"UNSATISFACTORY"

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 78, 29 September 1924, Page 3

"UNSATISFACTORY"

BOXING AT OLYMPIC GAMES PURDY ALLEGES MISMANAGEMENT. A bitter complaint regarding the control of boxing at the 1924 Olympic Games was made by the Auckland boxer, Charles Purdy, upon his return to New Zealand by the Tahiti to-day. In conversation with a "Post" reporter, Purdy said that in his opinion the general arrangements could scarcely have been much worse; hi fact, he was sure that in the Dominion they.:. would hot have been accepted for., a -novice "tournament, and yet men who had been chosen to represent the various nations were asked to compete under these conditions. i don t want it to appear that I am crying because I received a, bad decision, ' Purdy remarked, "but it does seem a little, hard tb--me that I'shouki have travelled about* 14,000 miles and then be robbed of the verdict. Thorley, the Frenchman I fought, was beaten in the final, but I think that I beat him by a big enough margin to have given me a chance of winning right through." He added that three judges were concerned in the decision, which was <riven against him. One was an American, and he awarded Purdy nine out of the ten points, but the other two judges/one of them an Englishman, declared for the frenchman. The referee was not asked his opinion as to the winner. TRAINING HIMSELF. "The one thing- that worked against me all the time," Purdy continued, was that I absolutely had to train myself. Mr. Merrett was always very considerate to me, hut, of course, boxin^ was not his forte, and I had to rely pn my own resources. From the time I left New Zealand until the time that I tought, I had only three spars, one of them being with the European -light- ; weight champion, Fred Bretonnel against whom I was said to have performed very well. I was certainly over the feather limit—l knew, tha<^-but without the services of a trainer and adviser, I was afraid to take the risk 'of trying to make weight. It was for this reason that I decided to compete in the lightweight division. ; ' "ONE-MAN SHOW." "It was 8 o'clock in the morning when I took the ring, an unearthly hour for a boxer to1 be fighting, but even then I considered myself lucky, for Jones, the Australia middleweight," was obliged to tight at 2 a.m., after having risen at 7 o clock on the previous morning-. The rules allowed only one man in the corner, one man to towel, sponge, massaee ! if necessary, and advise. The only second I could get was Montgomery, the trainer of the cyclists, who very kindly consented to assist me in my corner. He didnt know. much about the fightinsr game, but I was very thankful to have him. As for the actual fight, I think I won easily, but, of course, I didn't getthe decision." Purdy added that when £, alninS m Paris at the French Sporting Uub he did not even have someone to keep time for him. He had to keep his eye on a. large clock, which was hung in the gymnasium, and by this means he managed to keep somewhere near the required three minutes, when skipping or ball punching. / "

THE SPORTING IRISH. "The Irish people are the 'greatest sports in the world," enthusiastically remarked Purdy, when referring to his efforts at the Tailteanri Games. He fought in the welter class, and as proof of his success displayed a, thirty-guinea pup and fifteen-guinea' medal, tfie latter a donation by Messrs. Guinness, Ltd. He beat O'Halloran, runner-up in the 1920 Olympus Games, .and. he. also was adjudged the winner over O'Dwyer, the Irish champion and runner-up in the" 1924 Olympic Games. He was congratulated by Jim Dnscoll, one of the world's leading featherweights of a few years ago who described the New- Zealander as the most finished boxer he had ever seen Purdy added that in O'Dwyer's corner was rancey Lee, a well-known professional of former days. Regarding his activities in tHe future Furdy said that he intends joining the ranks of the professionals, and he will commence training very shortly after his return to Auckland. He leaves for the North on Wednesday.