BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1031, 21 January 1911, Page 12

BOXING.

• . -4 . - . #' * • (By "Mercury.-'*} ■ WILL• PAPKE SIDE-STEP IT? j World's "Middle" Premiership, j As has been expected since his defeat of.'/ Billy" Papke, NewZealander "Dave", Smith has formally challenged tho American for the title of world's middle-weight champion and ,£SOO aside,. or ; any part thereof, and has posted a. deposit of SIOO in earnest of the • bona • fides of . the challenge. Y It is now for-Papke to move. Some of the cognoscenti'in Sydney consider', how-' ever, that the\American will prove coy. He certainly is\ risking a lot on the out-', .come ofi such' a matclu. It could never have.eiiiered. his head when he-left the' 'States that he would be called upon to | fight a' championship battle so . far from I home, Stanley Ketchcll, tho then chamI pion,"being alive at' the time. Moreover,* 1 it: is doubtful indeed whether he ever. : anticipated being beaten-at .all, and certainly' nqt at his own 1 , weight./ Anyway,tlioV catch-weight defeat will not.go.'for a , a great-deal out-of Australia, but a'.beating iu .the middle-weight limit would considerably .-lower his value in his forthcoming -tour under-the iTlntosh banner. ' \ On . ; such , a venture the'.magic' words,. ;'c)iahipiqii>f.,tlip .wojld," are of l , too great; I a 'valire-to 'risk* lightly,'and, v if. PapkeV. \ titled'to theru'^i's^not;/absolutely clear at : is as-'goad r and better than tho 1 next man's. In the .; not unlikely case, of a defeat by Smith—for Papke would bo sorely put to it' : to .make'list.. 4lb. and fight strong—all this would be gone; as also, would his prestige'in "the States." So \ye be surprised to"see "same vigorous Sidestepping' on. 'the' iAmericari's part.. We have', seen tlie guile of the: American in'.the prize-ring—we now have ah exceedingly good chancc of seeing it in match-making, or rather match"dodging"

The New Ring Strategy. As. for the challenger, his last match was with "Jimmy" .Clabby, of America,allegedly a welter-weight, last Saturday,, night. No. result, isj, to hand yet, but it Has' seemed a foregone conclusion, ; if ever.'a boxing result;. w;as one. Clabby wouldibe;'giving away, nearly a stone .in: weight to- the 'man - who ibeat. Papke' at list. Hlb., arid it does not,look possible" on the face of things.. By tho-way; ccnuj menting on. this match, a -"Bulletin"' writer-seizes the opportunity, to make some pointed remarks about ring strategy as presented..by our American. cousins now "on tho other, 'side." He says "So Smith'will 1 fight Clabby, and Clabby is working gently, delicately 'almost, with a'view to. conserving weight as much as possible, as Smith will liavo the ,advantage of poundage. . As far as. boxing goes, this writer has little doubt that Smith can down Clabby easily. But what the Austra- ■ lian lias, to avoid is tho' series of despicable American tactics that tho .very best of ..Americans seem ' to let .: 'loose, when they find themselves in .difficultiesX The hanging round' tho. ■. ■ ineck,' the bunting • and • hustling, tho..; .wYestle-push and general roughing, tho .'-' keynote of. which is to make, the'.op- .' ponent'carry .the . weight, ,is "what" ' makes the American boxer so formidable. The writer's advice" to the Aus-' ~ 'tralian boxer is if tho American tries 'on that sort'of game, to give back to'" "him. Get hold of him, let him drag, some Australian meat and. muscle '. ;round thq ring; hit him first .and .then, ;fall hc-avilj or. to Kiln and e in b r ace' him round tho neck. But, best of all, insist upon a clean break; then if tho American fails to break, clcanlv, get down, into the gutter with him, and ' play him at. his own game' till the referee can take'a hand." _ Rudd's Next Antagonist. . On January 20,' at Hastings, "Bill" Rudd meets "Jack" Blactymore. : This should be another; easy -journey foi .the New Zealandbr, as BlacUmore wife, if anything, past his prime when in Wanganui (where for a short time: lie ran , a "school")"'and. Wellington, 'some six. or 'seven-, years, ago.'i"6iiss" DeVitt is having a had "run" in Queensland. .Following oir his one-round defeat on Boxing Day . by tho American, "Jimmy" Clabby, came "another set-back early in the, New' Year at . Bnndaberg, where tho ox-Wellingtoninn was ; knocked out in the sixteenth iround by Chas. Godfrey. Devitt evidently, needs' a suell. Can Anyone Remember Him? "Caestus," in the London "Sportsman," notes tho fact that, to use his own words, "a young gentleman named-True, hailing from New Zealand, is already in England for tho. 'championships. Tho new arrival is said to. bo of very high class.' Ho came over, thinking tho . championships were to be dccided in December, but is, it is.reported, going,to stay until, they are brought off in the spring." "Mercury" has a-recollection that there was a boxer of this.name in Auckland, but cannot recall that he was "of very high class." However, if Mr. True , is going to represent tho Dominion, let us hopo that "he will du it worthily—and good luck go with him. , . Ray Bronson at his Best. . As was expected from each man's showing against "Hughie" Mehegan, Arthur Douglas, tlio South African light-weight, succumbed to Kay Bronson on tho night of Saturday week, at..the Stadium, Sydney. The contest was another proof that "a match well mailt- is a match half won." This, time the match was made at catch weights; with tho result that the.i American was tho .usual lialf-stono out of his alleged class, while Douglas-was within the "light" limit, Tho Sydney "Daily Telegraph" account of tho* disturbance runs: 1 "Hav Bronson, tho American boxer, looked a different man at the Stadium on Saturday night to when he boxtd Jlehegan for the light-weight supremacy of tho continent on the previous Monday niglit. Then Bronson's face was drawn and haggard, while it seemed a matter of difli-

