RINGSIDE TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 19711, 11 November 1927, Page 12

RINGSIDE TOPICS

BOXING HEAD AND FAR

[By Hookee.]

FIXTURES, November 28,—Jimmy Broadfoot v. Harry Casey, at Invercargill. Date to be fixed.—Johnny Leckie v. Tommy Griffiths (feather-weight title), at Dunedin. LACHIE MACDONALD’S ACTIVITIES. lu view of the recent defeat of tic cx-Dunediaito, “ Lachie ” Macdonalo by Gordon Kilby, a tough Melbourne boxer, some comments on his bonagainst “Tiger” Johnny Cline, wrii ten for ‘ Star 1 by “ Ex-Referee,” : well-known Australian writer, shout, be of considerable interest:— At the Sydney Stadium on Wedne: day, October 25, Lachie Macdonald, o Dunedin, made a good showing agains. the hird-fighting, tough America! “Tiger” Johnny Cline. Macdonald took a lot of the Tiger” out ol Cline, who was .always first to break out of a rally or from a sortie by Macdonald. Using a good right, Macdonald cauu inside of Cline’s long, sweeping left hook time and time again. Towards the finish of the bout in periods he had Cline badly shaken by hard rights to the chin. Macdonald, when cornered himself, showed an effective cover up that nullified a lot of Cline’s punches. Now and again Cline would try to stem the tide of defeat, and would stage some whirlwind twohanded rallies, but his punches never hurt Macdonald, who have an armor-plated chin. From the second round Cline fought with a badly-cut eye, which also swelled a lot. The Dunedin man, however, was a good sport, and kept off the damaged optic. Little science was displayed by either; these two are just straight out honest-to-goodness fighters, who fight from bell to bell. Macdonald promises lo be a big attraction hero. _ His rugged stylo has “gone big” with boxing patrons. His whipping of American Billy Harms and now Tiger Johnny Cline are two very good performances. Pat Connors, who handles Charlie Purdy (New Zealand light-weight champion), has Macdonald in his gharge. An astute manager, he looks like pushing Macdonald into some big money. Lachie lias-taken on. His next match will be probably with the winner of Merv. Williams and newlyarrived Scotchman Tommy M'Tnnes. GRIME’S FAILURE TO IMPRESS. Judging by the latest news from New York exchanges, Billy Grime failed to impress American fans in his contest against “lloneyboy” Finnegan. Two extracts from New York journals provide much food for thought for all admirers of Australia’s triple champion (states “Solar Plexus,” in the Sydney ‘ Referee ’). Here they are; — “The 10-round semi-final between * Honeyhoy ’ Finnegan, of Boston—but now claiming New York as his home port—and Billy Grime, of Australia, was an easy win for Finnegan, who did the best he could with a lad who was widely heralded, but who turned out to be an awkward disappointment. “The Australian failed to show any of the classy boxing form or the heavy socking ho was reputed to possess in his Garden debut. Instead, he showed himself to be just an awkward miller, with a doubled-over stance and a pawing left that, closely resembled the Australian crawl, but hardly a fighting pose. “From this doublcd-up position lie threw a few right-handers into Finnegan’s stomach, but they were not the devastating wallops they were sup. posed to be. “He punched with his'left only once, using it all through the fight ns a knee rest or something. Finnegan’s continual clouting, coupled with _ the Boston boy’s southpaw style, didn’t make things any easier for the Australian, and he took a pretty good licking. “Finnegan hit him plenty in th: body, and in the last three round--shifted to the head, getting Billy :■ trifle groggy. The Australian slipped to the mat several times during the bout, but this was due more to In’s awkward style of boxing than to Finnegan’s blows. Finnegan weighed 130, and Grime 127}.” TITLE TOO HEAVY. The second criticism employs sarcasm : “ Billy Grime, who holds the ban-tam-weight, feather-weight, and lightweight championships of Australia, was holding so many titles ho couldn’l hold Ins end up with ‘ Honeyhoy ’ Finnegan in the semi-final 10-rounder. Finnegan won the decision. “The bout was ns interesting as the early morning love call of a kangaroo There were times when the impolite lads in the gallery uttered a poculiai sound that had all the earmarks ol what we call the bird in London. “The Grime person showed the need of deated boots, so often did he slip or stumble to the canvas without any urging from the southpaw spider from Boston.” The early morning call of a kangaroo -would be interesting. The wellinformed American scribe evidently thinks the Too is of the feathered tribe. To call Grime a bantam is another slight error. Nevertheless, Grime has not struck form, or American feather-weights are vastly superior to our boxers—probably tho latter. ARE FIGHTS FIXED? In a recent issue of an American weekly, ‘The Outlook,’ James J. Corbett, tho ex-world’s champion, in an interview, gives his opinion on the subject of the fixing of fights. His comments are given below: — “ It’s terribly hard _ for anything with as much money in it as there is in prize-fighting to-day to bo honest—especially for a sporting, gambling proposition such as prize-fighting is. I don’t know of anything dishonest that has been done—l wouldn’t. But I know the temptations that honesty has to meet. “Jl a fight is crooked, the two fighters dn not have to be in on it. I doubt if they can be in on it and get away with it. But the referee. ’Vs a poor man, usually; his earnings foi a year are not a fractional part of

