HEENEY AND SHARKEY DRAW

Evening Star, Issue 19765, 16 January 1928, Page 3

HEENEY AND SHARKEY DRAW

AH UNINTERESTING FIGHT TWELVE-ROUND BOUT Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. "NEW - YORK,.- January 13. One of the largest crowds to witness an indoor match idled Madison Square Garden when Jack, Sharkey and Tom Keeney entered the ring for their twelve-round bout. Sharkey weighed 1941 b and Heeney 1931 b. In the first round they exchanged short blows with great force, clinching several times. Sharkey then outboxed his opponent and succeeded in driving him to the ropes, but the round was even.

In round two Heeney quickly began to force the fighting, placing for the body with both hands, and causing Sharkey to clinch ; but the American, by speeding up his blows and repeatedly hooking to the face and head, succeeded in taking the round by a shade. In the third round both men assumed different tactics, aiming their clows high and landing short, chops to the face. There were no thoughts of defence by either of them. Sharkey was now fighting as he did against Dempsey, leaving his stomach unprotected, and Heeney, landing two hard rights to the body, took the round. In the fourth round Heeney opened a cut beneath Sharkey’s left eye, and had all the better of some furious exchanges which filled the last two minutes of the round, which was Keeney's. In the fifth round Heeney returned to the attack with both hands, but Sharkey was the stronger, troubling nis opponent with a left hand to the face. They clinched continuously, Heeney aiming for the body, and the American becoming more cautious. Sharkey cut Heoney’s mouth with two lofts to the face, but Heeney sent Sharkey reeling to the ropes with a straight right to the jaw. Sharkey bounced back, and hung on. The New Zealander followed with a right to the Aeart. Sharkey began holding Heeney’s loft hand, and the crowd booed him. It was Heeney’s round. In the sixth round Sharkey pounded Heeney’s body at close quarters, the New Zealander taking uppercuts and left jabs to the face. Heeney drove a hard left to Sharkey’s heart, and the hitter swung hard lefts and rights to his opponent’s body. Heeney was missing badly, but only for a moment, slowing up the American with two lefts and two hard rights to the face. It was Sharkey’s round. In round sevon Sharkey outboxed Heeney, but the American was having trouble seeing out of his right eye. Something which was administered between the rounds was troubling him. Heeney slashed and hammered away at him, but the blows seemed to lack force. It was Heoncy’s round. In the eighth round Sharkey assumed clubbing tactics while clinching, and again the crowd booed him. Heeney punished him with short lofts and rights to the body. Sharkey, who had a bad lump under Ins own left eye, out Heeney’s eye with a light right, but the latter avalanched blows upon his opponent, taking the round. In the ninth round Sharkey used his left hand effectively, uppercutting Hoency and making him miss badly, and compelling him to take considerable punishment. It was Sharkey’s round by a wide margin. In the tenth round, during not too spirited exchanges at long distance, Sharkey drove a hard right to Heeney’s jaw, then foil to his knees as he missed another swing. Sharkey rose immediately and tore into the New Zealander with hard body blows. Heeney fought back, but the American was punishing him. The fight was slow now, and there,was too much clinching. It was Sharkey’s round.

In the eleventh round the boxers fell into a clinch in the middle of the ring, and wrestled about without blows being struck, but in an exchange of blows that followed Sharkey nearly dropped Heeney with a left to the solar. plexus. They put their hands down then and traded body blows. It was Sharkey’s round. In the twelfth round, although both speeded up and more action was injected, with heavy punching freely traded, and Heeney leading, it was obvious that the so-called heavyweight elimination contest had ended with a double' elimination, both probably being considered unfitted to meet Tunney. DID HEENEY WIN? It was a. slow, uninteresting light to the 17,DUG spectators. There was some feeling that Heeney was the better of the two, having carried Hie fight throughout to the former sailor, and should have got the decision on points, particularly in view of Sharkey’s indifferent performance. The latter outboxed the New Zealander, but was unable to outfight him. The decision was a draw.