cuity for him to drag his legs after hira. That state, of affairs was brought- about through Bronson wasting :to 'make weight.' On Saturday, however," when he went up against Arthur Douglas thero was no such condition imposed. Bronson informed the writer that he had. put on savon pounds since "his contest with, And he certainly acted in a (lurcrent manner. His movements were i» * r 1 aU( * he danced about like afrisky fcal. Douglas did not 'come back,' as his friends-.believed he would. There were glimpses of his one-time dash, but ho always fizzled out . towards the close of a round, and he was'a' tired man, indeed, when the towel went skvward from his corner at the close, of the eleventh' round as a token of capitulation. / ''The boys.fought in an exceedingly fair fashion, and helped each ; other.to rise on various occasions when they slipped down. The only , time Bronson showed' any-an-noyance was when Douglas stopped for the second time in the middle of a round to have his glove tied by the referee. 'Oh, gee I' the American exclaimed, 'this is some kind of a. joke/- In justice to Douglas it should be said that he was giving away a whole heap in weight." .

Clashes that Loom Near. To-night at the Stadium a return match between "Cyclone" Johnny Thompson and Tim Land is ' scheduled. It will be remembered that this, pair clashed some three weeks ago, when a torrid engage-' ment-resulted in-the-American winning by'a knock-out in the. twentieth round: after being well behind on points - through* out the'journey. 1 ' '■ Next Saturday an Australian championship engagement is. to .tatye place, the title involved being the feather-weight," and the', participants '/Joe" Russell, of' Queensland, the. holder, and "Dealer** Wells, of Sydney. . The venue.of/the contest, is to be. the Brisbane Sta'dium. •-*. Says the "Referee":—The cableman in-forms-.us"that Ad. . Wolgast, champion light-weight of the world, has been' matched to box George Memsic the best , of '20 rounds at Los Angeles, on February 22. Memsic is.identical with "Jimmy Burns," whom Tommy Burns had under his wing for some time, and who' was beaten Rudolph Unholz before the latter met .the late "Joe" Gans. was his defeat of Memsic that paved the way for Rudolph to battle with Gans. Ad. Wolgast has side-stepped and ducked challenges from qualified and eligible men for some time, but mark liow readily.he hitches np,with . a "has been." - Memsic tried to.get some months ago, but failed badly- . , Apropos ;the foregoing:TheA'merida* mail brings news that Wolgast will surely ' meet Owen Moran," of Wales, the .late conqueror of "Battling" Nelson, for' the title ; "in the spritig." Thus with aa English bantam, "Digger" Stanley,, claiming the" world's-premiership in-.that'divi-. sion, a Welshman making fighting forth© : honour in the "light" class; and .an Australian beating the /'middle" champion,' : it would appear that the Britisher is realising his lost responsibilities, in the boring line, arid is at last beginning to sit Up and take-notice "of things. ... - V Proposed Tourney-at'Petone. ' = . ■ ( The 'Wellington' Boxing Association. if' introducing an innovation in-the shape ol a tourney at Petone.. The suburban peo« pie have been good patrons .of the associa- . tion's town meetings,' and it was felt that; by putting on a country tournament, two birds could'be struck with one missile. Firstly,-, the war would be carried into friendly country, with results profitable both-to; the-sport and the treasury, and also the difficulty about a suitabU hall would.be overcome"! The affair •ia fixed for February 23, and the honorary secretary.'- of» tlie : 'assbciatibn, Mr. W. .0. . Talbot) is busy at present getting a suit---, able programme'arraiiged. The present intention is' to match the local -middleweight- 1 , r A. ; Lecki'e," with : "Dqss"/;Burns, -of Petone,. overls .ro'unds, for a substan-" tial : . purse, 'as the : piece-de-resist'ance. .of • the menu. ' It will be remembered that this pair put .up a" nice'bout of; 6 round? at the Wells-Sullivan; meeting in the Opera, House, when won .by a ; small margiu. . . preliminary-arnai» teur contests' arranged,-'* *fof which the following are practically settled Langridge. v., K-utner, Adamsqn^v.^ J. Murplijv&d'gtCT-'ttC v. Ellis, 'SdioV'ty theMvay, is "in training . for. a rContest with Hegarty, of Tima'ru, early in- March. ■' ..