In the Ring

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 126, 24 November 1923, Page 19

In the Ring

FLORES DISAPPOINTS

POOR SHOWING AGAINST BUTCHER

FROM FAR AND NEAR.

(By "Milo.")

There were many unpleasantly surprised patrons of the noble art at the Sydney Stadium recently, when the allegedly great Filipino pugilist, Ireno Flores, made a very miserable showing against the rising young Westeralian, Eddie Butcher, and although still strong enough to continue, attempted to hurriedly leave the ring at the end of the eleventh round. He was almost forcibly dragged to his corner by his irritated seconds, but like the horse of £abl« which was led to the water, he refused to hearken to their threats or pleadings, and would not continue the battle. Th« decision without further ado was therefore given to Butcher. Evidently placing quite a lot of credence in the old-time principle that the pet aversion of coloured men is body punishment, the Australian paid particular attention to the brown ribs and mid-riff of the visitor, a consideration which the Filipino resented so strongly that.he continually.appealed to the referee, fortunately, however, in vain. Flores, after the fight, was the object of much adverse critioism for the unfair manner in which h» had used his head in the clinches, and it was also stated that apart from his lack of skill, hs proved conclusively that his courage was not of the best. , The fact that this was the first time in his career that he had met a "southpaw" fighter might in some measure have accounted for the disappointing display of the loser, but a boxer who has beaten such top-notch-ers as Villon and Pamito should certainly have given more satisfaction than did the much-boomed Flores. Since entering the ring eight years ago under the tutelage of Fritz Holland, the rugged Australian welter-weight, Larry Lasher, who has just recently returned to the Dominion, has participated in eighty contests. Twenty-seven years of age, his first instinct when wearing the gloves is to fight, and Aucklanders will recall his very aggressive tactics against Andy Greaves in 1921. Prior to this date he had been in America,' where he fought Joe White as a preliominary to the contest in which the present world's champion, Jack Dempsey, was beaten over four rounds by fat Willie Meehan, in the presence of forty-five thousand spectators. While serving in the Australian Expeditionary Force, Lasher took part in a number of bouts, while he recently figured in three or four contests in Queensland, conceding to Bill Hardon forty pounds and defeating the big fellow after a hard tussle. Lasher would, like very much to fight "Hop Harry" Stone, but he is by no means particular, and would not refuse a match with any lQst 81b (or under) in the country. When he again signs on the active list Australian Tommy Fairhall will be attached to Jack Lynch's school in Melbourne. _ His injured jaw is reported to be rapidly resuming its normal state, and it is anticipated that in a few short weeks Fairhall will be kept very busy signing contracts for star engagements. He has issued a challenge -to any gst 91b man in the country, and would be pleased to accommodate Eddie Butcher at 9st 121b. _ Those in Australia who are in a position to judge predict that championship honours for this enterprising young man are not far distant. That remarkably clever but equally as unlucky pugilist, Billy Preston, is contemplating, we learn, a strictly business tour of the Orient, and proposes boxing at Manila, Singapore, and even Hong Kong, if -tha matches are offering. His Maoriland friends certainly wish him the best of luck in this, his latest enterprise. ■Writing from Australia to '*Milo" Syd (H.) Brickmaji, the ex-Wellington amateur, who recently crossed the Tasman and joined the professional ranks, expresses his willingness to return to the Dominion to box any bantamweight ml, the country. He maintains, and quite rightly, that having proven his quality away from home, lie is entitled upon his return,- to some consideration, and he would welcome a match in his home town about the middle of February. He encloses a cutting of his scheduled fifteen round battle, which he won by the knock-out method in the eleventh round. In the ninth, Brickman felled his opponent, George Lloyd, to whom by the way, he was conceding seven pounds in weight, with what is described as a beautifully timed left heck. His -opponent managed to weather the storm until the eleventh round, when the New Zealander "landed a terrific left and crossed his right to the jaw, lifting Lloyd clean off his feet and depositing him on the canvas for the full count." Brickman wishes to be remembered to all his many Maoriland friends, and promises that when given the opportunity, he will show them actually how very much he has improv ed

