BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1061, 25 February 1911, Page 12

BOXING.

(By "Mercury.-'0 LETTER FROM H. D. M'INTOSH. By the English mail to hand during the week cumo a letter to The Dominion from Mr. Hugh D. M'lntosh, tho wellknown Australian promoter, who is'making the big stir in'.tho boxing world at Homo. The communication runs as follows:— , , 13th January, 1911. Tho Sporting Editor, ' ' Tiie Dominion, ■ Wellington, New Zealand. Dear Sir,—Tho success of our big Arena at Olympia has been provon beyond any peradventure of • doubt by tho enormous throngs that crowded to the doors for our second contest on Wednesday night last, whfcn Gunner Moir did the I'oomo, baok" acts' and , defeated; Bombardier Wells in 'three' rounds. .Despite tlie'fact that tho first blizzard, of the season raged outside, over 15,000 peoplo .waited for hours, fighting and struggling to pet inside the doors. It was ono of tho most extraordinary eights that London has over witnessed. . . ■ > The contest between Moir and Wells lvasoiot such a ono lis any critical expert would enthuse over, but it was of the most exciting, and, ■ from a spectacular, point of view, one of the most thrilling that has . been Witnessed for years. Wells was much the cleverer of tho two, and in tho first round had Moir so badly beaten that hundreds of the spectators began, to don their coats, believing that it was all over,but tho shouting. Moit, whose science is a negligible quantity, was still strong, howevoii and, boring in in tho second round, ho managed to land a terrific left on Wells's mid-section, the latter'n weaker anatomical part, and this lucky blow: roversed tho tide of affairs. It was tho first time in his career that Wells had evor been beaten, and he took his defeat very keenly. In the second round both woro very weak,-and in one of tho mixes they fell to the floor, Moir on top, .it being , tho first time that I liavo ever seen two, heavy-weights, on the floor together. When tho end camo in the third round, and Wells, was counted out, thoro was tremendous excitement, mixed with a very hearty display of sympathy with tho young fellow, whom all believed bad luck alone defeated.

Our next contest will take place on January 18, when Bill Lang and Petty Officer Curran (who claims the championship of England, as having been tho first to defeat Iron Hague) will meet. No one anticipates that Lang will have any trouble in disposing of Curran, but the latter is a strong, rugged fellow, who will make things interesting as long as ho is ablo to remain on his feet. (Curran won on a foul in the first round,—"Mercury.")

On January 25 wo havo Johnny Summers nnd Harry Lewis, of America, matched for the welter-weight championship of the world. This is a titlo that Lowis woii hero last spring by knocking out Young Joseph, tho English champion. Harry will be favourite, but I think Summers has more than a good chance. (Lewis won comfortably.~"Mercury.") On February 1 Flynn, of Boston, who recently defeated "Jack" (Twin) Sullivan, will go against "Jaok" Burns, of California, who was beaten-by "Bill" Lang on Boxing Day. Flynn is coming over with Sam Langford, who mil bo in his cornor for' that event. Tho week following wo hopo to have a return match between Wells and Moir. Wells is not satisfied, nor arc his 'Backers, and, for that matter, all those .who witnessed tho bout last .Wednesday believed that. Wells threw anay victory by taking chances, and should we succeed in . rematching thorn, there will be a great interest in tho event. On February 15, wo hold tho great battle' of tho season, the twenty-round contest between Sam Langford and Bill Lang, that is practically the championship of tho world, as the winner will be matched against Jack Johnson. (langford won in the seventh round.—"MerC 'l?y Ictisc of the Olympic Annexe expires on February 24, as leases previously entered into aro falling duo in March. I hoiie. however, to seenro another big building in which to continue in London. I can havo tho present placo at any timo I want it, provided it has not been bespokon prior to January 1. 'but I much prefer to secure quarters that will give more room, and whero I can havo an uninterrupted run of at least eight months in the ,venr._ If tho building 1 am now negotiating for is not to bo had, I shall return to Australia, taking with mo some of the best English boxers for roil tests at the .Sydney Stadium. Whatever I do in the interim, I shall return to England in timo for the Coronation Week." when I hopo to bring oIT tho world's championship heavy-weight contest. With kind regards and best itishej, Very alnceroly, yours, HUGH D. M'I2STOSH. .

