BOXING

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 51, 1 March 1930, Page 23

BOXING

BY 'AtNKAM" RULES IGNORED

N.Z. COUNCIL SILENT

OTAGO AND TARANAKI

The tumult and the-shouting have died in the dispute between the Taranaki Association and Peto Sarron, and as a result tho contest between the American and" Tommy Donovan has received a big advertisement. It is certain that tho crowd will be the biggest that has ever gathered round a ring in New Zealand. The various incidents in tho drawn-out argument between Taranaki, Sarron, and others has been intricate and involved, and tho many issues raised arc each a story in themselves, but there is one i thing certain —tho New Zealand council has not come out of the whole affair with the credit it should have. Some time ago the Otago Association signed up Johnny Leekie and others for contests involving purses of £200, and the couneii quite rightly stepped in and declared these contracts •null and void under the rules of the New Zealand Association, which require that contests for that amount cannot take place- unless special permission is given. Tho Otago Association was indignant, but it deserved the caning. Since then Pete Sarron has appeared in the Dominion, and apparently ho has been granted immunity from a rule that was formed in the best interests of . amateur boxing. Certainly the council had no definite evidence that the rule-s had been broken until the amount of the Taranaki purse was made common property, but •it could have shown more alertness in finding out just exactly what was happening. Now, however, the policy of laissezfaire, laissez-passer has been definitely adopted. Not a word of protest has been raised by . the N«w Zealand council at the Taranaki Association's flagrant breach. When Parliament gave the New Zealand Boxing Association the control of amateur and professional boxing in New Zealand it vested in the controlling body wide powers. The Act makes it clear that no public boxing contest may be staged by an unafflliated body. The New Zealand council should have used this power to the limit. Why should Otago be curbed and Taranaki go free just because they had tho audacity to commit a bigger breach of the rules? It is obvious that the couneii will receive a full blast of rightly indignant criticism when the annual conferenco takes place, and as it has, by its own actions, furnished big ammunition it can have no kick coming. However;- it is hoped that amateur boxing will not be affected by either Taranaki's breach or tho council s apathy towards the spirit of the constitution which it has been trusted by affiliated associations to guard closely. Stone Wins in Sydney. Tho Wellington welterweight, Phin Stone, has made his debut in Sydney whero he knocked out Jack Halhday in the fifth round of a six-round contest. Writing on ■ tho' contest, Dave Smith states in the "Sydney Eeferee":—ln round one Stone, using a useless but point-scoring left, danced round his opponent, and took this one without a blow in return. In his corner, his second evidently told him to use his right, and a holy .show he made of his boxing then. There is a terrible lot he does not know about timing, distance, etc., when punching with his right. In the third, Stone was dropped for nine, but, rising, he belted Halliday from corner to corner, and had him in trouble. The New Zealand lad had" evidently left his boxing ability in his homeland, for in the fourth he ripped and tore into his man, and the bell saw Halliday taking the count. In the fifth and last Halliday was pushed over'for eight, and later puted in a bout that showed little merit. Gisborno Incidents. ' Boxers will readily recall the circumstances surrounding the "Chicago count," when Tunney received the benefit of a long count,' after being knocked down by Jack Dempsey. Gisborno is likely to rival Chicago for queer decisions, writes "Wink" in the "Auckland Star." Last week-Keg. Trowern was knocked over by Ted Morgan. The. referee, Mr. T. Sniale, who once incurred tho wrath of the New Zealand Boxing Association for sponsoring an "amateur boxers' strike," counted off three -seconds when the gong went. Eeg. had claimed a foul, arid was ordered out of tho ring for medical inspection. At the. end of tho minute interval. Pat Connors, Morgan's trainer, told his boy not to continue the fight, but it was not until six minutes later that Trowern entered the ring. The doctors had agreed that he was not fouled. The order was given to "box on," but Morgan refused and claimed the fight. Thereupon Eeferee Smale awarded tho fight to Trowern. Thereby hangs much trouble. The rules say that "If the referee does not see an alleged foul he has the power to order a medical examination," but it does not say that the boxer should be out of the ring for seven minutes. It also says that the referee shall first count out the boxer, and if the foul is.,not upheld by examination the fight shall be awarded to tho other boxer. Connors has a strong case. But that is not the only queer happening in a Gisborne ring. Some years jfgo Charlie Peoples unearthed Jim Sullivan, "Tom'Heeney's Nightmare." He won a points decision over Heeney at Auckland, and a return bout was arranged to take placo at Gisborne. The Grand Opera House was too small on that memorable occasion, and hundreds were unable to gain admittance. Heeney soon found Sullivan's long left arm a nuisance, and an eye was opened in quick time. Eealising his predicament, Heeney went for an early closure, and, in the fifth round, he dropped Sullivan with a wicked right. Sullivan was worried; he took a count of nine and then rose. As he assumed • the perpendicular Heeney made another wild sweep, and, seeing it coming, Sullivan dropped to the boards. Eeferee Alan Maxwell caught hold of Sullivan to disqualify him, but as Sullivan felt the referee's hand on his arm he hoisted his arm as a sign of victory! Maxwell was dumbfounded. He had meant to disqualify Sullivan, and Suilivan had, Jby a cute move, made it appear as if he was the victor! Amidst jeeriug and booing Maxwell approached the ring-front and appealed for a hearing. He did not get it—he was' lucky to get out of it alive. The upshot of it all was that it was declared "no fight." That was one of Gisborne's wild nights, but another one can be chalked up. The Gisborne Boxing Association had imported Jack Cole, an Australian champion middleweight, to oppose Jack Heeney. Cole gave Jack a hiding, and Tom, with true brotherly love, wanted to wipe off the family defeat. The Waikohu Association (since doftmct) arranged the bout at Te Karaka, sixteen miles from Gisborno. They erected a marquee, and the largest crowd ever to witness a fight in the district saw Tom get a boxing lesson and tho decision from one of tho most

