LOCAL BOXERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 112, 14 May 1938, Page 23

LOCAL BOXERS

PROFESSIONAL RANKS ASSOCIATION'S ENCOURAGEMENT It is to be the policy of the Wellington Boxing Association this year to encourage as far as possible local boys who have recently turned professional. Instead of putting them straight into fifteen-round bouts'they will be glven t for a start, bouts over four, six, and eight rounds. Double and possibly treble feature bills will be turned on at every tournament—one fifteen rounder and one or perhaps two shorter professional bouts. In addition to all these there will be the usual attractive array of amateur bouts, so it appears as if Wellingtonians are going to have a veritable feast of boxing in forthcoming tournaments. The Wellington Boxing Association is importing Billy Hamilton, lightweight champion of Victoria, and his arrival is expected on Monday, morning. If everything goes according to plan, Hamilton will meet Clarrie Rayner, of Blenheim, at the Wellington Town Hall on May 26 over fifteen rounds. The public have been demanding importations and this move by the Wellington Association is definitely in the right .direction. Rayner has alway#been a draw in Wellington—in fact it, is safe to say that he seems to turn on better performances here than in any other place. With Auckland doing big things in the importation line as well it looks as if the year is going to be a good one as far as boxing is concerned. AUCKLAND BOXING At the Auckland Boxing Association's annual - general meeting,, which took place recently, the returning interest in boxing was-reflected in the very large attendance. The fact that the membership is full and that there is a large waiting list of' would make it appear that Auckland is sharing in the increasing keenness, in boxing widely evidenced abroad. Following the importation of Cyril JPluto and Snowy (Al) Clark there is the. prospect of Dommy Ganzon and Young Gildo arriving at an early date. With regard to staging regular contests and importing tried overseas fighters, Auckland are giving, as they did last season and previous seasons, a definite lead to other associations. The contract which amateur and professional boxers receive with these imported fighters in gymnasium workouts and in the ring has a very beneficial effect in that the boys receive a fresh angle- on the sport and, as a, result, there is to obvious all-round improvement in the standard generally. More professional contests mean •pore preliminary amateur bouts, and for that reason the Auckland amateurs

have greater opportunities of appearing in contests than do the young boxers of many other centres. "Young" Gildo, who was brought from Honolulu by Auckland and who was without doubt the most entertaining and attractive fighter of last season, has had a remarkable run of success in Australia. He has been unbeaten over his last eight contests and, that his fights have % been hard, goes almost without saying. He has met and has beaten the best in the 'featherweight section, having beaten Joe Hall, who beat the Australian champion, Micky Miller, and Max Richards, brother of the famous Ron, and featherweight champion of Queensland. He defeated Claude Varner, the American featherweight, a real bard nut to crack, one boxer indeed who is having difficulty in finding competitors due to his hard-hitting aggressive tactics.