BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 5, 30 September 1922, Page 15

BOXING.

(By

“Punch.”)

HUTT VALLEY TOURNEY

Excellent entertainment was provided at the Empress Theatre on Wednesday night, when the Hutt Valley Boxing Association staged a onenight tournament. Th© serious business of the evening opened with a clash between A. Woodin<r and J. Whitby in tno light-weight division. The Wellington man at once made the pace very willing, and scored with both hands to the head. After Whitby had got over his surprise, he started to take a hand in the. slogging game, and rushed Wooding to the roots. They made the pace very willing, though both lacked science, and. at* the close of the round the Taita man was having the best of matters. In the second Whitby unmasked a useful right uppercut, and did good execution with it. Wooding was game, and got home with a couple of good 'straight lefts to the face. Whitby score?! with both hands to the head just as the gong went. In the third Whitby showed’better’footwork, and dodged what Wooding meant for him. The Wellington man did most of the leading, and drove a hard left to the mouth. In tlin last round, Wooding made the pace a cracker, and by sheer fighting instinct for a time battered down his opponent’s defences. The Taita man, pulled himself together, and the pair stood toe to tod in mid-ring and traded heavy wallops, the while the crowd roared "approval. It was hammer and tongs to the close, with both men about the end of their tether. At the close the judges disagreed, and Referee Stewart decided for Whitby. . . J. Burns and A. Love, both of Petone, started off at a hurricane pac©. The latter, who is a Native, went on in characteristic fashion, and had ijlurns badly rattled for a spell. Burns then,brought a useful straight left into play, and kept his opponent off for the rest of the session. In the second, Burns continued to make play with the left, and also brought the right over with effect. . Burns was ' now having th© best of it. His oppo’nent sparkled, up in the third, and carried so fierce a fight to ths enemy s camp, that Burns had no time to play his pretty left. Love had not the condition to keep the pace going in the final round, and Burns Won a most spirited ''contest, which greatly pleased the large house. E. W. Scott (Wellington) and Jimmy Robinson, of Upper Hutt, were the next pair to appear in action. Scott led with a hard right to the side of the head, which surprised the man from Upper Hutt. The latter, however, steadied the impetuosity of his opponent with a solid left to the face. Scott continued to do the leading, and in the second round swung a beautiful right to the side of the head. Both lads were shaping well. Scott made the pace in the third, and swung his man off his feet, with a left hook. Robinson got home a good left to the face which steadied the Wellington lad. The latter, however, forced the pace in the closing stages, and got Robinson on 4he run, and as he foolishly turned his back, Scott dropped him' with a right swing to the back of the head. The count had gone to three when the gong ended hostilities. The verdict went to Scott, who shaped very promisingly, and was well ahead on points. , , _ ~ A. Petrie (Wellington) and E. Corner (Petone) made matters exceedingly interesting. The Petone man. led off with two rights to the head in rapid succession. This was the signal for the Wellington lad to do things, and he started to-play both hands to effect. Towards the close, Comer camo again, and was having slightly the best of things when the gong clashed, in the second, both waded in, and took turns in dealing out punishment. Both were flying signals of distress when the interval came. The third was a torrid round, which had the audience on their feet. Corner went at his man like a tiger, and a right swing sent Petrie down for nine. In the fourth both went for the knock-out, and they waded into each other m rare style Corner was the more aggressive, but Petrie dodged a lot of dangerous stuff by clever ducking. Petrie also met Corner’s impetuous rushes with a good straight -left. Both were all in when the ond came. The decision for Petrie was a correct one. < H. Hobson (Wellington) and M. J. Power (Lower Hutt) started tamely. The latter wore a menacing air, but the threat never materialised. In the 'second the Lower Hutt man did a bit better A right swing sent Hobson down for three, but the latter foolishlv rose immediately. They both missed bv feet with right swings It ivas willing, but wild throughout the third, when "both tried to do things, but missed through failure to judge distance. ' They wrestled around the ring like bears in the last round, but neither did much damage. In the final stages. Hobson infused a bit of deyil into’ his work, and this secured him the verdict. The judges disagreed, and Mr Stewart rightlv gave -his casting vote for Hobson. The decision against the bower Hutt man was not received too well.

A FALLEN IDOL DOWNFALL OF CABPENTIER. The news of the sorry showing Georges Carpentier, tho one-time idol of tho European boxing world, made in his fight against “Battling” Siki in Paris was received with regret by followers of the gaune in this country. It

is tho old story of a man keeping on at the game after ho has passed his best days. Carpentier had a meteoric rise to world fame by his defeat of England’s champion heavy-weights, Bombardier Wells and George Beckett. At the heydey of his glory, tho great: world-war broke out, and Georges played the manly part, by enlisting, and showing that ho could take his part in the sterner game of war as well as in the squared circle. What a contrast between the part Carpentier played in the war and that taken by the ill-ad-vised and ill-fated young Australian champion, Les Darcy. The whole boxing world had been eagerly looking forward to the meeting of this brilliant pair, but Darcy evaded service by slipping over to America*, where he died. This was the end of one of the greatest boxers the world has eVer 66 Carpentier’s war service and his handsome stage presence and engaging manners made him the idol of Parisian and London boxing crowds, and his sensational victories immediately after the war led to the unequal contest with Jack Dempsey for tho heavy-weight championship of the world. Of course, the tempting purse held out had something to do with the Frenchman agreeing to take the father of a hiding from the huskv American, who, by the way, did not cut too glorious a figure when the Kaiser had the gloves on. And now, Carpentier, in quest ot further large purses, has made a pitiable snoctacle of himself in the rum, and been soundly hooted by the Parisian crowd who for years have made him their idol. . , • „ All this talk about Georges taking +.he fight with the black man too easily is moonshine. The cabled renort was ridiculous in snot:-* Uarpentier,” .the cablegram states, treated Siki contemptuously m the first round, which ended evenly. „ ntJ f would appear that the blnok man wmt have given quite as much m Im took for the round. to end evenly. Anvhow. Carpentier did not treat > iki contemptuouslv in the. rounds. Boiled down, the black fellow gave the Frenchman the father of a hiding, and Carpentier, to save a knock-out, lay down to it. Whv is it, when anything hke this occurs that so many referees lose their heads and make arrant asses of themselves? . I have never-favourcd indocs, but in this instance flier Existence seems to have been and their prompt reversal of tho referee’s ridiculous decision did them last figlit in England, Carpentier did not come out of tho affair too well. He won by knocking Ins man out immedmto.y after they ha ho-m ordered to break, and several English snorting wr.ters declared emphatically* that the blow; was a. foul ■ one. In the Imht of what bapnened in Paris, when Carpentier started butting the black man with his head when he was getting the worst of it. the English happening now appears sinister. , ~ J~ Tt is a thousand pities that Oaimentier d*d not retire before his fight with Demnsev. He was then on a. pinnacle of fame, and could have earned fortunes as an actor at which art he is quite accomphshed. To-day he, is a fallen idol. H© is not tho first man who hn« sacrificed remit ar tion to creed of gold. All hail to the colom-ed boxer who has annexed .the world’s light-heavy-weight championship.