BOXING

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 179, 17 April 1923, Page 4

BOXING

POPULARITY OF AMATEUR CONTESTS

ASSOCIATION’S SUCCESSFUL YEAR

The eighteenth ajinual meeting of the Wellington Boxing Association was held last nigljt. Mr. E. Blundell presided over a large attendance. The chairman congratulated members of the outgoing committee on the success of their work. The financial result was encouraging, and the encouragement of amateur boxing had been kept well to the front in the year’s activities. In. this respect the Wellington Association had set a standard for other associations to follow. It had been, in past years, the rule to look to professional contests ffo provide the funds, and it was pleasing to notg that jn the first year amateur contests had been made by the committee to more than support themselves. Including the recent purely amateur tournament, the association had provided four nights of amateur boxing That showed that the amateur side of the sport had been well catered for, and it spoke well for the energy of the committee. Wellington boxing had reached a high standard, and much of this was due to those who taught it. The capitation scheme introduced by the committee would still further assist in this direction. The scheme had been received with great satisfaction. A proposal to provide free of charge, during evenings to those teaching the. art had been discussed ■by the committee, in return for which it was proposed to ask instructors to act as honorary instructors -to the public schools, each school being allocated the gymnasium for on e afternoon a week. This matter was still being considered. There had never been a season, he believed, where such a large number of tournaments had been promoted, to the satisfaction of patrons. (Applause.) The first North Island championship had been held during the year, and the success had been fully equal to that anticipated when the proposal was first modted at the Greymouth conference in 1921. It would probably be held at Napier this year, while in the ordinary course, the New Zealand championships would be held at Dunedin. He had pleasure in moving the adoption of the most satisfactory report and balance Sheet ever presented to the association. (Applause). Mr. T. M. Wilford. M.P., seconded the motion and heartily congratulated the association on th'o very efficient manner in which all the contests under its auspices had been conducted during the year. The audiences were the best that he had observed in any of the five countries in which he had sefn boxing tourneys, and that, he thought, was due to the good sporting spirit prevailing amongst the patrons of the eport. The judging, in his opinion, had given universal satisfaction; decisions had been equitable and given in a fair frame of mind. The report was adopted. The election of officers resulted: — Patron, Mr. T.' M. Wilford. M.P.; president, Mr. R. W. MeV illy; vicepresidents. Messrs. J. H. Owen, J. L. Day, H. Nelson, E. Blundell, L. George, C. E.. Bridge, lan Duncan,, and Dr. H. J. McLean: hon, treasurer, Mr. B. A. Guiee; hon. auditor, Mr. R. J. Ackins; lion, representative in Australia, Mr. W. Lawless; hon. solicitor, Mr. W. Perry; hon. secretary, Mr. W. G. Talbot. The following committee was elected:—Messrs. R. W. McVilly, J. E. Staples, E. A. Dawson, H. Hill, W. W. Cook. P. W. Woods, W. G. Mellisb. E. Stewart, E. Perry, and N. Coffey.

THE CAR-PENTIER-NILLES FIGHT. Paris, April 15. Georges Carpentier’s fight with Marcel Nilles for the heavy-weight championship of France has been fixed for May 6. This date has been selected so as not to clash with the Franco-Irish Rugby football match, which takes place on Thursday, May 10.