It is hardly likely that any complaint will be made by Wellington enthusiasts, in regard to the class of star performer it has been their pleasure to see ip action this season, and it is still more improbable that any cause for adverse comment will arise out of the approaching match between Eugene Volaire and the holder of the Dominion lightweight title, Les Murray. Physically the advantage will be with the Frenchman, who will no doubt use his greater poundage to good effect, but in the young Maorilander he is meeting a strong, aggressive, and particularly hard-hitting pugilist. In recent battles both men have been beaten by Tommy Fairhall, with Whom both were successful in seeing out the full fifteen rounds. It is rather difficult however, to draw a line through the performance* of the prospective opponent*, but, considering both of them generally, it must be admitted that the match is a particularly good one, an 3 should arouse a great deal of interest, culminating in the attraction of a record house.

The sturdy brown boy, Joe losba, hag joined one of the vessels trading between the Dominion and San Francisco, and for this reason he will be unable to keep tryst with Jim Gurry on 12th prox. Just to show that the match would have been well worth watching the pair indulged in a strenuously contested try-out at Denny Murphy's gymnasium during the week, and several reasonable judges, who happened to witness the mill, bear testimony to the willingnesß of the beys to punch-hard, and otten. ■

Arthur Firth, amateur light, heavyweight champion of the Dominion, proposes joining the professional ranks, and announces his readiness to box any middleweight in the country. Firth's ability as as a glove artist needs no colouring and those who have seen him battling his way through the amateurs consider that he ' will more than hold his own with any man his weight in the country. He knows the game and is as hard a fighter as he is a clever boxer Another bluejacket who is looking for fixtures with any of the ligbt-heavy-weights is Jack Pettifer, champion of the. British Navy. Strong and rugged h» « s*p*blt pf both giving and takinc plenty of pußuhmea^, and in v* jshfcj!

tion bout with Chrii. M'Rae last •week' he showed up very well. He is purely and simply a fighter, and should prova; a match for any other man hi*'•weight; Both of thees rising citizens of pugaom are under the care of Trainer^ Pat Connors. "■'■.:■

Jack Crowley and Mick Gsetein we two hard-hitting bantam weight* from the Herbert street - school who never aeem to tire* of attempting to persuade one another to cry "enough." Every time they don the glove* they provide three rounds of really interesting leath-er-pushing, and their mentor, Denny Murphy, is bo convinced that they would please the "fans" t&at he is now endeavouring to have them matched at the approaching tournament. It is with deep regret that "Milo" chronicles the death of that sterling young Australian pugilist, Mick Rutherford. As previously stated in these columns, the unfortunate fellow sustained an injury to his ankle while engaged in his occupation of naval boxing instructor, and complications arising, the •amputation of his leg was found necessary. He subsequently died' at the Caulfieid Repatriation Hospital. -Rutherford, it will be remembered, was in the Dominion at the same time as George Cook, Albert Lloyd, and company, and some enthusiasts will no doubt recall the beautiful cauliflower ear which Cook handed him. Rutherford's record shows a. draw with Harry Collins, and. he also met Hughie Dwyer, Harry Holmes, and Havilah Uren.

Harry Barlow's Newtown School continues to occupy the attention of quite ■a large 'number of the suburban boys, and the proprietor reports that the hum-' ber of his pupils has almost reached the fifty mark. Barlow spars with all his ' boys from the fly to heavy-weight, andduring the week the writer on one particular evening saw him box fifteen fair' ly fast rounds, with not more than the usual interval between the laps. Jimmie M'Arthur, who before he joined the: INavy rail be remembered as showing - great promise as an amateur middleweight, has been working at the school and is said to have shown himself' to be • boxing as well as ever he did. M'Arthur . is quite willing to give Val Gunnion an-" other chance of wiping out the stain of his previous defeat. This would cei--~ tainly be a. good fight and as the Wellington Association have not staged a match between any of the big fellows for some considerable time, it would not be out of place at the next tournament.

Taking with him the feather-weight-championship of - the Dominion,- little Mike Flynn has returned to Australia in the hope of obtaining . a match with the Commonwealth ; bantam, title holder, Jimmy Semmens. The pair met on a previous occasion, Flynn losing .on a foul, but the "fans" were bo convinced he had used a legitimate punch that they dubbed him "the/ Uncrowned bantam-weight champion." Flynn will make the bantam limit quite easily on the other side of the Tasman, where he will be aided by the warm climate in pulling down his poundage. He leaves behind in Maoriland many real friends.

