RINGSIDE TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 21623, 19 January 1934, Page 6

RINGSIDE TOPICS

LATEST FISTIC FLASHES [By Hooker.] Monday’s Professional Contest. The first boxing contest held for some months takes place at the Town Hall on Monday night, and the prices are probably the lowest charged in New Zealand for a professional contest, for many years at least. A uniform price of two shillings for all parts of the house shows that the Otago Boxing Association is sparing no efforts to bring the game back into popularity, and when Colin Jones and Joe Franklin step into the ring for their fifteen, round professional contest they should be rewarded with a bumper house. This will be Jones’s first professional appearance here, 'hut those who have already seen him in action hail him as one of the most promising featherweights in the country. A skilful boxer, with a deadly left hand, he is fast on his feet and a quick hitter, and he will require all his speed against such a tough proposition as Franklin, who has the reputation of being one of the solidest sockers in the game at the present time. That this is no idle contention is borne out by the fact that he knocked out Clarrie Eayner in a torrid

and attacked so fiercely that Petersen hit out wildly and had no opportunity to recover his strength and poise. Petersen, indeed, boxed better than he has ever done before, and that was not nearly good enough to beat Harvey. At times there was a good deal of clinching and close fighting, but the whole match was contested cleanly and without a suspicion of a low blow, a welcome contrast to many heavy-weight fights in recent years. Petersen may comfort himself for his defeat with the reflection that ho has assisted Harvey to restore much of the prestige which British heavy-weight boxers have lost in the past ten years.” Amateur Jottings. Vince Kean, the New Zealand University light-heavy champion, has already earned a good reputation, tor himself in open competition, and during the ’Varsity vacation has kept himself in good trim in the hope of securing a preliminary to one of the professional buts being staged here in the next few weeks, Kean is a clever boxer, and should not have much difficulty in securing a contest. ' Arnott, the Milton light-weight, has been keeping fit during the summer by taking on amateur athletics with a good deal of success, and he is to take part in a preliminary on Monday night, probably against Albie Hay, who was a pupil of Harry Witbey and who is also a well-known cyclist. W. Lang and A. Webber are old rivals, and their meeting on Monday night should provide a worth-while scrap. The other preliminary between two smart fly-weights in W. Drew and Boreham should be a good mill. Here and There. Now that the Otago Association has launched out on its activities for 1934, it is to be hoped that the ball will be kept rolling, and every effort made to hold professional contests at regular intervals, and as the season approaches fairly regular amateur tourneys The game has to be restored to its old popularity, and this can be achieved if the many enthusiasts on the association elect to look ahead and frame a programme for the coming season. Jimmy Moseley, the Invercargill feather-weight, is in training and is looking for fights (says the ‘ Southland Times ’). He informed the writer that his offer to. fight the winner of the Franklin-Raynor contest (Franklin) still stands. The match would be a good one, but in order to enable Moseley to get into his stride again a bout with Charlie Buckley (Dunedin) or Stan. Brookes (Green Island) might first be preferable. It is well known that the National Boxing Club of. Australia,, with headquarters at Sydney Stadium, desire to import Mickey Walker, former world’s welter-weight and middle-weight champion, and the man who held Jack Sharkey to a fifteen-round draw when Jack was in his best form (says the Sydney ‘ Referee ’). But will he come? Mickey is near the end of a really brilliant career. He is managed by that astute pilot of fighters,. Jack Kearns, and Kearns knows what is good - for fighters under his control. An American publication states that the N.B.C. has offered Walker £4,000 and expenses for three fights in Australia. Kearns states that if he comes this way he will bring with him a light-weight and a middle-weight. Walker would draw—or should—£4,ooo against ' Ambrose Palmer at Sydney Stadium, but the N B.C. couldn’t make a profit if Walker. demands £4,000 for thr<m fights and expenses—first-class obviously.