Bid To Give Boxing New Blood

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32391, 2 September 1970, Page 14

Bid To Give Boxing New Blood

(By Our Boxing Reporter) A remit limiting the age of New Zealand Boxing Association council members to 65 has been put forward by the Canterbury association for discussion at the national annual conference to be held in Timaru early next month.

The remit was proposed by Mr T. Wildes, who over recent years has made no secret of his opinion that too many of the council members, all from Wellington, have been on the council too long and are too old. “It is an attempt to get rid of the old fuddy-duddies and their dud ideas,” Mr Wildes said yesterday, when questioned about the remit.

“The same old members with the same ideas—they have no new ideas of their own and are resistant to anyone else’s. And in the meantime, boxing in New Zealand stagnates. “We need some new blood, and the remit will assure boxing gets it. Most of the council will go if the remit is passed.” Another move by the C.8.A., also proposed by Mr Wildes, is to alter the rules so that the chairman of the council cannot remain in office for longer than three consecutive years, and after serving that term must not stand for chairman again for a further three years. “This is an attempt to break up the cliques and factions that come into being on all national councils, particularly sporting bodies where the members seldom change,” Mr Wildes said. He added that the chairman standing down could serve on the council as an ordinary member so that his services to boxing would not be lost.

Mr Wildes, a couple of years ago, endeavoured to alter the rules of the C.B.A. to limit the age of members of the management committee. Many members thought the proposal was an attack on the long-time president (Mr E. G. Pocock) and the proposal came to nought.

Yet another remit proposed by Mr Wildes and put

forward by Canterbury, is to i enable former professional i boxers to serve on local association management commit- i tees. At the last annual , meeting of the C.B.A. this , proposal received strong sup- > port. , Mr Wildes said yesterday ( he was prepared to concede , an amendment limiting the , proportion of former professionals on any committee so that it could never be said that they were “running” it. Mr Wildes, and Canterbury, is also proposing that the N.Z.B.A. and its affiliated associations should come under international amateur boxing rules. When this was moved at a previous annual conference, Mr Wildes voted against it on the reasonable grounds that the international rules and accompanying handbook were not before the conference and therefore delegates did not know what they were voting for. The C.B.A. has asked the boxing council to supply copies of the rules to all local associations before the conference next month so that delegates can study them. t i Mr Wildes, himself has - written for a copy of the rules i and handbook. ■ If the council cannot afford - to send copies to all associa- : tions, it would be useful for ■ the annual conference to ! recommend the N.Z.B.A. be bound by international rules • subject to study and investit gation by the incoming coun-

cil, and giving the council power to act. All bouts at the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch will have to be fought under the international rules, and the sooner the N.Z.B.A. adopts them the longer officials in this country will have to get experience under them. By adopting the rules, the N.Z.B.A. would be in a position to examine and award international judging and refereeing tickets. At present, Mr S. T. Ashton, of Timaru, is the only active boxing judge in New Zealand with an international ticket.

Other recommendations put forward by Mr Wildes, and adopted by the C.8.A., include the setting up by the N.Z.B.A. of a special committee to investigate the sponsoring of amateur boxers from overseas to fight in New Zealand, and a trainers’ examination scheme, similar to the oral and practical examinations for judges and referees. During the last 10 years, Mr Wildes has been about the only member of the C.B.A. to propose remits and recommendations for the annual national conference. He has aroused opposition with his numerous and repeated ■ remits concerning the laws of i boxing, but a jreat many of . his suggestions have been ; soundly based. He will be a . Canterbury delegate to this . year’s conference.