_ Ejt-heavy.weight champion, Jim O'Sullivan ; is by no means satisfied with the decision in the recent fight when he lost the title to the previous holder, Tom Heeney. H« believes that the Gisboriie^ representative was almost out on his feet in the fifth round, when the referee, Mr. Alan Maxwell, of Wellington,intervened. O'Bullivan maintains that he slipped and did not "go down without being hit" within the meaning of the regulation. No man, he says, can" be disqualified ior losing his foothold and slipping, and, in any case, he was up in a moment. His trainer, Charlie Peoples, declares that: whatever be the decision of the Boring Council regarding the protest, O'Sullivan is prepared to meet Heeney again anywhere and on a winner-take-all basis," or-for charity; "They surely can't expect O'SulUvanUd lose his title on a decision like that." he remarked to a Northern critic.

"Although, by no means broken in spirit, Glarrie Blackburn is a disappointed young man. His run of defeats since returning" from Australia only a few months ago has left Us mark on him; mentally as well as physically," states a writer m the Auckland-"Star:"-"--The 1 writer remembers hunting him "up whelf he first came home, not long . back.":. Blackburn was quite modest about- it - but he said' quite -that ■•he--baß" 1 hopes of going; to America: "He had" done well in Australia. ■'- He expected'to do wgll i n New Zealand. These hopes ': were well-founded at the time, befn^' based on performances, but the position - is different to-day. Not long after that : little chat Blackburn met the Kussian Queenslander, Paul Demsky, and the re- Lferee declared it a draw. Then Les" Murray, Tommy Fairhall, and Eugene Volaire each beat him in turn. But the reports were always excellent. Blackburn made a brave showing against eacli and all of these glove-gladiators, and the : impression created was favourable on every occasion. Although he has come nome only to writs up entries on the wrong sld e of the page in his book of contests, Blackburn has the consolation of knowing that he has fought well against three admittedly first-class men He has never heard the referee tell him f° was 'out," and there is lots of fight leftjn him yet, for Clarrie is only a Soyas boxers go. - Moreover, and by 1:0 means least important, Trainer Peoples is now at the helm in every fight which Blackburn undertakes, and how much, that means Blackburn will surely learn Speculation is rife in-England as to who will be the next lucky holder of the heavyweight title, at present so feebly clutched by the fast-weakening hands of Joe Beckett. Age has overtaken the once great Dick Smith, and GoddarS: is hardly skilful or fast enough to gain and hold the honours. Bloomfield" iV given a- chance for the promising manner in which he defeated Bombardier. ™ej]f,, w.hde the Irish' champion Davo M GUI, is capable qf improvement to championship standard. Two of these men, Goddard and IM'Gill, have been..' decisively beaten by Australian George - Cook, and when choosing a championship contender, the powers that control tho game m the British Isles would do well to glance at the burly boy from Dubbo Commenting on the situation, the "D.iuV Mail" says:—The outlook, whichever way it is viewed, is very gloomy ' We are worse off for heavyweights to-day than at any time since boxing was first. torn away from the safe keeping of the' English. What is wanted in this country is a genius of the type of AI Francois Descamps, Caqpentier's 'manager We have multitudes of boxers but°we; seem to have no managers with skill enough to turn them into champions. It is interesting, therefore, to learrl that M. Descamps is already turning his attention to British-born boxers He believes, 'as do most people, that when properly handled they make the best boxers in the world. The first of his new. "stable' is a 16-years-old Covent Garden youth named Johnny Sullivan TV*? toMg nnciar the tuiUor, ?«r Ted 1150 (once known as "Young Snowball") since he was ten, and he demonstrated at Olympia recently that he possesses skill of a most uncommon kind. Descamps thinks he can mould him into a heavyweight champion. He certainly has good material to work upon, and as the famous Frenchman has already accomplished one miracle, it is at least possible that he will execute another. In «ny cue, the progress of Sullivan will be watched with interest. He uin tile best possible hands, and many things are more in. probable titan that h» wfll one day occupy the politico MW J»X-Qarpeatier. ,iw*y» .- ■ " "■":•.■;