With Mr. M'lntosh's letter, as advised, camo a big budget of newspaper cuttings limply corroborating all he says regarding the revival of tho sport in j/>ndon, ami tho great interest tasen in tho doings at his arena at Olympia. There can bo no doubt that his great organising talents and his personal energy are reaping a big harvest for him. Mr. M'lutosh, as a

"hustler," is right in the front row, and if tho nnxiously-looked-for "champion of the whito races" exists, tho energetic Australian means to find him, even if ho has to put the whole pugilistic section of the globe through a sieve to do it. Just at present, unfortunately, tho' biggest among them seems to go through the sievo quite easily. Exit "Bill" Lanfl. As a world's championship proposition, "Bill" Lang, of Victoria, is "down and out." From the cabled account, his showing against Langford was but a sorry one, and the fact that h? lost on a foul, and apparently a very similar foul to that which lost him nis contest with Curran, will make liis case all the worse in England. During the seven rounds in which he stayed with the hard-hitting negro ho was hopelessly outclassed, and apparently only his transgression saved him tho ignominy of a "knock out." It is the second grade for Lang now, and tho whito champion is still to seek, jfeanwhilo the star of the descendants of Ham is climbing still higher in tho pugilistic heavens, and unless it falls of its own accord or "from natural causes,"'it is there to stay. A Grim and Bitter Battle. Last Saturday week provided a shock for boxing enthusiasts in Australasia, and perhaps even a bigger one for the "fight fans" in America. It 'witnessed the downfall, on points, of "Billy" Papke, the world's middle-weight champion, at tho hands of his compatriot, "Cyclone" Johnny Thompson, tho so-called "lightweight" of a month or two ago. According to reports to hand, once again were the public taken in over a boxing contest, only this time, for once, from an excess of caution. The fact that the combatants were both from the same camp gave riso to considerable doubt as to tho bona fides of the bout, consequently a'knowihg public, expecting a "frameup," stayed away in crowds. And hero is where tho public made its mistake. The battle was a grim and bitter onehow grim and bitter can bo judged from tho subjoined extracts from tho "Sydney Morning Herald's" report. The Details of It. J '"Cyclone" Thompson and Billy Papke, two_ typical representatives of boxing as it is practised in America to-day, met in a 20-round contest at tho Stadium, ltushcutter Bay, last Saturday, and the result was a. most unedifying exhibition of what has been termed "the noble art of self-defence."

Tho spectators openly voiced their disgust, and one could well imagine the wrath of tho Marquis of Queensberry, who bequeathed to his race. a priceless heritage in the shapo of'■ a clean code of ruios for the government of boxing matches, parading the ring after each of tho score of rounds that were fought, and indicating resentfully and scornfully his protest against tho manner in which the patrimony of sportdom is being whittled away. The two Americans fought in a stylo that was neither that of the Marquis of Queensberry,- nor of tho London prizo ring, but rather a' combination of both, with an admixture of catch-as-catch-can wrestling and ju-jitsu holds and twists. Tho bulk of tho tiipe the two Americans were locked together, "fibbing" away in holds, and ..pushing and wrestling each otherj about (the ring. . Now and again they would each lower their heads, and it looked for all tho world like a Spanish bull fight, the two gladiators being head to head and neck to neck, shoving each other about the arena, each sneaking an nppercut on to tho other whenever he saw a chance.

Of clean outfighting there was next to none. Tho pair . embraced each other most of tho time, and in betweep hugging; tho 'shouldering, and tkq.. sriov 1 - ing they uppcrcut: and "looped the loop"; but 'it Wits Hot boxing 'in tbo'l'eat'sorffo' of the word. Tho spectators howled their execrations as one antagonist got the other's neck under his armpit, and looked as if he were about to cither throw his opponent bodily or put a "kink" in his neck. Whenever one man could lock the other fellpw's arm or imprison his glove ho did so, and, with this advan-, tago secured, proceeded to servo out the peculiar form of gruel supplied,at these headquarters. . It is small wonder that there are now fow States in America that have not placed professional boxing of the Thompsonl'apkn variety under the ban. Contests in which ouo man may be disabled through being taken unfair, advantage of never will appeal to a chivalrous coinreprobating tho style of contest in which "Cyclone" Thompson and Papke engaged on Saturday.'evening; at tho Stadium, fault is not found with either of these athletes, who both understand this particular class of fighting, and, within the narrow-limits of . its ethics, they fought fairly enough. It is the . style of fighting that is objected to as being glaringly foul, viewed in the light of the Marquis of Queensberry rules. .

Thompson, by the way. weighed after the match, scaled lOst. 1331b., so at the' beginning would be just about on the middlo limit,' list. 41b. Papke's weight was not given. '