CONFUSED POSITION

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 15, 18 January 1936, Page 25

CONFUSED POSITION

WORLD'S MIDDLE TITLE

AUSTRALIAN NEGOTIATIONS

Who will secure "Babe" Risko for Australia? (asks W. F. Corbelt in.the Sydney "Sunday Sun"). A situation has arisen which is as confusing as the world middleweight championship problem. Two American boxing commissions have set up different champions of the world. Risko is one. Marcel Thil, of France, is the other. Now entirely different proposals have been made to Australia for Risko to defend his championship.

The manager of the National Boxing Club of Australia (Mr. Jack Munro), stated on January 4 that Risko desired to visit Australia under the direction of the club. Risko's manager, not 'Pete Reilly, added Mr. Munro, had communicated by cable with the club on the subject. But the directors of the club were out of town, and nothing further could be divulged concerning Risko until the directors held a meeting. Fred Henneberry desired to fight

Risko for the title, but nothing would be decided until the directors met.

RISKO V^ANTS £3000,

■ A surprising development occurred, however, when the promoter of the Sports Ground charity contests (Mr. Charles Lucas), produced a cable, also on January 6, from Pete Reilly, who, he said, was part-manager of Risko. Reilly is a force in American boxing, having controlled several champions.

Reilly declared .that he could "make a Risko-Henneberry title match," and disclosed that Risko would want 15,000 dollars (£3000,), to defend his title in Australia.

' Reilly inserted a phrase for his own protection in the event of Risko being defeated. He cabled: "I want 35 per cent, as long as Henneberry is champion. If he wins he can get 15,000 dollars over here, taxes free. Please telephone if interested."

Reilly expressed surprise in a subsequent telephone conversation that Carroll had twice defeated Henneberry, and then stated that the same conditions would apply to Carroll in a title fight.

"In the event of Risko coming out to fight for me." said Mr. Lucas, "he would meet the winner of the return

Carroll-van Klaveren contest, which will take place on February 11.

"Carroll is prepared to fight Henneberry, provided the contest is fought under my direction. My argument is that the_ logical contender for the world middleweight championship is Carroll,, who has had two wins over Henneberry. Pete Reilly was surprised that Carroll was not recognised as the Ausr tralian champion.

"I will go further in, my, statements, and say that Carroll,'through his victories over, Henneberryi - is . middleweight champion of Australia/- I defy anyone: to prove .that-he is not.".; •::

The death occurred at Auckland Wednesday of A. P. Singe, the. New Zealand Army Rugby player, and New Zealand Rugby League representative. The late Mr. Singe earned a great.reputation as a wing-forward with the army side, and was prominent.. in ' Rugby circles in Auckland for a season or two following'his return to4he Dominion, playing for North Island in 1920. He then changed* over to the Rugby League code : and was a member of the New Zealand: team • which toured England in 1927. ' * Mr: Singe had been in bad health, the result of' war injuries, for some months prior to his death.