BOXING

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 85, 20 October 1928, Page 23

BOXING

«r 'ACNCAS" NEXT CHAMPION LEADING CONTENDERS MUCH SPECULATION Who will be the next champion? Most of the boxing writers in America at the present time are weighing up the contenders for the vacant heavyweight crown. They are unanimous that Gicne Tunney is streets ahead of any of the aspirants for the title, and are also agreed that Tunney will never fight again. Jeffries, after retiring, came back again to get £20,000 anil a beating from Jack Johnson, but Tunney's case is different. He first defeated the former champion twice and then offered him a third chance, left an outclassed field, just us Jeffries did, but when,Tunney said he was through, Tuuney meant 'that he was through. Jeffries had less than £20,----000 saved up-when.he retired. Tunney had over a million. That alone makes quite a difference. Tex Rickard could draw only a trifle more than £125,000 with Tunney and the best contender in the field, states Grantland Rice, one of the foremost of American boxing writers. What is ho to^. draw with a new champion who for some years won't even be in Tunney's class? For as long as Tunney is in condition, and fairly young, under thirtyfive, the next heavyweight king will be champion of everyone—except Tunney. And that makes quite a difference. It would bo the same as if a golf star won the United States Open with Bobby Jones absent. Unless some champion beats Bobby Jones, it does not count. Suppose wo consider the main prospects that Tunney left behind as he started on his European jaunt with Thornton Wilder:— . .1. Johnny Risko: A game, strong, willing fighter without much boxing skill and no punch to rave about. Risko can take a lot and keep on coming in. But in more than a hundred rounds against Paulino, Sharkey, Heeney, Delaney, Loughran, Stribling, etc., he never left a headache in his wake. Risko is no set-up for any man, but he will never be the next heavyweight champion of the world with anything he has shown so far. 2. Jack Sharkey: A good boxer with speed, ring skill, and a fair punch. The best prospect of the lot—when he wants to fight. But he was knocked out by Dempsey, hold to a draw by Heeney, and whipped by Risko. You can throw out his Dclaney affair for several reasons. Sharkey is the champion ought-to-be.1 But in -tnis game they pay only on results. Sharkey is excitable, moody, and temperamental and shy of ring intelligence. Ho rarely uses his head in a pinch. Any man who would drop'-his hands against Dempsey in claiming a foul, leaving himself wide open, in place of dropping to one knee, cannot be depended on to outthink any smart opponent. Sharkey, in certain moods, is a dangerous customer, but he isn 't dependable at any time. 3. Tom Heeney: A game, willing fighter who is only a fair boxer. Ho cannot punch, and he is a short-armed fighter with little speed. Heeney has courage and stamina, but in five fights 1 have not seen him turn out one interesting round. 4. Paulino Uzeudun: Another Heeney, but more colourful. Game enough and strong enough, but a second-rate performer in most of the deails that make up a champion. . 5. George Godfrey: Big enough and strong ■ enough. A fair boxer who doesnot like to mix it. About as aggressive as the family cow. Did nothing particular against. Sharkey, Risko,. and Paulino. . 6. Jack Delanoy.: All through and washed, up. . . ' 7. Tommy Loughran: /In many ways the best.bet of the lot. Tommy can hit hard enough to dent the crust of a custard pie. But he has speed and brains and boxing skill. He gave Jack Dempsey a Jsoxing lesson when Dempsey was training at Atlantic City for the first Tunney fight. He has beaten Risko, and.he ; could beat most of the others. If he could learn how to hit, he would be another Tunney. Tunney is not a killer, but he .can hurt and cut and jar. Loughran cannot. Laughran keeps himself .in fine condition. He could amble around most of the heavy•weights and not take a punch in return. . Loughran can build himself up tQ 183 pounds, and he might learn how to hit a little. - ■ . . 