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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5204, 26 April 1888, Page 2

An aueoujit of a prizc-fi-rht that took placo at Wangmiui yesterday has been thought- i icssly furnished to morning' journals by* tho i Press Association. Tho telegram can only ■ bo rcgawlud as v. cheap advertisement for a ' degrading and disgraceful exhibition. There < is no uso beating about fhe bush in reference < to these prize-fights. Wherever there is a ' sufficient number of blackguards to provide • enough gate-money, a couple of brainless ] athletes will be found to fight for tho spoil. The "noble art of sulf-defenue" is utterly debused by its so-calkd professors, who, ] dubbing themselves tho champion this or • the champion the other, are willing to fight J for a five-pound note, or a division of gatemoney. Idle, and absolutely useless as , members of an industrial community, Ihew priae-flghtcrs should be discountenanced by ) every one having tho slightest pretension to • respectability, or possessing a S j )Br k of self- \ respect. The practice of boxing should bo = confined to the gymnasium, except in self- ' defence; everybody should know how to use j his lists, but prizo-fightmg is no moro neoes- n sary to the maintenance of the art than is the doodlenm-buck blackguard on a race- J course, or his companion, the • welshor, necessary to maintain the breed of horses. T