RINGSIDE TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 20373, 3 January 1930, Page 4

RINGSIDE TOPICS

LATEST FISTIC FLASHES THE YEAR IN RETROSPECT [By Hooker ] FIXTURES. January 20.—Lachie Macdonald V. Billy Thomas, at Auckland. January (date to be fixed) Johnny Leckie v. Pete Sarron. at Wellington. February 14.—Ted Morgan v. Reg. Trowern, at Gisborne. January (date to be fixed). —Ted Morgan v. Artie Hay, at Auckland. February 14.—Johnny _ Leckie v. Billy Grime, ’at Wanganui. OTAGO’S PROGRAMME. For years past Otago has been recognised as one of the leading fight centres of the dominion, but in looking back over the record of the past year one cannot help confessing to a feeling of disappointment over the fare that has been provided in Dunedin. Only five professional lights were staged here during 1929, which was in contrast to the great programme put on last year, when enthusiasm for boxing ran High and Johnny Leckie’s remarkable sequence of wins had created a boxing spirit in Dunedin that it will be difficult to ever again equal. The first bout of the year marked the fourth meeting between Lachie Macdonald and the Scottish middle-weight, Tommy M'lnnes, and with Macdonald only a shadow of the Macdonald Dunedin used to know the mill came nowhere near the first bout between tho pair as a fight or an exhibition of boxing. M‘lnnes was superior to the New Zealander, and took the verdict after a fight that hardly came up to expectations, while the house was not so large as might have been expected. The worst match of the year, and one that should not have been made without a closer inquiry into the performances of O’Brien, was that between Roy O’Brien and Artie Hav, which Hay won on points after nearly knocking bis man out in the last round. The New Zealand welter and middleweight champion played with O’Brien, who showed form that would not have been much credit to a decent class New Zealand amateur. Hay did not impress on that occasion as he did against Jamito here, or as he did in his subsequent fights in the north, and the attendance was again disappointing. There .was a lapse of another three months before fight was again in the air, and on August 16 Sammy Shack, tho American feather-weight, outpointed the Australian, Bobby Delaney, in a fairly interesting mill, which earned the winner the right to meet Johnny Leckie, this bout being fought on August 29. More interest was created in this bout, which was fought on a Thursday, not the best of nights for a big fight, and the attendance, although good, was not as large as might have been anticipated considering it was Johnny Leckie’s first appearance after his successful Australian tour. Leckie fought well in patches, but not up to the form he showed before leaving the dominion. Shack, however, fought a clever defensive fight, leaving Leckie to do most of the forcing ,and Leckie earned the decision that came his way. September 28 marked the first appearance in professional ranks of Ted Morgan, the Olympic welter-weight champion, who met Steve Hughes at Dunedin. It was a fast and willing fight, witnessed by a very fair crowd, and ended in Morgan knocking Hughes out in the fifth round. Morgan firmly established himself with Dunedin fight followers, and regret has been expressed frequently that negotiations to match him here subsequently fell through owing to no fault of the Otago Boxing Association.

Interest in_ boxing here at the present time will take a good deal of reviving, _ and, as' tin writer has previously pointed out, this has been due in no small measure to the interference by the New Zealand Boxing Council after the Otago Boxing Association had booked Pete Sarron and other oversea fighters to appear in Dunedin in oppo-

sition to Johnny Lcckie, an interference which ended in the 0.8. A. cancelling all its contracts. Had Leckie stood by the contract he made with jack Kilmnrtin, the Otago Boxing Association’s representative, this state of affairs would never have come to pass, and it is just a matter for question now as to whether or not the local association should not have crossed swords with the governing body on the matter. It is a significant fact that most of the boxers who were to have appeared in Dunedin originally .were subsequently booked by northern ’associations to appear in their centres. THE AMATEUR SIDE. The amateur side of the noble art has received its usual share of encouragement from the Otago Boxing Association, several tournaments being held during the year, while such tournaments as those held by M‘Glashan College,, Christian Brothers’ High School, University Boxing Club, and the military championships received assistance from the controlling body whose officials usually acted on such occasions.

