BOXING

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 141, 18 June 1927, Page 23

BOXING

, ■T "a«n«a«."

AUCKLAND'S MOVE

RISKY CONTESTS

THIRD RATERS ENGAGED

Some associations deserve to ■ lose money, and it is evident that Auckland will. They have matched Frank Taylor, /the New Zealand • amateur champion, with Kid Delaney over ten rounds and an Australian named Em Mack and Brpadfoot, formerly of Waihi, over a similar distance. The latter pair are middleweights. Mack and Broadfoot are but third raters, and they too. are^about the Australian preliminary standard. Taylor has excellent credentials as an amateur, but his professional reputation is yet to be. However, he should easily account for Delaney unless the latter has improved considerably since Tommy Griffiths made a chopping block of him. Delaney did a work out before the Wellington Association recently, and failed to impress ■■- the match-makers here. One of those who saw the exhibition considered that he would get nothing more than ,a preliminary in Australia. If . Auckland is paying ing £10 apiece for the contests, well and good, and charging one shilling admission, well and. good; but there is a likelihood of such a bill sickening the fancy. Auckland would have done better for themselves if ■ they had brought together a pair of well-known feathers and a pair of welters. There are several good men offering their services in New Zealand at present, and the Northern association could easily have adopted Wellington's attitude of playing the safe and sure game instad of speculating. It might be said that such a programme is Auckland's picnic, and not Wellington's quarrel, but when oneu association make four and loses then the others suffer.

Squires for Australia. Johnny Squires, South African champion, and twice conqueror . of George Cask, is now on his way to Australia, under contract with Stadium's, Ltd. ' Australia just now is not very well served with heavyweights*-but no doubt Squires will find plenty to keep him; busy in Walker, Payne, and Williams. Em Baxter Again. In his last fight in New . Zealand against Charlie Purdy, Em Baxter, who is one of the few to score a victory over Billy Grime, b.roke a rib, and he has since been out of the game. Baxter's injury has now mended, however, and training has shown him so well that he is looking for a chance to "come-back." . .-.. Dunedin's Big: flight. Dunedin is.in for a big night on the £4th of this month, When two star bouts will be staged. In the first Harry Gunn will oppose Johnnie Leckie, this being the latter'b first try-out in the professional/ra.nkß. The second bout will be between Tommy Griffiths and Hector Leckie. Hector is a brother of Johnnie, who created such a favourable impression at the amateur championships in Napier. •

Kapler Association. Tho. Napier Association, heartened by the success which' attended its last effort, is making an effort to stage another double-star bill at an early date (states an exchange). The attraction will bd two ten-rounders, but the principals have not yet been decided. After the last experience, it seems that the two tenTbund contents are popular ■Vvith the public, but. the association must not lose sight of the fact that the big crowd which attended was a tribute to thd popularity of the boys themselves, and in the selection of the next lot of contestants care wfll be Heeded in choosing only those who are certain to prove a good draW. Napier Endeavoured to secure tho services of Norman Badford (English' featherWeight), who won seventeen successive contests in Australia, but that boxer is now on the way fioinb.

Napier's Nert. "Duke Maddox found that he was unable to get away to Auckland to fight there this month, and it is probablo that his next appearance will bo in' Napier, about 20th July," states a, Napier writer. "Who his opponent will be has not yet been decided, but it may possibly bo Tommy Griffiths or Johnny Leckio. "To the writer's mind, Griffiths would be tho hotter draw, with Maddox, and a bout between these twt^ whether it bo for the title or over only a tenround course, would bo well worth staging. Thcro are a number of enthusiasts m Napier who hold that this would iV 0tA c ra,? 00d contest, on the grounds that Maddox would be strong.and too rangy for Griffiths. Those who arguo this way should remember thai: Griffiths has a win 0%-er Marry Guhn to his credit, and if Gunn and Madrtox were reckoned to be a good match there is ho reason why the samo argument should toot apply to Griffiths and Maddox. It

tec lias also recently decided that tho Stitched ball bo dropped for tho New /Soalaml meeting, as, although it couid bo usecj this yoar, it must be discard cd next year according to tho federation rules. Tho KH. Ayrcs "OS" stitchlcss and plugless ball has been adopted for tho next New Zealand championship meeting. It is a chemicftlly inflated ball, ami-was largely used m Great Britain* last year at leading tournaments. According to tho federation rule no mako of ball can be adopted unless it stands up to the following conditions:—"Tho outer surface of the ball shall bo smooth and without StitChcs. Tho ball shall .bo more than 2$ inches in diameter, and less than 2 8-8 inches in diameter,'and' lflOro than 2 ounces, and loss than 2 1-10 ounces m Weight. It shall have a bound of more than 53 inches and less than 68 inches .when dropped 100 inches at .1 tciil* jperature approximating to 68 degrees Fahrenheit upon a concrete base, and a deformation of more than .290 of an inch and less than ,315 of-an inch when subjected ,to a pressure of 181b applied to each end of any diameter at a tern' peraturo approximating to 68 degrees Fahrenheit." Balls are now---being packed* under pressure and hermetically sealed in metal tubes. The balls are packed tliroo to a tube, and into this tube is forced air pressure equal t'j that within the balls. This prevents loss of inflation, and the ball wiir after a voyago to Now Zealand be as fresh as when nlado. Until tho metal tubes arc opened the balls retain their-liveli-ness, inflation, rebound, and flexibility, and being hermetically sealed thoy cannot possibly go soft;' ih fact, no deterioration is possible. Dealers, Clubs, and associations can, under tho new method of sealing, order full season.-! supply without any risk, at;least that is what is contended for the new method. It appears to be up-to-date, and players in New Zealand no doubt will test for themselves. * Malcolm Young, who went to England before his brother Bttssell, was a most promising pittyef before leaving New Zealand, but little has been heard of-his tennis doings at Oxford University. It is interesting to hear that he has not given up the game, for he played for Oxford University Penguins V. Mr. J. AY. Olmstcd'g VI., and Youna; boat C. M. Melville, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, and with Etlcticott defeated Jenkins and Campbell Rodger, 6-3, 36, 7-5. is pretty certain that Griffiths would bo a better match for Maddox than Leckie,

