BOXING CONTROL.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 42, 19 February 1927, Page 15

BOXING CONTROL.

PURDY'S NEW TITLE. HOW AWARD CAME ABOUT. INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION BACKS THE N.Z.B.A. GATES PERCENTAGE QUESTION. (By Telegraph—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, this day. The award oi the lightweight championship of New Zealand to Charlie! i'urdy must give almost unanimous satis-1 faction. He is tlie outstanding boxer in! the Dominion to-day. and since Les j Murray's automatic forfeiture of the | tit ie through absence in America it was i generally iei-ognised that I'urdy and Keg. | irowern were the only ones in the running. Jt u!>s hoped they would have met and decided the is-ue at Palmerston North on December 27, but the match fell through, and it was left to the New Zealand Council to make the award. At a meeting of the Council oil Tuesday night. Mi. J. U. iieeiian brought the matter up by stating that under the rules ; Luc laticii i j:c I ouncil must fiil the title. lie added that he considered i urdy to be the iicst boxer in the light■veignt division, .and moved that he j should l)e awarded the championship, i'his was carried unanimously. Mr. E. A. Dawson: What if he cannot make the weight. Mr. Heenati: Then he w ill forfeit the title in the lirst championship contest in which he cannot make weight. It might In- argucit thai i row en's two recent victories over I'urdy should have _ivcn him pic.eicnce, but against this it must be stated that neither of these i ..11 roil test - ua- fought at 'Jst 71b. 11l spile of the fact that boxing in New j Zealand is better controlled than in any | other part of the world there lias been ' ,i small coterie in Cliristchurch working j for some time trying to disrupt the piesoul New Zealand boxing Association and take from it the right to govern the amateur side of the game. Liability of the council and of the Associations affiliated to it have fortunately kept the discontented ones In a state of insignificance and it is probable that they will now disappear entire.v. The present body has now been recognised by the International Federation of Amateur Boxing, which has accepted its application for membership. In response to the Council's application the secretary of the 1.F.A.8. wrote stating they had learned from Mr. J. H. Doiigias. tiie president of the International Federation. oi # the excellence of the New Zealand control. They desired to congratulate the New Zealand Association on its joint control of both pro:es>i'>nal and amateur boxing, and they had also much pleasure in accepting their application for membership. Position of Association. At the meeting of the Council on Tuesday night. Mr. Heenan said this would put the tinal touches on the agitation for j; separate control of amateur lioxing in New Zealand. There had been several J debatable misstatements made, and one »if these wa« to ellect that this Association could not lie recognised as an amateur body outside New Zealand. The letters from the International Federation were a sufficient reply to this. "We are in this position,"' he added. "Every other country under the Federation must recognise us, and us onlv. as the body to control amateur boxing in New Zealand. This is set out in article 10 of the Federation rulees. The Federation had a full knowledge that we controlled both sides of boxing in this •ounVy, and has congratulated us on that control. It has lieen said that a new body formed in New Zealand has been recognised in Australia, but our chairman (Dr. McEvedy) who recently returned from the Commonwealth, did not find that so. Dr. McEvedy: That is quite right. j Mr. D. K. Hoggard: If they recognised that body that would disqualify them from the International Federation. There is no doubt that the nebulous Amateur Boxing Union has now no grounds for its application to the Minister of Internal affairs for recognition, and that even if it did gain anv status in New Zealand it would not be recognised in any other cojintry by those who have followed the game closely in this country, and have recognised the great work of the New Zealand Association. The be most heartening. Had the control been divided then amateur boxing would have fallen oil. Professional contests are revenue producers, and from this revenue the amateur benefits as he does not benefit in any other country. Australia is a striking example. There the amateur side has languished through lack of financial support, and at the meeting on Tuesday night it was I suggested that New Zealand might help) them out. This matter will receive seri- j ous consideration in the near future. Percentage of "Gates." | Some time ago the writer of the "Po«tV boxing column put forward the! argument that if all those associations' which are now in financial difficulties I were allowed to adopt, a perccntagc-of- j house-basis for giving purses to proles-1 sional contests, there would have been no j need lor anxiety. 1 lie New Zealand i Council has now sanctioned this method I of safeguarding the Association. At thej meeting on Tuesday night the matter! cropped up. when permission was asked I from Palmerston North to allow a con-1 test to be staged under these conditions. I Mr. E. A. Dawson said that it was ai very dangerous principle, as lexers'! managers might take charge of the box ! ' iffice. *" j Mr. .7. \\ . Heenan: I cannot see anyi objection at all; in fact, it would 1* aj splendid thing for the small associations. I The chairman i Dr. McEvedy i: Don't: you think we ought to limit it to smaller j associations. Mr. Heenan: We are guarded by the 1 £200 limit. Unr rules state definitely! that a £200 purse must not be exceeded; j they also state that the winner must] receive Oil per cent., and the loser -4n per; cent. I don't think we ought to block I the idea. There are a numlx-r of fights! ni ti:i- country in which the IniXers get I more money than they are worth. The £2('o purse is all right for Auckland and! x .\ clhng.on. but you get I'almerston i North giving £200 for a fight that was! r olfer to Wellington fur £1(10. j ii was decided to grant associations the | ri_:nt to give profe.«iora!s >t percentage of the "gate" on condition that:—(al The total amount of he purse be limited o £2'">: ihi the total amount he divided in the proportion of 00 per cent, for the winner and -50 j^» r cent, for the lose. .'ci the promoting body does not in an w-v relinquish control of the contest to boxers or their managers.