Some promising materia] was brought to light during the year, but it cannot be said that the record of the representative team at tho New Zealand championships at Greymouth was as good as it had been in recent years. For the first time for a number of years Otago failed to win a title, but with so many promising lads coming on an improvement may be noticed next year. Johnny Richmond, formerly holder of the fly-weight championship, fought in the bantam division, but, despite anticipations of his success, he fought a long way below form, and was beaten in his first fight.

W. G. Leckie reached the featherweight final, fighting consistently well, as he has always done, though he hardly has that deadly punch he possessed a couple of years ago. One of the most promising fighters seen in Otago for some years was Bert Lowe, and if he did not win the New Zealand welter-weight title he at least acquitted himself well, especially as he is little more than seventeen years of age. He has already a string of knockouts to his credit, but is no wild lighter, being possessed of a deadly left hook, while he also showed improvement in the use of his right hand. The middle-weight. Bert Davis, was disappointing, but Lowe may rightly be regarded as one of Otago’s best prospects at the present time Good work was done by the instructors during the year, but fi»cre was a tendency on the part of some of them to push’ their boys into the ring before they were really ready for the experience, and this is a practice which is not to be encouraged. Too many likely boys have been spoilt by a premature entry in tho ring, and it was pleasing, too, to note that the Otago Boxing Association has decided against the practice of allowing any hoys under 7st in weight to compete at its tournaments. THE YEAR SEES CHANGES. The passing of a year sees many changes in tho boxing game, just as in any other phase of life, but to many Dunedin followers of the fistic art it is rather ironical that one of Otago’s greatest fighting products of all times should be fighting all his battles away from Dunedin. The reference is to Johnny Leckie. whose progress upward was witnessed by thousands of fight followers here. He was given his opportunity by the Otago Boxing Association. and in turn by its first call on his services he reaped great profit by way of large houses. It was but to be expected that “ Fighting Johnny,” as he was first named by this scribe early in his career, should eventually go further afield, and his trip to Australia is now a matter of history. Ho beat Billy Grime. Claude Wilson (twice), and Pete Sarron. being knocked out for the first time in his life in the return contest with Sarrou. Johnny fcaght only once in Dunedin on his return, and it may be that hi» disagreement with the Otago Boxing Association had something to do witn his removal to Napier, where he now resides. 111-health was his lot on his return from Australia, and the fact tnat ho has suffered reverses at the hands of Billy Grime and Tommy Crowle lends colour to the opinion formed after his fight with Sammy Shack that he is still not as well as he might be. Tommy Griffiths, Dunedin’s other feather-weight, met with less success in Australia than his stable companion, being unable to strike form except when he outpointed Cocoa Jackson, then feather-weight champion of Australia. Griffiths was outed by the Taranaki fireman, Tommy Donovan, on his return, and also engaged Trank Taylor in what was classed as “ no contest. He has been in the game a long time, although still comparatively a young man. On recent form, however, there is no getting away from tho fact that he is not the Tommy Griffiths who beat such a doughty opponent as Norman Gillespie when giving away weight. The sensation of the year has been provided by the Taranaki featherweight, Tommy Donovan, all but one ol whose battles have been fought m the North island, mostly in Taranaki. His remarkable run of successes has been akin to that experienced by Johnny Leckie earlier in his career, though perhaps he did not meet such solid opponents as did Johnny in his first year as a professional. Still, Donovan s lights have been getting harder each time, and his only defeat was on a foul against Sid. North at Napier, when he appeared to be all over the Australian il p has beaten such men as Frank Taylor, Matt Hatton, Tommy Doblo (the promising young Australian), Hector Leckie, Leslie Urquhart (the Auckland featherweight), and Tommy Crowle (Australian feather-weight champion, who beat Johnny Leckie on points last week); and on the face of it lie must be regarded as the legitimate contender for Lcckie’s feather-weight title. He is several years older than Leckie, and docs not possess his finesse. On Leckie s Australian form Donovan would not bo giveiii a great chance against him, out recent events at least prove that he is entitled to an opportunity to make good against the best of his weight in tho game in the dominion. As amateurs the pair met at Napier in 1926. aiul Leckie gave Donovan a lacing. So far as professional promotion has been concerned, tho year h;V been a fairly active one throughout the do-