for despite the latter's speed and cleverness as an amateur he has had no professional experience, and professional boxing against an artist of the calibre of Maddox is very different from the amateur business. It is quite on the cards that Napier will again %°v\ t he double star bill, and Hay will likely be one of the principals. Harry Casey is spoken of as his opponent, but this may yet fall through and another be selected." Sam Langford.' Sam Langford, now nearl,- blind, was given a benefit recently in New ™nn'^? prOfits runnin S «*<>■ about 5000 dollars. The New York State Commission, with the best intentions in the world, decided to husband this money, paying Sam at the rate of 75 dollars per month; But Sam decided he wanted all his money at once The commission said "No," but Langford evidently made himself so much of a bother that the fund will be paid over. Langford explained. that he wanted to buy a farm, but, since he is reported nearly blind, and also since he has never been a farmer, it is hard to believe he will make a success out of the venture. Now the commission heads, irritated, declare they will have no more J?, d° Wlth any efforts to aid the negro. A fighter of the type of Sam Langford, ' remarks an American writer, requires the same treatment as a child." Title Forfeited. The British Board of Control, at a recent meeting; decided that Elky Clark, flyweight champion of England, and holder of the Lonsdale Belt, had forfeited the title, on the ground that he had not defended it within reasonable time. London ." Sporting Life" considers the decision extremely harsh in view of the fact that Clark has been Unable to box owing to an accident to one of his eyes which occurred durine his fight for the world's title with La Barba in New York. "Clark, as the result of injuries and operations to'his eyes, says the paper mentioned, "will not be able to box for a long time, and if the Board of Control had stopped short at the calling of the Lohsdaie challenge trophy they Would have gone far enough in the opinion of most pec pie. It is an axiom that a championship won in the ring must be . lost in the ring, and, until such time as Clark 18 fully recovered from his infirmity and able to box again he will still be regarded as British flyweight champion." :'■; . Examination of Boxers. In discussing the death of Boy Overendj "Solar Plexus" in the "Sydney Beferee'' states:—The Coroner found that the contest was fairly waged, and that the cause of death was the abnormality of deceased's skull. Perhaps it was like that of the first youngster who lost hig life at the Sydney Stadium, Whose skull was found to be so thin that almost any blow was likely to bring about a fracture. The medical examination which boxers are subjected h to is not sufficient to guard against fatalities. At present only the heart is tested; but it has been proved by examination of the very few who (haVe succumbed to injuries in the ring that more is needed, for, in thVycaseof. Keg. Morphy, George Mendies;,Beg. Anderson, and Loraine, other organs were S6ri6Usly affected. Every boxer should bG compelled to undergo a blood test every three months. ' Fortunes of the Game. . Most of the old;timefß (writes Granti menCa'S -leß<"ng sports writer) had to^ keep on fighting to make And there it, no inspiration like that of hunger. But when Stribling, at 21, and Berlenbach, at 24, have from 250,000 to 350,000.d011ars salted away, there is no great threat of huh-

gor to drive them along. Napoleon's field marshals were great soldiers until ho gave them incomes and estates. After that they wero against all wars. Thoir interest in fighting fell off at a terrific pace. Dempsey, with over a million now packed away, hasn't the energy or the interest left to make up his mind, for any future campaign. There isn't much of a thrill in getting punched when you have from 300,000 to 1,000,000 dollars planted and you don't have to take one on the chin. Heavyweight Championship. Although Jack Dempsey hail definitely declared he would fight Tunney or no on , Tex Eiekard must have made him a tei pting offer, for the former later agreed to meet the winner of last Thursday's clash between Sharkey and Maloney, the winner of the latter fight to meet Tunney. Jack Sharkey defeated Maloney by a knock-out in the sixth round. . According to the latest advices from America," a contest between Sharkey and Dempsey may not absolutely decide a fight with Tunney for the heavyweight titlej for unless Dempsey wins in a masterly way, he will not be given the chance of turning the tables on his former conqueror. Mr. Eickard also stated that he might have to fight and beat others, such as Paolini and Delaney.' This should not bo necessary, since Sharkoy beat Moloney, for a win by Dempsey over the first-named should be sufficient —unless the wily Tex can see many paying fights with Dempsey. at one end, before a grand final with Tunney. Moloney has already beaten Delaney whilst Paolini, who was lucky to get the decision over Tom Heeney, did not please well enough to be considered from a championship viewpoint.