IN THE RING

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 137, 6 December 1930, Page 23

IN THE RING

By "Aeneas"

A NEW KING

FEATHERWEIGHT CONTEST

DONOVAN SUCCESSFUL

Since-he won the'--title'from Duke Maddox' over tlirco years; ago Johnny Leekie ..has reigned king of tho New Zealand featherweights. At one period in that time he was undoubtedly the best of his weight in Australia and New Zealand, and it would then have been la hardy person indeed who would have ■ prophesied his defeat at the hands of Tommy Donovan, tho Waitara fireman. The one time • unthinkable event has-come to pass, however, and at Napier: on', Saturday. night the old Dunedin boy was forced- to abdicate his throne in favour of the fighter from Taranaki. There was, according to a Napier paper, a fairly good house to witness the bout. The contest' went the full distance, continues the report, Donovan winning seven of the fifteen rounds, Leekie' four, and four ended with honours even, but never on any occasion was there any great amount of difference between'the pair. That is only one opinion, and'it might be said that, in every, round ,the margin was, indeed, so small-that' some good judges of boxing would give the verdict in the opposite direction. However, the ■ opinion here expressed is formed in an impartial endeavour to judge between two first-class men. The challenger owed his win principally to the very aggressive tactics which he adopted from the very fivst gong to'the'last. He leapt at his man from the:outsot, giving Lockie little opportunity to use his straight left, the effectiveness of which he has demonstrated in many other of his contests, and which was ; largely responsible for Donovan's downfall on the occasion when they met in Napier a few months ago. The challenger was ■ evidently determined to fight his man rather than box him, and in this ■ he, succeeded admirably. He would rush Leckio with a■ straight left, leaping several yards ia leading it, and although, very often his glove would be brushed aside, hewould follow it up with another left or a right,'and then go into a clinch. Iv the first four or five rounds he had all the advantage here, but later on Leekie seemed to get his measure, with the result that there was a great deal of wrestling and struggling for the most advantageous position, little punishment being inflicted on either side in the process. : Fairhall in Demand. Associations have not been slow to recognise the worth of Tommy Fairhall, and. the Australian 'welterweight champion is being • asked' for in three

quarters for Boxing Night. The Northern Boxing Association were the first in the field with a proposal to match Fairhall and Reg. Trowern, and Westport have also telegraphed Fairhall. iv respect of the same match. Palmerston North are the latest in the field, and they.are also angling for these two boys, but failing this arrangement the latter association have in view two ten-round contests, tho principals tentatively being Hector Leekie and Jack Jones and Lachic M'Donald and Jim Broadf oot. Edwards Popular. Tho Australian featherweight, Lew Edwards, created a very favourable impression whou ho sparred at the Miramar Club's tournament on Tuesday night. His fast snappy punching and neat footwork were greatly admired by the cognoscenti, and Edwards's first appearance in Wellington will be eagerly awaited. In the mc/ntime the Melbourne boy is receiving plenty of offers for fights, but he has decided to have only tho on'o light against Donovan in New Plymouth oh 13th December. He is going back home for Christmas, leaving here on 16th December, and it is his present intention to return here early next year, when in all probability he will be seen in Wellington opposed to one of the American importations. Tuesday's Contest. Keen interest is being taken in the contest between Tommy Fairhall and Ted Morgan in tho Town Hall on Tuesday next, and the first professional boxing bout in the Town Hall for six months, is proving something of an event in pugilistic circles. . Fairhall has been carrying out his training at the Taranaki street police gymnasium, where he has been sparring with Billy Withy, Norman Croft, and C. O'Sullivan.- The Australian welter-weight champion reports himself in the best of condition, and reckons that he will weight just under 10st on the night. Morgan has. been working out at the Community Club, sparring with A. Jones and others.. He, too, promises to be a very fi.fr boy on'the night of the contest, and there can be no doubt about his eagerness to make a good fight and thus remove any doubts as to his ability and class. Higgs Goes Well. . The veteran Tim Tracy's crack flyweight, Billy Higgs, had an outing.at the Miramar Boxing Club's tournament this week, and he showed that ho is continuing to develop- along the right lines. In the first rounds ho did not show much enterprise when his left hook was continually blocked, by S. Broomfield, but with the latter tiring badly in the last round Higgs made no race of it, and his fast clever work delighted the crowd. Higgs was one -of tho few boys seen out at the tournament who punched cleanly with the knuckles of his hand instead of, slapping as the majority of the performers were inclined to do. ] A righting Family. As instructor to the Miramar Boxing Club Mr. J. Donoghue has done a lot for amateur boxing in Wellington, but he has done even more by producing