ELIMINATION SERIES

HEENEY AND FOUR OTHERS NEW YORK, January 14. (Received January 16, at 8.50 a.m.) Heeney and four others will fight elimination series to determine Tunney’s opponent. Heeney will fight on ■March 20.

ATTENDANCE 20,000

GROSS RECEIPTS, 200,000 DOLLARS [Per United Press Association.] GISBORNE* January 10. The Chicago 1 Tribune ’ report of the fight which was received by Mr O’Meara by wireless shows that Rickard’s estimated the atendanee at 20,000. The gross receipts were slightly over 200,000 dollars, and there was not an empty seat visible from the ringside when the bout started. Jack Demny was referee and George Kelly and George Patrick were the umpires.

GREAT MORAL VICTORY

“I DID HOT DO MY BEST " LONDON, January 15., (Received January 16, at 9.10 a.m.) The newspapers hail Keeney’s great moral victory, and declare that, despite Phil Scott’s failure, Keeney's grit gives British boxing a chance, of supplying a fit competitor for Tunney. Heeney, in a special cable to the ‘ Evening News,’ says: “ I feel I did not do ray best. 1 did not gefT going until the last few rounds. 1 am sorry I did not win, because if I had won' I intended to spend a holiday in New Zealand and visit my mother, whom I have not seen for four years.” NEW ZEALANDER'S RECORD Classy heavy-weights in America are not too plentiful .at the present time, and apart from Jack Dempsey, Heeney and Sharkey appear to bo about the two best fitted to try conclusions with.

the champion. The recent contest was described as a slow, uninteresting fight, but reading between the lines it.appears to have been full of incident, though both men were missing a lot. It was generally held thaCSharkey was slightly the better boxer of the pair, but Heeney’s grim and rugged fighting tactics counterbalanced Sharkey s greater boxing ability, and according to the reports tho New Zealander was unlucky not to get the decision, Sharkey again left himself very open, and had Heeney’s timing been as good as it was in previous contests the Boston boxer might _ have been outed. Heeney was connecting heavily with his right, and though he packed a punch in his left Sharkey apparently made him miss a lot when he was leading with his left. Sharkey used a good left, and was effective in body work, while he shook Heeney with fierce upper-cuts, but Hdeney appeared to force the fight tor the greater part, though in this he may have fallen in with Sharkey’s plan of action. _ T it is a far call from Gisborne to IScw York, but in little more than five years Tom Heeney, New Zealand’s foremost ring product of recent _ times, has bridged tho wide tap sufficiently to be hailed by American critics as one ot the greatest heavy-weight boxers in the world.

Heeney affords a wonderful illustration of a boxer with natural ability, who just needed sufficient opportunities to prove how good a ring man ho really was. He comes of Irish stock, so that perhaps fighting was part of his inherent nature. At any rate, when the battle drums sounded in the Great War he was not slow to answer the call, and following his return from tho war he won his first amateur bout by a knock-out in the first round. He made his professional debut at Auckland, hut though lie showed natural ability ho 'was still very raw, and George Modrich —who, by the way, was a terrible failure in America—defeated him. Then Tom Heeney commenced to climb the fistic ladder and meet such opponents as O’Sullivan and Colin Bell, who was brought across from Australia to meet tho New Zealander. Many boxing followers and critice have taken unto themselves credit for Heeney’s rise in tho ring, but to tho Gisborno Boxing Association must he given credit for tho manner in which the local heavyweight champion was encouraged. Then who of those present will ever forget tho terrific lacing Heeney gave to Brian M'Cleary at Christchurch, where, by the way, Heeney also met with encouragement! With the New Zealand heavy-weight title in his possession, Heeney showed himself to bo a boxer of much more than average prowess, even at that stage of his career j but, like many another good boxer, lie found difficulty in obtaining matches in the dominion, and finally was advised to try his fortune in Australia.