minion, but only in patches. During tne absence of Johnny Leckie in Australia class lights were few and far between, but the past few months has seen a re vivai, and with several overseas fighters at present in the dominion the game booming in the north at any rate. A retrograde step, however, was the cuttino - down of the maximum purse from £2OO to £l5O, except in the first contest, and the frquont tinkering with the rules that has been going on during the past two or three years, is cal’ulated to cause associations to honour the rules more iii the breach than the observance. , . The year witnessed a little activity in the bantam-weighty division, in whion the Wellington boy, Cyril Hurne, made his professional debut. He was beaten by Frank Taylor at Auckland and hv Vic. White in Wellington, but fought a draw in Wellington against Sid. Aortli. He has been out of the game for some months, but with more opponents available is just the type of tighter wno would hold the title with credit, laylor is apparently in the same category as Tommy Griffiths, and does not seem likely to improve further. The feather-weight division, as mentioned above, has again been the most active, with Johnny Leckie (the titleholder) and Tommy Donovan m the stellar roles. The visit to New Zealand of Pete Sarron and Billy Grime has lent further interest to this division, which is about the classiest of the lot. The light-weight title, vacant for some time, found a holder in Hector Leckie, of Dunedin, but good, solid little fighter that Hector is, one would hardly place him in championship class, and he certainly could not be compared with such a holder of the title as Les Murray, who would have beaten most of the* light-weights, and even the welters. at present about. Murray was to the light-weight division in New Zealand before he left for America just what Johnny Leckie has been in the feather-weight class, and in these rather quiet times here it is a pleasing thought that both had their headquarters in Dunedin at the time they were giving the game such a big fillip._ Artie Hay has added the middleweight to ■ his welter-weight crown, proving himself a good fighter on many occasions and at others showing most disappointing form. Charlie Purdy has slipped—and his winning sequence may have been said to be ended he night Wally Hancock finished him off at Leichardt’s Stadium in Sydney. Reg. Trowern dropped a close' decision to Artie Hay, but that he still has to be reckoned with he showed when he fought Ted Morgan, Wellington southpaw, to a draw on the West Coast. Morgan is probably the most dangerous contender for Hay’s welter-weight title. Laehie Macdonald was another good fighter who showed that he had skidded for the time being at any rate, but in the heavier divisions Eddie Parker essayed a come-back, and,--'despite in-’ creasing weight, beat Jim Broadfoot, though the latter now holds the light-heavy-weight title, due to Parker being over-weight. Harry Casey, formerly holder of the middle-weight championship, made for Australia, but failed to show his best form on the other side, he, too, appearing to be on the toboggan. „ Taken as a whole, the year 1929 has been an eventful one for New Zealand boxing in many ways; but it has indicated that there are some anomalies connected wtih the control of the game that require clearing up, and if Otago is to be debarred from making contracts with fighters and demanding its right to first call upon a certain boxer’s services, then the same should apply to other associations. SAMMY SHACK WRITES. Writing to a friend in Dunedin. Sammy Shack, the American featherweight, expresses a desire to revisit Dunedin, and the suggestion has been made that he should be matched with Pete Sarron. Shack has proved that he can fight if he will only train, and he certainly took the ring in condition during his sojourn in the dominion recently. It lias been said of him in Australia that he has the ability, but has lacked the condition. Sammy himself claims that he has not been given sufficient time to prepare for his fights. Be that as it may, the fact remains that he was given a big guarantee to come to Australia, he has a good record in America, and if brought back here would probably be just the style of fighter that would keep Pete Sarron stepping. The present outlook in Dunedin is so barren that any avenue is worth exploring by the Match Committee of the Otago Boxing Association. The fight public wants fight, and if a contest is not soon forthcoming the Otago Boxing Assocaition wall be finding itself in the position of having no following to call upon when it next decides to promote a mill. CROWLE DEFEATS JOHNNY LECKIE. Johnny Leckie’s defeat by Tommy Crowle was not generally anticipated after the latter’s defeat at the hands of Tommy Donovan, and the writer, for one, is satisfied that Johnny is not showing his old form, for on Leckie’s performances in Australia Crowle could bo expected to have little show against a Leckie at the top of his form, despite the fact that Crowle holds the Australian feather-weight title. From the account of the fight it would seem that once again Johnny was a trifle uncertain on the score of his condition, but it may be that the bout with Crowle would tone him up for his engagement with Pete Sarron, which was to take place at Napier last Wednesday night. The following excerpts on the Leckie-Crowle fight are taken from the ‘ Manawatu Daily Times ’: — Showing a glimpse of his old form only over the last two rounds, Johnny Leckie, feather-weight champion of New Zealand, was last evening defeated by Tommy Crowle, feather champion of Australia, in a contest that went the full fifteen rounds. It was a remarkably even and well-con-tested exhibition, but furnished an unmistakable indication that Leckie has slipped from his old form. The pair both scaled 9.1|, but Leckie had a marked advantage in height and reach. In the early stages he relied almost wholly on his left, and suffered badly in the close work, where Crowle proved very vigorous. He stood up to his man all the way, and had Leckie worried with savage rips to the body and uppercuts to the head. There was a lot of holding by both men, but Leckie would have been better advised

