IN THE RING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1336, 13 January 1912, Page 12

IN THE RING.

COMETS CIRCLING THE SUNS. (ET "Miscoet."} January 20— M'Vea-Langford Hctuni, Sydney. July.—Johnson, v. M'Vea, Hippodrome, I'll ris. Johnson—The Unexpected. So "Jack" Johnson is not done with after nil. Despite his asseverations as to his retirement, his oft-repeated statements that lie had done with the game for good, he has gone tho way of all boxing ilcsli. He is coming back. Tho first news of this rather staggering decision was to the effect that he was coming out to Sydney to meet M'Vea on Easter Monday. This was cabled to .Sydney on December 30, nnd the intelligence was corroborated by Mr. H. D. M'lntosh. Sinco then much Johnsoniana has been coming over the wires 'to Australia, and the latest news bears out tho main fact that tho champion is in the field again, but alters the date and venue of the M'Vea engagement, At Paris, Where the Great Gate Is. Tho clash is new scheduled for Pari», on the night of the Grand Prix. It will still be controlled by Mr. M'lntosh, and the reason given for the change is that tho financial inducements are greater. It is to bo staged at the Hippodrome—said to bo the biggest arena of the kind in the world. Johnson's terms are ,£6OOO, win, lose, or draw, and £1000 training expenses. So tho monetary aspect of tho affair onters into it pretty largely, for which reason the promoter cannot be blamed for taking his goods to the best market. Noto How They Boom These Thing*.

But this is not all that Johnson is doing. He has other, if smaller, fish to fry. Tho Sydney "Sun" publishes the following cablegram from Chicago, under date January 2:— It was reported to-night that there was likely to be delay iu tho signing of articles for the match between Johnson and "Jim" Flynn, the Pueblo fireman. "Jack" Curley, Flynn's manager, is agreeable to Johnson's demand regarding training expenses and allowing the champion a third interest in the films. Both principals aro agroeable to the purse of .£OOOO offered by Curley. Curley wants the light to bo staged in Nevada, contingent upon Flynn fulfilling other engagements that have been arranged for ■ him during the next two months, which may affect his match for the world's championship. Flynn's coming fights are a 20-round contest with A 1 Kubiak in Toronto, and n similar engagement with A 1 Palzer, winner of the recent "White Hope" competition, in Now York, during February. It is also possible that a match will be arranged between Flynn and Bombardier Wells, of England. Then from New York two days later— came the following:— Tho Athletic Club has telegraphed to Jack Johnson making him an offer of •£!)000 for a ten-round bout with. Joe Jeanette.

According to the Chicago "Tribune," Johnson has not yet lost cither his cleverness or his speed. v That the champion has not lost his form is tho opinion of those who saw him work out the other day. There is a little fat, but the speed for a man who had not worked for five wieks was amazing. "Joe" Choynski and "Kid" Cutler arc big men, but they appeared as novices in his hands, tho negro bullying and'tugping thein round the ring. Johnson's judgment of distance and speed was superior to that of the other men."

So already the boom is fairly under weigh.

But Supposing Langford Wins? Meanwhile local attention is fixed on an event nearer at hand, and one possibly having a bearing on the Johnson alTair. ■ This'is thc,M'Vea-Langford return, fixed for January 26. The question that has arisen now is as to tho effect 011 the Paris .engagement, which a reversal of the Boxing Day verdict would have—supposing, as is quite possible, Langford boats M'Vea. Who, then, would meet Johnson? A Study in Managerial Manoeuvre. ' Johnson, however, has not had hll the cables to himself. The world's lightweight champion has also got himself into print. It will bo remembered that, on the night preceding his scheduled match with Freddy Welsh, the P.nglish lightweight, he was suddenly seized with an attack of appendicitis, and removed to the hospital, and operated on forthwith. Since then we have heard nothing of his condition, but, on the 4th inst., this cable was published in Sydney:— Los Angeles, January 3. The illness of Ad. Wolgast, the champion light-weight of tho world, is likely to develop seriously. He is now threatened with '.pneumonia, and his condition is so grave that only his wife and his manager are permitted to see him. Next day, however, came another, and more hopeful message:—

Los Angeles, Januaij 4.' Ad. Wolgast, light-weight champion of the world, who has been seriously ill, is now out 01" danger.

Coincident with the news of the present champion's battle for life came tne following about a battle of his predecessor's:—"Battling Nelson, the ex-light-weight champion of the world, fought Jack Redmond before tho We.stsido Athletic Club in New Orleans, the bout going twenty rounds. The decision was given to Nelson." Also from England last week there came a cable of interest, as under:— '

"Bombardier Wells, disgusted with the falling through of his match with Jack Johnson, and realising that, his prospects in England are not particularly bright, has deoided to endeavour to secure fresh honours in America. The English heavyweight will sail for the United States before tho eud of January."

