RING NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 94, 20 April 1912, Page 14

RING NOTES.

ITEMS FROM MANY PLACES. WHO IS WELTER CHAMPION ? There seems to be a. vacancy for a welter-weight champion boxer in Australia (says the Sun). The present champion is Jimmy Clabby, of Milwaukee; but it is a considerable time since he came down to the limit fixed for welter-weight*. That limit varies. In America it k 10.2 j in England and Australia ib is 10.7. Clabby met Hughie Mehegan at the Stadium on 3rd April, and weighed 10.8. In order to make euro that he would' come down to that weight, a cheque for £150 was required from him, to be forfeited if he failed. He just made the weight— in the buff. No boxer, however, can hope to retain the title of champion in any class unless he is able and willing to box within the limit fixed by the rules for that claw. Clabby, if he is to remain welter-weight champion, must box at 10.7 if a challenger whom it is reasonable for him to meet appeal's on the 6Cene. , Such a challenger has appeared". It ]6 Hughie Mehegan, who holds the light-weight championship of Australasia. Mehegan and Clabby met on 3rd April at the Stadium, and after an interesting contest Clabby wae given the decision on points. Bufc Clabby was not a welter-weight that night. He was lib over the welter limit. Now Mehegan has asked that Clabby shall box, him on the title, land, of course, a necessary corollary is that Clabby should come down to 10.7 for the contest. He ie not asked to make much of a sacrifice. According to his ,own statement, published " in the Sun before the last contest, he had.no difficulty in reducing himself to _ 10.8. Indeed, it * wae very close to his normal weight. 'It is a small thing, therefore, . .to take lib more off. '.- - ' ' Whatever the sacrifice of strength involved in the reduction, however, dabby would have to do it. He cannot retain the title of welter-weight champion unless ho boxes as a welter-weight. There is only one other alternative^ and that is to hand over the championship title to Mehegan without a contest. Mehegan goes not want that. Ho does not hanker after the title as a present. He wants. to win it if he ie good enough, and he, ' wants ' another contest with Clabby 'at' the proper .welter-weight in order to prove that he is good onough. Clatiby ahould' be perfectly willing to grant" this to Mehegan. The lightweight could not possibly seale — in good bbxmg trim— more- ihan 9.8. He is more likely not to ■ exceed 9.6. . So that Clabby, in addition to the advantages of height and Teach which he possesses, would have' the additional advantage of 151b in the' weights. With co much in his favour and the remembrance of the fact that ho out-pointed Mehegan last Wednesday, week, ib seems extraordinary that Clabby has not jumped at the chance of a second match. MEHEGAN 4NXIOUS FOR THE MATCH. Hughie Mehegan is anxious to sail for •America on 6th May. But before he. ,goee he is keen on attempting to wrest ,the welter championship title from 'Clabby. Mehegan s expedition to the v United States is not a pleasure trip. He is in search of a match with A3. Wolgast, the light-weight champion of the worJd,. because the Australian hopes to bring back the world's title with him. Wolgast it> a difficult man to make a match with. Mehegan eces clearly that if he could go to America as the conqueror of Jimmy Clabby hfe chances of a match would bo far greater than they ar« at present. "Of course, I think that I have a. good chance > of beating Clabby"," said Mehegan this morning, , "otherwise I would not want to meet him. I learnt a Jot about him and liie methods in the ring last week, and.it will all stand me in good stead if I can get into the ring with him again. CLABBY MUST GET THE WEIGHT. • " But, of course, Clabby -must come down to 10.7. He claims to be welterweight champion, and he must enter the ring t within the welter-weight limit Ib • only: means being a. pound lighter than 1 he was last week. But whatever .it means; he must do it. A man can't be, a champion of a class unless he complies with ithe' rules 'Mla'ting to that class, ■ and the principal 'rule about welter-weights ie that they must not weigh" more than 1017. "'Aftfer 'all, Clabby is < getting a big pull tin"- the : weights merely because I want to meet him in Australia. If 'h» were in America and i challenged him there, "he would have. to come down to 10.2- -a feat I don't think- he is; capable of. .1 don't want him'toigive me th* title. I ; want him to bpx me for it Bub. if he refuses v to • make the weight, •then. I .reckon I have, every right to iclaim ihe (title of ' champion welterweight. I have already earned it in Australasia, but have never bothered to claim it before." "DAVE" SMITH OFF HOME. There was not a merrier 'figure on the outward-bound Oeterley than Australia's champion boxer, Dave Smith, who is going on a tour which will- include England and America, and probably France, j Belgium^ and Switzerland. j "Certainly, it'e a pleasure trip," he said to a reporter of the Sun, "but that doesn't mean I'm not going to box. Boxing may be my business, but I can. tell you ib is as much my pleasure as when I was an amateur.. •"What about the contrdveray with Clabby * Oh, it's dune with now. Let it rest. To known that, ' when lam fighting before big crowds in England and America, I will be representing Australia, will make me a very proud man. I only hope I am a worthy representative. If 1 believed aX that 6ome people said > of me during th& recent Clabby business I'm afraid I wouldn't have enough confidence ti> put a pair of gloves ,on. ' •"All the came, I must say the prees have never dealt spitefully with me, and the fair treatment I have always received at the hands of The Sun makes me feel glad. I must thank your paper for^ a lot, and I don't mind admitting it. Th 6 ' popular pugilist had about a dozen streamers in, his hand ac the ship moved out^ and in front of him had a. big card with the words, "Bow-Wow !" printed on it. Thin was from a social club/ the Australian Terriers' Society, the members ot which rolled up in force to farewell their comrade, and repeatedly gave their war-cry: — Who are, who axe, Who are we? We are, we are Terriers free ; Terrier, Terrier, Bow, w,ow, wow? DEAF AND DUMB BOXER. France has got a deaf and dumb boxer, Rondeau is his name, and he fought recently. All went well until the gong sounded: the unfortunate fellow heard it, not. and smashed his opponent on the jaw as the latter was walking off to his corner. Later, he was -down from a clip on th& jaw, and the referee comraenwa counting; the seconds. The anxiety of the prostrate one's face was acute, but he managed to rise in time, and finished the scheduled four rounds. VALUABLE BOOTS. Had Jimmy Clabby retained bis boofs wheti weighing in for his fight with Hughie Mehegan they would have

