BOXING

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 17, 21 January 1928, Page 23

BOXING

By "AENCAS " I

PURDY'S PUNCH HIS FIRST KNOCK-OUT IMPROVED HITTING Charlie Purdy, the New Zealand lightweight, has scored his first knockout. Ever since he has been in Aus,tralia, the writers there have been praising his superlative skill as a boxer, but have deplored his lack of punch, and his tendency to hit with the heel of the glove. Perhaps this criticism has been the cause of Purdy's improvement for at the Sydney Stadium Purdy knocked out a Filipino, Young Cowboy, in five rounds. Of the contest "Solar Pexus" writes: In the fifth round of a one-sided contest, Charlie Purdie, without being unduly severe, knocked out the Filipino, Young Cowboy, by a splendidly executed right to the chin in the fifth round, thereby Purdy appeared in quite a new role, as in all previous battles in Australia, he showed no great power of punch. Discarding his custom of landing with the butt of his hand, the New Zealander displayed hitting ability, which, combined with his elusivencss, milkes him a near approach to his countrymen's high estimate of his prowess as a boxer. When .the Aucklander's see their champion again (provided he carries on the good work of hitting properly), his improvement will surprise them Striking in Purdy's ordinary way, with the unpadded part of the glove, his well set coloured opponent would have lasted much longer, perhaps the full journey, to be beaten by a wide margin of points, and badly marked. But with every punch landing correctly, and telling its own tale, the knock out was merciful. At 7.30 policemen comprised almost half the number present, thus showing that the Purdy-"Cowboy" contest did not appeal to the public. This atmosphere of gloom continued so long that a good house was dispaired of. Nevertheless, when the lads entered the ring, a fairly good attendance materialised, so that Purdy and the Filipino had a fairly decent share. But even so, the receipts were not so substantial as to convince one that Friday nights are suitable for fights at the Stadium. For a while "Cowboy" showed some idea of evasion. But this did not compare with the manenr in which Purdy made him miss. Purdy then topk on tho attack, and landed many stiff lefts with an occasional right, all "well and truly placed. Until "Cowboy" scored with two rights to the side of the head in the second round, Purdy was lenient. But these stung Purdy into action, and he peppered his man badly. Owing to Purdy's back-mov-ing, the Filipino tripped and fell, and was assisted to rise by hia opponent. He immediately got busy trying to stop the coloured man by short blows to the head. Twice in the third Purdy, in close, shamrocked, but immediately pulled up, as if determined on the new and more appreciable style of doing things. In the fourth round Purdy was cheered for his clever ducking of 'Cowboy's" wild swings. Finding that he had carried his man far enough, Purdy went out in earnest in the fifth. With his left, and then his right squareI ————^—»

ly on the chin, he dropped the brown boy for the full count. News from Nelson MiCnight. Nelson M'Knight, the New Zealand welter-weight, is getting plenty of bouts in America. He is located at Seattle, where the limit is six rounds. According to a letter from Ben Tracy, his manager, he had thieo fights in seven days. He won one by a knock-out, lost another on points, and fought a draw for the third. He was booked up to meet a fourth' opponent ten days later. Tracy states that a good "draw" can get matches every two or three nights. "Doc" Snell, the conqueror of Billy Grime, had just boxed nine times in a month. Wairoa's Match. TJie Wairoa Association has signed up Dick Loveridge and Jim Broadfoot for 25th February. Broadfoot is being kept busy. Bout Falls Through. ■ Negotiations for a contest under tlic Gisborne Association between A. Leckie, New Zealand boxing champion in the feather-weight class, and Lin Kobinson, ex-champion, have fallen through. It was intended to stage the fight in race-week during February. Perhaps it is just aa well for Kobingon, who is now long past his best. Taylor's Record. Johnny Taylor, the ex-New Zealand amateur bantam-weight champion, who is to meet Tommy Griffiths at the Town Hall on Tuesday night, won 38 out of 39 amateur contests. He lost the first. He has a decision as an amateur over Johnny Leckie. Since turning professional Taylor has had two contests with Griffiths for a loss and a draw. Death of Champion. Frank J. Bartley, who ivou sixty consecutive bouts in his day and retired as welter-weight champion at tho ago of 25, died in New York recently after a short illness. Bartley included among his vanquished such onetime notables as Matty Matthews, Hose La Frontize, Jimmy Judge, and Shorty Ahem. He was born in Susquehana, Pa., in 1875, but lived most of his life at Binghamton, N.Y. Still Going. Battling Levinsky, former light-heavy-weight champion of the world, is still on the active list and recently won_ the judge's decision over Matt Adgie, Philadelphia, in ten rounds. The bout was close, Adgie having the edge in several rounds. Tommy Bnrns's Hope. Jack Humbeek, the Belgian heavyweight, who arrived in America under the wing of Tommy Burns, the former title holder, lost a ten-round decision to Arthur de Kuh in a match in New York repent. This is not the first prodigy of Tommy Burns that has failed. British Flyweights. The decision of Elky Clark to quit the boxing game makes the outlook pretty black for Johnny Hill, the British flyweight champion, so far as boxing for his Lonsdale Belt is concerned. Like all boxers, Hill is keen on making the belt his own property by winning it three times. He has but one notch on the trophy, and now that Clark is out of the way there seems no one left who could with justification be selected to act the role of challenger. In those circumstances Hill might well consider undertaking an American trip, with the idea of getting in line for a shot at the world's title. Not Equal to the Best. "Though Mickey Wnlker, middleweight champion, seems to have satisfied Chicago sports writers that he can go the route (ten rounds) against a light-heavy such as Paul Barlenbaeh, he disappointed many of his supporters in failing to score a knock-out," states an American writer. "With only one opportunity' of watching Walker, I still can't see him as compared to some of our middleweights when the fight game was booming along. I question whether he would have been rated as having much of a chance with Stanley Ketchel, the Michigan Assassin, when he was at tho peak of his pugilistic career. Even the Twin Sullivans and the Papkes and others of that day and age would havo figured to give Walker about all ho •would care to handle in one night. No, I can't mention Mickey Walker in tho same breath with the great middleweights of all time's."