wo sous who are among the most prolising ..boys : in. the -city.;,. :.They, are itan and, Jack Donoghuej; and they give mple evidence of having come froni a ghting stock. Jack is, of. course, rell known as a preliminary. boy, and c gave a.great sample of his ability t tlie ■ Miramar tournament ■ this ; week, le is,a snappy two-handed puncher onibining good fighting ability with xeellent boxing r skill. I Against■; H. :B. Vtrie he gave the best exhibition of ho night, never moving an inch: more han he had to, and punching accuratey and cleanly. His younger brother, bviously a devotee. of Pete Sarron, howcd up well in a fast bout with H. Ulott, also of the Miramar Club. Both loys punched viciously with both lands and moved around in. good style. Donoghue's faster work earned him ho decision, but it was just as well he calised that his opponent was open to i straight left, Allott failing-to take id vantage of a similar .opportunity. :t was a bright little spar. The: future pugilistic careers of the three "boys is :xeeedingly bright, and under the coninued able guidance of Mr. Dohoghue ;hey should bring honour to themselves md their district. ■■'•,- Miramar Tournament. Probably the best house it has. so far. been rewarded with attended- the;amaieur tournament. staged by the §hterprising Miramar Boxing Cliib on Tuesiay night of this week. For offtcials, the club has a number of enthusiastic and energetic gentlemen who haye the interests of the boxing game at';'heart, and it is indeed satisfactory tojrecord the excellent success that attended their efforts. The.suburb is, a: greatlittle sporting district, and it ha^s manfully kept the boxing flag flying at a time when every scrap of enthusiasm was heeded.. It was the righf; spirit, and the Miramar Club and its supporters are to be congratulated ,'on their good work which it is hoped ..will be carried on. with even better) success than in the past. O'Malley Keen to Come. , Sammy Chapman's . ' light-heavy-weight, Jack O 'Malley,. placed another win to his credit in Australia'ithe other night when he took-a decision from Leo Bandias, a promising Melbourne heavyweight and ex-amatdur'heavy-weight champion of the Commonwealth. O'Malley is a Greymouthl boy,, and in a letter to his trainer he expresses himself as being very keen; to return to the land of his birth and-appear-in boxing rings here. A lack'of suitable opponents is the great trouble at tliis end, the New Zealand; heavyweight champion, Alan Campbell,l.;being the. only : one in view. Campbell's hand may not have mended properly as yet, but should he be -well Chapman suggests that a bout between-him. and O'Malley for a reasonable'purse would be a good attraction. ' ' For New Plymouth. : To-night week at New Plymouth the Australian featherweight Lew' Edwards is to meet the newly-crowned >New Zea■land featherweight champion, Tommy Donovan. Instructor Joe Mears, of the Community Club school; is taking three boys up to the Taranaki centre to engage the local talent in the preliminar-

es. , The boys are J. Mansfield, Frank Sorris, and George Thomas. In the svent of Norris being unable to make ;he trip, Harold. Thomas will-probably; ;ake his place. . . ;j Mears Going.Out ;.: ' Mr. Joe Meare, who for some many; pears has given. his sowices night: in. md night out to the game as instructor it the Community Club gymnasium, definitely announces his retirement as a trainer. It will be some'timeyet'betore the popular "Joe" finally winds up his affairs, and in the meantime ha may be persuaded to chauge his mind. Tuesday's Preliminaries. The preliminary bouts for next Tuesday have now bceu definitely arranged, and1 they are as follow:—"W. Chalken v. J. Ford (Wairarapa), Ted Oxley (Pahiatua) v. George Thomas, L. C. Higgs'v. K. Webb, N. Croft v.. M. Strickland, H. Thomas v. A. Jones. Exciting Bout. . Tn no sport probably do sensations so frequently occur as in the glove game. Take, for example, the recent bout in New York when Tony Canzoneri knocked out Al Singer in the first round, and won .the lightweight championship of the world. There was another surprise at the famous Madison Square Gardens, when 18,000 people saw Jimmy; M'Larnin, the British-Columbia idol, have no end of trouble with a compara-tive-outsider in Billy Petrolle..M'Larnin, who is regarded by many American critics as the best welterweight in. the world to-day, entered the ring; a pronounced favourite. Cabled announcement states that the fight' was a : mill from start to finish: The excitement of the crowd was tremendous, and feeling ran very high. The two men fought too to toe over ten rounds, swapping fierce and. heavy punches with a relish peculiar :to most American scrappers. In the tenth round both men werb-nearly exhausted, and M'Larnin was- particularly sore and troubled. •■ He was -on the verge of exhaustion, and had difficulty in keeping his ■ feet, though hia opponent was in little better shape. The ' final gong sounded with the two'fighters on the verge of collapse, and the crowd practically hysterical with, excitement. According to the cable, fights broke out among the crowd,: so intense was the excitement. Petr'olle gained the decision.