been probably the most expensive pair on record. At the time thoy weve worth £150. Ifc happened this way. Clabby w.-is under n forfeit of £150 to come in ■undei' 10.8 at ringside. At noon lie vas well under the poundage, but as the hours pasted by he made weight, until he was dangerously close to the limit Even at that he did not imagine that ha would havo to wiegh in the buff, but when ho jumped on the machine tho beam bumped up immediately. Like a shot he removed his boots, and then the beam remained stationary. When he saw that his money was safe the young American remarked, "l wouldn't havo taken off my shirt, even if I'd had to lose my money." All the same, Clabby was mighty glad that his cheque did nnt, have to be* passed over to Mehegan. "ABE" ATTELL DOWN. ■ When Abe Attell lost the featherweight championship of the world to Johnny Kilbane he was. clearly outfought. His boasted speed and wonderful cleverness were not in evidence. Kilbane made him look like a novice m nearly every round. Only in one round, tho seventh, did Attell have a lead, and that was not by any means as decisive as thaly of Kilbane in the remaining rounds. Attell brought the' wrath of the big crowd upon his head by his tactics. Often lie would hold Kilhane's arms in a clinch, and onco in the eighth, he grabbed Kilbane's left arm with both hands and tried to bend it back. In thft third he heeled the Cleveland boy [ while in a clinch, and in nearly every .succeeding round brought hieses from 'spectators. In the sixth he butted Kilbano with his head, and opened a great gash over his left eye, from which blood spurted profusoly. At the beginning of the sixteenth round the referee stopped the fight, grabbed a towel, and thoroughly wiped Attell's body. It was seen to be covered with some greasy substance. Attell protested, but tho referee paid no attention to, him. Kilbane's work was a rvelation, even ' to " his warmest friends. Entering the ring jvith the odds 10 to 4 against him, he never faltered for an instant. ,He fought fast and showed cleverness, both., with hia hands and his feet. A straight left jab ,to Attell's nose or' sore left eye was his favourite blow. He would send this in and then, like a flash, crpss with his right tq the other side of Attell's head and jump back out of harm's way. Attell eeemed wild and bewildered through out the fight, but this was due as much to Kilbane's footwork as' to any other cause. Time and again he tried in vain to corner the Cleveland man. The decision was received with cheers, and Kilbane was carried from the building on the shoulders of his friends. Attell, tired, and with his face drawn and bleeding, left the ring; alone. As he reached the edge of the platform ne said to a friend, "Well, I had to stand for it; I couldnVdo any better."