8. Jack Dompsey: Always dangerous for any aggressive fighter. He can still whip a Heeney who will mix it— but any good boxer could jab him to death. . There you have most of those left in the scramble for Tunney's vacant throne, and outside of Dempsey there is not 300,000 dollars in any gate they could draw. The public is a glutton for punishment, but at last it has. become choked up with paying out big money for a dull show. What about the. others? I saw Mar-' riner, the Illinois University heavyweight, and he is still at least two years shy, no matter what he has now. Marriner can punch, and fie has good speed. But he is only, a. beginner in the toughest game in. the World. In.a year or so he should weigh 190 pounds, and he might amount to something in time, but "not before 1930 or 1931. Then there is Ad Warren, Jimmy Bronson's Carolina collegian. Warren is of the Marriner type;—tpo raw even to be thought about in the championship class for several years. Another college prospect, if he turns professional, is' Al Lassman, the. football captain of New York University. Lassman is 6ft 3in, weighs 215 pounds, is fast on his feet and with his hands, a good boxer,.and a hard hitter. Here is a prospect if he can take it and if he can find the right training and directing. But at the moment it must be admitted that there is no real heavyweight champion in sight who is even close to the Dempsey of 1919 or the Tunney of 1928. Tunney showed how little they had when he manhandled Heeney, the man who held them even, the man they could- not whip. There is not a good boxer in the lot outside of Loughran and Sharkey, and there isn't a hard puncher in tho entire crop. It is an odd collection upon whom Tex Rickard and other promoters cast melancholy eyes when, it comes to any matter of opening another gold mine. A scries of eliminations may name Tuunoy's successor in time, but no one will take it seriously unless a new star comes along or one of the present crop manages to- improve .his output something like 280 per cent. There may be a champion in. sight—but not for any big guarantee. And not for any 40 dollar ringside seat or 25 dollar ringside seat with all the publicity any six promoters can churn up. Monson and.M'lnnis. , Tho Australian middleweight champion, Ted Monson, was, certainly badly advised to sacrifice all attempts at boxing and to seek a knock-out against Tommy M'lnnes on Monday night, states the "New Zealand Herald." Their previous encounter was marked by willing two-handed exchanges, but this time Monsou appeared to have little boxing ability." -World championships have never been won by tho use of an effective smother, nor will any fights be won by a boxer who falls into , this/method of protection and is rarely

aggressive. Monson failed to show anything like championship form, and his usually effective right swing was slow. The Australian is au awkward man to hit, as his left shoulder is ever up covering his chin. Both were inclined to hold and claim and the referee had occasion to speak to them about it. In the thirteenth round Monson pulled' the Scot across the ring while they were locked together, a proceeding which was hooted by the spectators. M'lnnes seemed, rather impetuous in taking the fight to the Australian on more than one occasion, and ran into some heavy exchanges. The Northern. Boxing Association undoubtedly has been justified in bringing M'lnnes to New Zealand, and a return bout against Lachie M'Donald will be eagerly looked forward to. M'lnnes will have the best wishes of Auckland boxers and followers when he leaves by the Ulimaroa on Friday for a short stay in Australia. " When he returns he will bring with him a wife. M'lnnes has been offered lights in Sydney, but he considers New Zealand *is the better proposition, an.d will return about the middlo of next month with a .view of a return mutch with M' Donald. Offer Turned Down. Matt Hat ton has been approached by the Palnierston North Association to meet Johnnie Leckie for,a £150 purse, but has declined, there being' other associationsovilling ito feature the pair for the limit purse of £200. Their Third Meeting. To-night Johnny Leckie and Billic Melton will meet at Greymouth -for the third time. Leekie won the first con-test-on points and the second by a knock-out. On. his present form he should again be too good 'for the Australian. For Australia. Mr. Dick Deon, of Stadiums, Ltd., is on ins way to America in search of more boxers and a bunch of heavyweight wrestlers. Three featherweights from the United States are on their way to Australia, and when Billy Grime returns homo the feathers should be in the boom. It is on the cards that Johnny Leckio will be on hand to take his share of the spoils. It is announced definitely in Australian papers that Kdel La Barba, the ex-flyweight champion of the world, who returned undefeated 'to take up a university career, but who is now back in the ring as a bantamweight, is going to Australia. He should be a good draw in Sydney, and Melbourne if suitable opponents can be found for Mm. It does not look as if Billy M'Alister, the Australian champion, will be class enough for the American, and Kid Socks, the Englishman, has been beaten by M'Alister. Further, Charlie Van Rceden, the American bantam, ' who made impressive