went down for two, and foolishly rose at once instead of resting till nine.—"He clung to Williams des° perately—a pitiful, tottering figure. Williams drew back for the finishing punch. Then the pathetic sight of the once invincible scrapper before him was too much for Sunny Jim. He closed with Collins and gently held on to him. Then he shot an imploring glance at Wallis. Joe understood, and, stepping between them, crowned Williams. Just then Collins' towel fluttered into the ring. "Collins sat in his dressing room after the right, silent and alone. Now and again a few friends that really mattered came in t.-> wish him better* luck next 'time. But there were very few. '"In his palmy days it required three or four ushers to keep the crowd away from his dressing room, yet on SaturdaY night his callers could be counted on the fingers of both hands. "Harry gave a wry smile. The fickleness of the fighting public hurt the Xovocastrian; but he was a good, game little sport in defeat. " 'He beat mc all right.' he said, with a gulp. 'Maybe I've been laid off too long. Next time I might do better. , "It was the unconquerable spirit again shining through."