Can Burns Pick Anything? It is said in Sydney that. "Tommy" Burns was a heavy loser over Lester's defeat by Smith. Strangely enough, "Tommy." with all his experience, is a lad "picker," and as he always is willing to back his "pick," ho must find it ralhfr unprofitable. He back.xl himself against Johnson, Jeffries against Johnson, and Liugi'ord 'against il'Vra, and a Sydney paper disrespectfully observes that there is onlv one thing a fighting man in Sydney dreads more than to be backed by "l'ommv" Burns—which is to 1)0 tipped to win tiy Larry Foley. "Jac'i" Lester's next meeting, after the Smith disaster, was to have been with "Cyclone" Johnny Thompson last Wedne.ilav, which marks another step downwards' for the erstwhile "White Hope." From "Sam" M'Vea to '"Cyclone" Thompson is a big drop for three short months, and if ho did not manage to get away with the "Cyclone," most of whose force is now spent by the way, there is a long and wcarv climb uack in front of "Jae.k" Lester. The news of tho result of this engagement is being awaited with interest. The Strangeness of "Dave" Smith. It is a great pity that tho Smith-Lester combat followed so closely on the heels of tho big battle, between the two black Samuels. "That is to say, it is a pity for Smith—for his extraordinary gooil performance has been quite lost sight oi through being overshadowed by tho bigger affair. Had Lester's defeat by Smith happened at u less busy time, it would have attracted oven more attention that the Smithl'apke affairs, which is saying a great deal. As it is, with the heavy shadow of tho blacks obscuring the pugilistic outlook, Smith's great elfort has passed practically. for an affair of its importance, unnoticed ami unsung, Tho New Zcalander is indeed a puzzlo of late. His recent inconsistencies, as evidenced by his showings against "Jack" Howard, "Jimmy" Clabby, "Bondsman" llice, and to have already boon commented upon in this column. Not that he ever makes a really Ixul showing, but that, on occasion, he becomes veritably brilliant.

"Jack" Howard had tho misfortune lo strike him in one of these spasms of brilliancy, and, consequently, got knocked out quite early in the game. Lester happened along during the currency of another of these happy moods of Smith's, and only escaped tho samo fate by the greatest good luck. Tho peculiar part is that Smith should ha\e evinced this brilliiitity on the only occasion on which he has met "heavies" with any pretentions to "clasd." Bingu-

larlv enough, per contra, it was against his lightest opponent, Clabby,_ that Smith made his worst showing. Which &eems to indicate that anything heavy and slow is "ensv" for one Sniiili, and the slower the easier. Wherefore, Lester, being both heavy and slow, underwent: the operation known to our American cousins as "gating what was coining to him." His Pantomime with Lester. The "Bulletin" lias tho following comment on tho details of the operation: — Melbourne has its "Sindbad tho Sailor" and Sydney lias had its SmithLester performance, so pantomime honours are easy. Between 7000 and SOOO persons were present at tlie latter entertainment on New Year's Night, at the Stadium, ami if they didn't get their money's worth of fun, then dissatisfaction has settled permanently upon the human family. Nothing quite like Lester's contribution has been seen oil a local stago before. As a comedy knock-about "him" it could only havo been improved if it bad been set to music. Leaping from the wings with the last words of tho stout, prosperous-looking American prompter fixed in his mind, he charged liis sta»e partner like a vast, whirling puukali. His arms tore great rents m the atmosphere. nis body toppled and rebalanced; his buffalo rushes, when his partner stepped aside and clouted him on his way, threatened to send him hurling into the orchestral stalls. The play was, of course, that 1 ester should, by superboiler effort, collide with Smith and utterly destroy him; but Smith refused to ue colloda with on any such terms. Instead, ho brought unusual skill to tar, and knocked tho low-comedy man about as if tho I.e. man wore an old clo' basket. This went on for 14 rounds, when the stago manager, "Snowy" Baker, oidered Lester off for a breach of the standing orders. It was tho easiest money Smith ever earned. Tho Sydney "Sun" opens its account in this manner: "When D. Smith wna struck low by J. Lester, and was awarded the fight on a foul, lie was walking away with the prize, and looking like doing what "Sam" M'Vea failed to accomplish in .two engagements with the American—win on a knock-out. Lester was very weak in the fourteenth and finishing round, and although it is claimed that it is practically impossible to administer the opiate to him it would not have required many of the punches of the calibre Smith bad been distributing to have sent him to sleep." So it will be seen that in at l«ast one contest prcs3 unanimity has been obtained.

Sydney "Referee" Should Explain, Last week mention was made of (lie attitude of the "Referee" towards the decision of "Snowy" Bilker in tho recent M'Voa-Langfjrd battle, it will be remembered that .tho "Heferee" stated that Baker's verdict was incomprehensibly wrong, and indicated plainly that its faith in his judgment had undergone a dooided shock. That this feeling is not shared by tho Sydney public is evidenced by an incident reported thus by tho "Sydney Morning Herald":—

"W hen Mr. 'Snowy' Baker entered the ring at the Stadium rm Monday night to referee the 'Dave' Smith-'Jack' Lester contest, tho packed house cheered him to the echo—surely a wonderful, tribute to their confidence in hhn. Despite all that has been sai l and published against him, fairminded poaple cannot but realise that as a referee and a man Mr. Baker is bevond the slightest suspicion of reproach."'

Boxing Gloves in all qualities. Punch Balls and Extras. Physical Exercises of various makes, at Denton's, 58 Willis Street.—Advt. ' .