BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 312, 26 September 1908, Page 11

BOXING.

IBT MEncDitY.) , Australian files to hand'by.; this week's mail do not throw any light on; the cablegram received' from London''during the week stating that "Jack" Johnson' had signed on to'meet Tommy Burns for the.world's championship. .It will-bo -remembered- -that .the message said that a purse of £7000 was involved, to bo divided in. a GQ per cent., and 40 per cent; ratio for winner and loser. In the light of Burns's past behaviour regarding terms, this does not look convincing. In the first place it is extremely unlikely that the champion.would fight for a loser's end at all—his attitudo all through has -been to demand a guarantee of a big, proportion of tho purse,, win, draw, or lose —and rightly so, too, considering what' ho has • at stake. Secondly;. the oifer- put forward by a.: big American fight-promoter.of a purse of £6000, with £5000 as Burns's portion,-is, as far as wo know, 'still open, and Burns •is hardly' likely to turn down "a certain £5000'! fo- a problematical £4600. - In any caso £1000 would pay tho negro handsomely to come to Australia. If he won ho would 'get' '-tho title thrown in, and if ho lost' this i Amount would bo quite enough to salve his wounded pride and give him a little pocket-money to go-on with. Of course,; oil the other haii'a it may bo that the champion •is sinccre enough in his desire to beat the 'black' and retire, and confident enough of his ability to do so to run the risk, but whilo tho statement lacks confirmation, it should be taken ciim grano salis. ,In any. caso it is satisfactory to know that things point to a meeting eventuating ' shortly, .and to learn that Burns has gone into active training for tho big event,, •• .Stanley Kctehell,. the young Michigan boxer, who has burst into the American fistic firmament, is evidently' a -star of the first magnitudo. He is not'yet .'twenty-two years of age, but the cyclonic manner in which ho has disposed : of men. liko Joe Thomas, Miko and Jack (Twin) Sullivan (who knocked Bill Squires out last year) and Bill Papke, all accredited 'fighters, has brought him to the front in record .time. His latest exploit has been, tp - dispose /of Hugo Kelly, who has .for .years been in tho first flight of American middle-weights ..and "light,,heavies;'! in throe rounds. This,puts him directly into,the running for championshii) honours, and Promoter Coffroth, tho big fight engineer, has already wired to Australia to learn Burns's views of the matter. The champion has replied that ho would insist on'.Ketchell meetjng and beating " ex-champion Jack O'Brien before ho would consider a match, and there tho matter stands at present. Tho Burns enquiry was concluded durinp; the week. The committee of the. association has been unablo to procuro any further evidence as to Burns's allegbd share in the "fake,'.' and is prepared to drop tho unpleasant business on receipt of statutory declare tions from Bums and his-trainer that their statements made at their examination- were correct. One would have preferred to havo soen Burns either definitely adjudged guilty or completely exonerated, but under tho circumstances -this outcome was the only one possible. ■ ■ Tho American mail brings news of two world's championship matches that eventuated in September, iu America. On tho 7th, Owen Moran, of England, and' Abo'Attell, 0 f U.S., repeated the result of their previous meeting by fighting anothor drawn battle for tho feather-weight title, and on-the 9th, in the champion light-weight fight between Battling Nelson and Joo Gans, the former again disposed of tho negro-. Local ex-bantam champion Ben Tracy has como off the. shelf and is in the gamo again. Ho is matched in a six-round contest on October 16: with Shields of Palmerston North, and is training for tho "go", with renewed vigour. Should ho strike his old form this Should provido , a splendid exhibition, aa Shields is showing excellent form at present,