to have kept his man at long range. The decision, on the whole, was well received, although a section of the crowd manifested disapproval. The pair opened in vigorous fashion, and kept things moving throughout the first round. Leckie’s raking jeft found its billet on several occasions, but) Crowle got home with some solid body punches in the close stuff. It was _a good round which ended slightly in favour of Leckie. The in-fighting continued in the second, with occasional flashes of attractive open work. The third was Leckie’s round, but not without a battle. With an opening exchange in the close work Crowle used a right to the body very effectively in the fourth. In the final minute he forced the pace and got home with three nice lefts to the head that shook the New Zealander. It was Crowle’s round by a shade. The next few rounds continued to be very even, with I ..ckie doing solid but less spectacular work. Leckie went after the fight in the thirteenth, and rocked Crowle with a battery of longrange punches. Crowle showed wonderful power for the assimilation of punishment, however, and came back for more every time. He smashed in some* savage rights that broke the brunt of the attack and the crowd rose to its toes as the pair fought each other all round the ring. It was the best round so far, and went to Crowle after a great finish. The pace had quickened in the fourteenth, which saw Crowle fighting Leckie back and returning everything with interest. Leckie was using both hands now, however, and had his man in trouble on the ropes, where only Crowle’s steady defence and ruggedness saved him. He always had a punch, however, and again rocked the New Zealander with a bail of shortarm blows to the head and body.Leckie came out from his corner like a whirlwind in the final round, but appeared to spend his force in vain against the rock-liko defence of the stocky Australian. Crowle appealed for a "low blow early in the found, bub was not supported by the referee. Thereafter he appeared to lose a lot of his sting, and Leckie was piling up points when the gong went. Crowle’a margin over the early rounds, however, was sufficient to carry him through and it was his glove which Mr Maxwell elevated.

