VISIT OF ROSS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 134, 8 June 1936, Page 9

VISIT OF ROSS.

TO FIGHT CARROLL, PROMOTER'S PLANS. ARRANGEMENTS FOR MATCH. Returning from America wiiere he was instrumental in promoting the match between the world's welter-weight boxing champion, Barney Ross, and the Australian, Jack Carroll, to take place in j Sydney on December 8. Mr. Charles Lucas was a through passenger on the Aorangi. He states that Ross will leave Vancouver by the Niagara on October 7, arriving in Sydney on October 31. Ros& will then have five weeks to train. Mr. Lucas is one of the most colourful figures in the Australian sporting world and his engagement of Ross to meet the Australian champion is the most notable achievement in his career — as well as being one of the outstanding events fn Australian boxing history. It will be remembered that Ross was signed up by Mr. Lucas in a telephone call from Australia to America in which the American boxer was offered an unprecedented sum to risk his title in Australia. Special Gymnasium. He remarked yesterday in an interview that Carrol was very well thought of in America >nd that the chances of the fight were regarded as being fiftyfifty by American critics. Mr. Lucas has made arrangements with the Union Steamship Company for a special gymnasium to be fitted on the Niagara for the American, who will be accompanied by two managers, a trainer and three sparring partners. Great importance has been attached in America to Carrol's defeat of Wesley Ramey in a previous match in Australia. Ramey had had a most successful career in America recently and was there regarded as one of the top liners.

During his stay in America Mr. Lucas also discussed tentative arrangements for a visit to Australia of John Henry Lewis, cruiser-weight champion of the world. Lewis' visit depended largely on Ambrose Palmer's attitude. Palmer was stated to have retired definitely, but Mr. Lucas said that he would have further discussion with Palmer on his return to Australia.

Asked what Lewis had been offered to induce him to visit Australia, Mr. Lucas laughed. "A lot of people would like to know that," he said. "The thing that struck me most during my stay in America," said Mr. Lucas, "was that nobody wanted my money—Australian money. You have got to talk in dollars to be listened to." Ice Hockey Teams. Another result of Mr. Lucas' visit to the United States and Canada was his engagement of two ice hockey teams which in coming months will visit Sydney to play exhibition games. Australia, he pointed out, had recently become very interested in ice hockey as a sport, and these two teams, which were both highly ranked in Canadian amateur competitions, should do much to encourage the introduction of the 6port. Thus Mr. Lucas is creating two precedents. He is promoting the first world championship boxing match to be contested in Australia, and the first ice hockey matches in Australia. Mr. Lucas expressed indignation at the attitude of the Australian Government in asking for exchange taxation on the money paid Ross to fight the championship. He intended, he said, to interview the Minister of Taxation as soon as he returned to Sydney in an endeavour to have the tax lifted. Taking into consideration, he said, that the Government would benefit very considerably from the match from trains, trams, buses and amusement tax, it was not too much to ask that the backers should be relieved of this tax.