RIKfiSIDE IMS

what the short-end lighter gets for an evening’s work. A tow thousand dot lars—or a few hundred thousands, maybe—is a temptation. ‘ ‘The referee might not always be able to control the result, but he can ho a great deal to affect it. In the one particular of breaking the lighters when they clinch he can do more to help one and to hurt the other nan the average spectator can understand •—perhaps more than any man can understand unless he has been in the * ring himself. ‘‘But that’s not the worst of it..

I There are in effect three referees- a i referee and two judges.’ The decision is reached by majority vote. Nobody knows who voted one way or the other. That is never announced. Nobody is directly, and .solely responsible. _ There ought not to be any judges in a prize-fight. The whole responsibility ought to be on tho shoulders ol 1 the referee. Then everybody would know fiat lie was responsible for what was done, and public opinion would hold him accountable for it. When there are three and nobody knows how they voted, anything, good or bad, just goes without being nuestioued very much. “ The men who control boxing tu everything they can to cultivate the •lugger and to stop the clever man. They don’t try to develop scientific men. That goes for tho boxing commissioners. “ What do they do to make it hard For tho clever man? Lots of things. “ A ring should be 24ft square. That fives a chance to tho man who has footwork. “But they deliberately change the ■•nles to suit themselves. Many times fiiey stage bouts in 16, 18. 20ft rings. That robs the clever man of his chance, ■if his footwork. One jump hack—he’s •'gainst the ropes. He is forced to dand up and slug. 16 Many times a man "wlio does not know the first rules of boxing can, if he is big and strong, win the decision ">ver a man vastly his superior. That’s • lue to the system which is encouraged. “Bandages are important things—■cry important. Gibson, Tunney’s manager, insists that Dempsey _ has ornetimes put some stuff, practically i cement, on his bandages. I don’t '■■now. But you see what such a thing •ould mean—bandages that would get 'mrder the longer they stayed-on, un:l the man could heat on an mm post, racticallv without feeling it. Has •ich a thing ever been done? Oh, ■'•s. It’s an old trick. Kid M‘Coy •lade it famous. _ Or it made him .imoffi—or otherwise.” HAY v. BROADFOOT.

In unexpected maimer fight bewcen Jim Broadfoot, of Waihi, and \ rtio Hav, of Hastings, ended in the .'own Hall, Auckland. Broadfoot suddenly collapsed in the last round (the ifteenth) and the referee, Mr Dick .leale, immediately awarded the viewy to Hay. It was difficult to gather bat had really led to the Waihi man’s illapse, but it is understood that roadfoot was hurt somewhere about m half-way distance by a right to m head, which affected his eyes, and - never quite got over it (states tho Afar’). Broadfoot fought pluckily ■nd aggressively, hut was “streets ■hind” on points when the end came, be Hastings man was much the carter, and won clearly 11 out of the ‘rounds. He not only boxed the •tier, but ho had the more deadly •inch in his right hand, and his left ■ 's almost invariably a difficult ob ■elo for Broadfoot to get round or •, er. Broadfoot was a great trier. HERE AND THERE. Joe Palmer, who has had some of .ngland’s best boxers under his care, ■cently published a book entitled ‘ Reflections of a Boxing Referee.’ Tho ,jok is full of stories of boxers, ex--rienccs of the author and his opm>n of famous boxers. Among modern oxers he gives pride of place to Jack oimson, the negro. “Johnson,” says ir Palmer, “has been the finestfaght- • urr machine the world has known, . iHier in his own generation or since. 0 find his equal one would have to . jsurrect som© of tho great ones of the ,-ast. There is not, and has not been. is equal in our time. His boxing skill as superhuman. His coolness in the ,mg was Arctic. Ho could avoid n ■mnderbolt by a hair’s breadth when ..ccessary.” _ Jack Paul, the ex-Duucdm ama- . mr welter-weight who has been doing .ell in preliminary contests in Aus-,-alia, will be back in Dunedin for a . oliday towards the end of next month, ■id the writer understands that he ill not be averse to a contest in New ■calami should he be matched. Were • issible for Paul to be matched either 1 Dunedin or Oamaru, a suitable opunent would be Steve Hughes, and i this connection it is worthy of menon that Clarrie Pocock, the ex-New ealand amateur middle-weight chamion, who has entered professional inks, is also seeking a match under Otago Boxing Association. Hughes •"eating his heart out in a desire to , rove what he can do in professional inks. Pocock is another who would lake a good match for the Dunedin :oy over ten rounds. It might be ■ orth the while of the 0.8-A. to coni der matching Pocock and Hughes the .une night that oJlmny Leckie meets ommy Griffiths. Hughes is an attraoive boxer, and certainly carries a anch, while Pocock proved himself a .o. artist at the New Zealand ama•ur championships, la his first provisional bout ho defeated the ex<sw Zealand welter-weight champion, ick Loveridge. Darby O’Connor, who was “ kayoed” v Johnny Leckie’ at Dunedin some mo back is in the game again in ydney, and at Loichardt’s Stadium on recent Saturday night fought a ivelve-round draw with Roy Storey. .’’Connor is now in tho light-weight i vision, taking the ring in this conest at 9.8.