HERE AND THERE. Ted Morgan and Artie Hay are to meet in Auckland towards the end of January, the latterV welter-weight championship to be at s ke, Oti January 20 the Welshman, Billy Thomas, will meet Lachie Macdonald at Auckland. . The Australian middle-weight champion, Jack Haines, continues on his upward climb, and his victory against “Tiger” Anderson, a good Pacific Coast middle-weight, by the short route makes his future prospects look better than ever. He has don all that has been asked of him, and if he continues as he has been doing of late may be one of those who will do a. lot towards placing boxing in Australia on its old footing. Haines, according to the Sydney ‘ Sportsman ’ possesses every, attribute with which fcne_ natural-born fighter is endowed. He is strong and tougb 3 fast as the speedsters of tho lighter divisions, accurate and hurtful in his hitting when he wills, and with a defence as hard to get through as a close-stranded barb-wire fence to a girl in a gown. Haines s knock-out victory looks all the better by virtue of the fact that he is the first to register a k.o. against- Anoerson, who claims that Ace 'Budkins (leading middle-weight contender) was one of those who failed to put him on the canvas for the full count. : : When “ Kid ” Chocolate (9.1) recently knocked out Hermann Silverberg (8.13)) in Imin 12sec of the first round of a ten-round contest at New York after a savage attack with right antf left blows to the head Chocolate gained his 158th victory in an unbeaten career,in which he has delivered 126 knock* outs. , , . The * Star’s ' Auckland correspondent advises that the fifth meeting between Pete Sarron and Billy Grime was interesting, if not highly thrilling. In Sarron the Australian had an opponent several years bis junior, and one who is a dapper little fighter with a solid punch. Jack Kilmartin holds a very high opinion of Sarron, who fights from start to uiush, and without doing anything sensational in this mill he was always in the picture, and piled up the points consistently. Occasionally Grime took his turn, but he was too often oh the defensive to look a winner. His peculiar crouch was much in evidence, and at times his elusiveness had Sarron missing. When the pair mixed things, however, it was Sarron who came out better, and gradually Grime’s strength and resistance were worn down, the end coming in the thirteenth round, when Sarron let go bis lelt in a punch that started near the lloor, the blow landing fairly ou Grime’s jaw. The Australian fell where he stood, rolling on .to his back. He made an effort to get to his feet, but was still squatting when tho count was completed. The Taranaki Association has been taken to task by various sporting scribes throughout the dominion for its attitude in refusing to release Donovan to. meet Yankee Sarron under any ot&er association. “ .(Eneas,” in tho Wellington * Post,’ has gone so far as to state that it is a matter which the Boxing Council might well investigate (says “ Referee.” in a Taranaki paper). “ Referee ” is in the position to know that the Taranaki Association would welcome such an investigation, the results of which woudl probably create a stir in boxing circles throughout the dominion. “ JEneas” considers it unfair to Donovan that he should bo “ tied up ” in such a manner. One ia impelled to ask why will not Wellington release Sarron to meet the Waitara boxer at New Plymouth. As a matter of fact, Donovan is under no obligation to the Taranaki Association other than that he prefers to box under the iegis of a body which has nurtured him from a raw amateur to the prominent position he holds in the boxing world to-day—that of being the most sought after and most talked of pug in New Zealand. Surely it is logical that Donovan, who is in a Government position and has to obtain special leave and lose wages to meet opponents a long distance from his home town, should prefer to box in Taranaki, where he can, and docs, knock off work at 5 p.m., fight the same night, and return to his work the following morning. Further, the Taranaki Association ha? recently been offering the maximum purse allowed by the New Zealand Boxing Council, and no other association can, according to the rules governing purses, offer more than that. “ JEneas ” is barking up the wrong tree.

Bobby Delaney established himself as the best junior light-weight in the country when he scored a six-round knock-out against Jimmy Kelso m--» Leichhardt Stadium on Friday night. Kelso tried hard to stem the tide, bub Delaney’s terrific rights to the body proved too heavy for him. The end came •in the sixth session, when Delaney smashed home three rights to the solar plexus, and Kelso collapsed to the canvas, where he remained till long after the count (savs the Sydney ‘Referee’). Delaney’s snowing makes him the logical contender for the lightweight championship, and it is. on the cards that Ije may meet Gillespie early iu the new year.