showings when defeating M'Alister and Socks, has been scut home for selling a contest. Military Tournament. , Tho local military tournament has now become a feature of. local activities, and,the fixture this year promises to be a bigge? one than ever. The first three nights, 24th, 25th, and 26th October, will take place at the Community Club, and the finals will be staged at the Town Hall on 29th. October. Olympic Boxing. The general management of, and tho integrity of the referees in the boxing section of recent Olympiads have received a considerable amount of criticism lately, and at the" luncheon to Morgan and Cleverley yesterday the manager of the New Zealand team, Mr. H. Amos, added his tithe of censure. "I can say," he said, "that the boxing was no better run, and the decisions just as bad as they were in 1924." "In regard to Morgan," lie continued, "his wins wore cut and. dried, and there could be no other opinion, as to whether he won or not." . ■' . Commenting on the. results of the boxing contest at the Olympic Games, a London' sporting paper says: "For the first time in the history of Olympic boxing, Great Britain failed to provide a winner. America, too, failed to get a place in the winners' list-^a.real surprise, this—and Continental ' fighters have had a rare 'carve up', of the honours. English-speaking races ara reputed to posses',the best amateur boxing talent in the world, yet only one boxer in this category; figured amongst tho victors —E. Morgan, the New Zealand welter-weight. The amazing success of the Continentals means either one of two things—that they have made an unsuspected advance in the science of boxing, or that the judging must have been of the weird and wonderful variety. However, whatever .the cause, at the completion of the Games the International Amateur Boxing Association decided by 14 votes to 10 that in future there shall be two judges on opposite sides of the ring as well as a referee—five officials, in charge of one bout! Great Britain opposed the resolution." Challenge To Purdy. Eeg Trowern, who is now in Australia, has written to Auckland asking for a match with his old rival, Charlie Purdy. \ Tex Rickard *s Loss. Madison Square Garden Corporation announced that the Tunney-Heeuey fight gross receipts aggregated 691,014 dollars (£144,000), and the net receipts 521,400 dollars (£108,618). The loss totalled 155,719 dollars (£31,600). The principal expenses were 712,152 dollars, as follows:—Tunney, 525,000 dollars; Heeney, 100,000 dollars; tadium rent, 52,142 dollars; 41,191 persons paid for admission, and 3496 complimentary tickets were: issued,, including: 422 to newspaper men. The difference between the net and gross receipts was occasioned by the State and also Federal taxes. •.-■•■■• Gillespie Desires to Return. Norman Gillespie, the ex-feather-weight champion. of Australia, who is now a full-grown, light-weight, has expressed a desire to visit Dunedin again. It is suggested that he might be matched Mere with Charlie Purdy or Tommy Fairhall. Inter-School Tournaments. Now the secondary schools and colleges in and around Auckland have decided to hold an inter-school athletic meeting, the time is opportune to suggest the arranging of boxing championships on similar lines, states the "New Zealand Herald:" The secondary schools have always been regarded as the nursery of all forms of athletics,) and in boxing particularly the schools j have produced many boxers, skilled with the gloves and splendid opponents] in the fine points of the game.. The boxing spirit used to run very high in. these institutions, and one remembers, with all the pleasure associated with school days, how eagerly 'he boxing "tourney" was anticipated. But now in many of the schools it is only kept alive by the activity of a few. School boxing is always interesting to watch,1 as contestants have little, to gain excepting the honour of their house or perhaps their form, and one is always sure- of seoing a. good fight. Lads are taught the old classical style or upright stance, and the value of the straight left, and they come into the ring fit,, ensuring a first-class exhibition. The Northern Boxing Association might consider this matter with a view to helping tho schools to promote an annual inter-secondary schools tournament, and thereby stimulate the flagging interest in ariiateur boxing. Auckland is fortunate in the .matter of boxing trainers. All those conducting schools in the city are experts in their line. * In some cases these trainers are taking classes in the colleges, but . greater use could be made of their ability, and the Northern Boxing Association would-be well advised to-consider I the making of a move in.this regard.