clever of boxers. The rciferee was Bert Lowe, a former heavyweight champion. Ho was called ■ everything but a gentleman by the sports of Gisborno! Men who had bet on Tom refused to take their bets. 'That is no exaggeration. On Lowe's score card, in one round was "Heeney. Bpts, Cole spts." The doyen of boxing scribes, tho lato W. F. Corbett, of the "Sydney Eeferee," said that he would keep Lowe's card as ono of the most curious mementoes of the ring! These are three little incidents of tho Gisborno ring during the last ten years. AYho knows what, tho future holds'? Veterans Meet. Two veteran welters, famous in their day, met in a 10 two-rainnste round contest in London on 13tb December. They were Ted Lewis, who was champion of the world in the class, and Johnny Basham, who was welterweight champion of Great Britaian and Europe. They had met three tinvas previously, when at the height of their form, the honours going to Lewis. In their fourth contest Basham was outpaced and outfought, and thie bout was stopped in the third round. Lewis is 35 and Basham 39. Otago Activities. At the annual meeting of the Otago Association, which will 'he held on 4th March, there will be njo necessity for an election, only the required number of office-bearers having been nominated. The financial statement of the association shows that it has gone back to the extent of £400 as ' compared with last season, every -one of the professional contests showing a loss and only ono of tho amatetw tournaments showing a profit. The main items of expenditure were the ccet of sending a team to the championships at Greymouth nnd the cost of sending a representative to Australia. Tho Otago Association has hopes, of staging its future professional contests in the new Town Hall, and another project is the holding of contests in the new stadium at South Dunedin on Saturday afternoons. There has been a slight hitch over the Gillespie-Morgan match, the Australian stating that he preferred to meet opponents up to 9st 41b in New Zealand, but that,he was prepared .to meet Morgan at 9st 9.1b. The Otago Association has replied to Gillespie stating that Morgan is prepared to go into the ring at 9st 131b, and that is where.the match rests at present. i