He secured but one fight in Sydney, where lie knocked out Quinlan in five rounds; but evidently heavy-weights were not in the boom at the time, lor the New Zealand champion had to make for Queensland to secure contests. There he defeated such men as old Coiin Bell, Blackie, Miller, and Elett, but, as in Sydney, so, too, further north heavy-weights wore not numerous, and Heeiiey then decided to try his luck in England. He lost to Phil Scott on point, and then won a preliminary contest at the National Sporting Club by the short route, also settling Charlie Smith’s pretensions in like fashion. Thou off to South Africa, where he lost his first match against Australian Blackie Miller, but won the return. Heavy-weight champion of South Africa Johnny Squires, who recently fought in Sydney, stepped across Heeney’s path, victory going to the New Zealander. Back again in England ho filled a sudden breach against Phil Scott, the then holder of the English heavy-weight title, but a close decision went to Scott. Then defeated by Australian George Cook, Heoney went out to win against the skilled veteran Tom Berry, after which he emerged victorious over Irish champion Bartley Madden. Heoncy’s rise was a steady hut gradual one, and it was not all a talc of success without any misfortune. He was boxing well when lie defeated Jack Stanley at the National Sporting Club in his last contest in England, but he was becoming disheartened by the difficulty ho was experiencing in obtaining contests, and according to authoritative reports he seriously contemplated returning to New Zealand. It was then that lie fell in with Charlie Eneas, well-known English manager, who advised him to make for the United States, land of chance and possible fortune for the promising boxer. Keeney eventually left for America, where soon lie was placed in the hands of Charlie Harvey, who has charge of most of the English boxers in America. It may bo mentioned that prior to arriving in New York Tom i I coney did but little “kayoing.” He packed a knock-out punch all right, but it still required development, and to George Courtney, one of the solidest punchers in ■ the American middleweight division, is due the credit for teaching Keeney the new punch that has helped him to win fame and fortune.

Courtney observed that Hecuoy was not bitting with the knuckle part ot his glove, and as the result ot Courtney’s tuition Heency developed a corkscrew right which has proved a big thing in his American contests. It is reported, too, that since landing in America in January of last year, Hecncy has won £2(1,000, and his latest contest netted him £4,000. He has worked his way in America, and has won to the front by sheer grit and determination, allied with boxing ability and the fighting spirit. He defeated Anderson, Do Have, Bud Gorman (one of the leading American heavy-weights who is classed by some critics there as being among the best eight in the world), and Johnny Risko (one of the fiercest “heavies” in commission in America at the present time). A loss to the Basque boxer, Paohio, helped to put Keeney in the limelight, for there is but little doubt he was robbed of the decision. Then came a draw with Paolino, which caused further dispute. However, Heeney definitely established himself as a contender for world’s title honors when he knocked out the Boston fish merchant, Jim Maloney, in one round. It had taken Jack Sharkey five rounds, and prior to Sharkey’s victory Maloney was one of the elimination contenders. Heeney is thirty-three years of age. Jack Sharkey is a younger man than Heeney, and a Lithuanian by nationality, though he is now domiciled in Boston. He has engaged in thirty-four contests, of which he has won seventeen on points and eight by the knockout. Though Mike M'Tigue, ex-world’s light-heavy-weight champion, was past his best when he met Sharkey, he 1 was still a grim old battler, but Sharkey administered the k.o. in the devil’s rou ml.

One of Sharkey's notable performances was his technical k.o. over the big negro fighter, Harry Wills, who broke his heart when he was nnableto meet Dempsey. George Cook, King Solomon, Floyd Johnson (who had decisions over Bill Brennan and Willie .Meehan), and Sully Montgomery were defeated by Sharkey, but his contest with Moloney was the turning point in Sharkey’s career, both being Bostonians. Sharkey gave Maloney an unmerciful drubbing, and on ted him in five rounds.

Then came his meeting with Jack Dempsey, and its dramatic ending in the seventh round when Sharkey protested that he had been fouled. Dempsey proved superior, but Sharkey boxed well, and with greater experience could have done even better. As jt was he was knocked out by the ex-king of the heavy-weight division.