Thc_ Hamilton boxer, Nelson I‘Knight, who, with Ins trainor-man-;er, Ben Tracey, left for America •me weeks ago, is now located at

‘--attic. In communications to his ither it is shown that the wise policy ; being adopted of not unduly liurry;g M'Knight with his initial engagement, as it is desired that he should rst reach the pitch of physical per ection before he displays his. wares. Advantage is also being taken of the importunity for the New Zealander to -ea some of the Americans in action, md thus get an insight into the quality of some of the pugilistic menu on that side of tho world. M'Knight states that he is training regularly, laving for his sparring partners an Italian welter, Billy Pinos,, and . Doc duell, the “Tacoma Tiger Man,” who took the measure of the Australian, Billy Grime. M'Knight, at the time of writing, was in hopes of securing n fight with one “Bearcat Burcott,” who is described as a southpaw, and had had successive knock-outs over the four opponents ho had met prior to the time of the New Zealander penning his linos. His projected bout was to be a six-rounder. M'Knight - had viewed the picture of the. DempseyTunney. fight, and added significantly, “ Tunney Won.” During the short time _ they had been in Seattle M'Knight and Tracey had met a New Zealander in Dr Lou Myers, who hud taken them ,on fishing and hunting expeditions, and was giving them a good time geenrally. M'Knight adds; -“.lt is a tact that tho majority of people know nothing of Now' Zealand, dust heard of it in a vague way, like Pago Pago, to us, hut have no idea where it is or anything about it. except that the inhabitants are cannibals.”

No sooner does the American ring lose a “Wildcat,” a “Panther,” an “Assassin,” a “ Mauler,” or some other terrible fistic warrior than someone comes forward and either adopts tho cognomen of the departed boxer or has it thrust upon him. The latest “ Wildcat ” is Ace Hiidkins, a welter-weight, of whom. an American writer says: “There has never been a fighter more aptly named than ‘ Wildcat ’ Hudkins. Ho fights with feline ferocity if ever a human did. And lie never stops. ■Battling Nelson in his palmiest days had nothing on this lad for strength, endurance, and everlasting aggressiveness. Ace has a great chance to win the welter-weight title. He will soon meet tho new champion, Joe Dundee, and when he does the fur will fly, for he is a sure enough wildcat.” The injury to Johnny Leckie’s shoulder is now on the mend, and he expects to he fit to take the ring towards the end of the present month or early in December. Immediately definite advice is received on tho matter the date will be fixed by the Otago Boxing Association. The contest will probably be staged in the Drill Hall, as originally decided, and though its postponement may have caused interest in the feather-weight title match to wane somewhat, once the date is fixed public interest in the hunt will again be awakened. »ml 'speculation us to the winner will he rife. Leek in’s recent,injury may affect him at the start, but his agcrcs'iveih.’ss and bard punching will he such as will require all Griffiths’s (■■•‘vernc s l-i counteract, .Harry Casey and Jim Bromlfont moot, at Invercargill towards the end of the I-resellt mnnih The .">ok| lv-ind llo.xing Association staecd severe! contests lust, year, hut tiie forthcoming mil! is tho first that has been sp'.ggl in 'lnvcrcar<dll for a lon- lone. The S.TL A. -should he in a'bauov linan ■):ii position, for it a fia i’pi-,,fit. rut of the New Zealand amateur 'diawpiousJups.