RINGSIDE TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 21991, 29 March 1935, Page 5

RINGSIDE TOPICS

LATEST FISTIC FLASHES [By Hookbe.] Dominion Title Fight. The main topic of conversation in local fistic circles at the present time is Monday night’s professional contest for the New Zealand welter-weight championship and ' Truth ’ belt between Don Stirling (holder) and Johnny M‘Kay, of Gisborne. Tho bout will be over fifteen three-minute rounds, and as'both contestants are known'as powerful punchers and aggressive fighters there should be no lack of action to what promises to be an interesting contest.

Stirling built up a fine reputation as an amateur in Otago and Canterbury, representing the latter province at the New Zealand amateur championships at Blenheim. He has been brought steadily to the front by his mentor, Les. Murray (formerly light-weight champion of New Zealand), and the good opinions held of this stylish boxer by Murray have been proved all along the line since Stirling entered professional ranks, in which to date he has not yet had a stain inflicted on his record. He

took the title from Teel Morgan (exOlympic champion), and has already met M'Kay once. This match took place at Oamaru, and provided a rattling good go, which was so close that at the finish the decision in favour of Stirling 'was received with a considerable amount of dissent.

The forthcoming mill should settle arguments one way or the other, and for some time past Stirling has been training ip Timaru with that wellknown mentor Bill O’Connor, who had charge of Eddie Parker throughout his career. Stirling lias not yet appeared in Dunedin as a professional, but the ex-Oamaru boy is out to show the Dunedin public that there is good reason for his receiving matches from the Otago Boxing Association. M'Kay is known in the north as “ Cyclone ” Johnny M'Kay. and his admirers in Gisborne have claimed for him that he is an even more devastating fighter than Joe Franklin, who now holds the New Zealand light-weight title. M'Kay is a purposeful, aggressive battler who believes in action from gong to gong, and with Stirling of the same mind Monday’s contest should be worth going to see. The championship contest will be refereed by Mr Jack Kilmartin. Three amateur preliminaries have been arranged, and these will be refereed by Mr Don Paterson. Included among the preliminaries will be a contest between two boxers from the University.

A Popular Choice. The forthcoming: departure for England of Mr F. J. Campbell left a vacancy at the head of the Otago Boxing Association, and the annual meeting made a popular choice by appointing as president Mr R. S. .Glendining, under whose capable guidance a good year will be looked for with the New Zealand amateur championships as a culminating point. Mr Glendining is an Otago product, but he has had a long experience of boxing administration, outside of his own province, being chairman of the progressive Napier Boxing Association for a period and alsq a member of the New' Zealand Boxing Council for a while. In Dunedin some years ago, he played with the Pirates first fifteen at Rugby, representing Otago in 1918, while he also played with the Pirates Club in Invercargill subsequently. His ability as an executive officer and his business training make Mr Glendining’s choice as president an admirable one. and in his hands, and with the assistance of his able executive, indications point to a revival of the glove game in Otago this year. There will be some new faces on the association executive, included among them being Mr R. Morris, who has been a keen member of the association for many years. He has taken a particular interest in the amateurs, and should be a very useful member of the match committee. Another enthusiast who has been elected to a seat on the executive is Mr A. M. Granger. Southland’s Opening Programme. Southland’s first professional bill was to bo staged on Monday night, but owing to an injury to Ray Nicol’s arm, the New Zealand heavy-weight title contest between Nicol and Maurice Strickland has been postponed until April 15. On the same night a ten-round bout will be staged between Johnny Leekie and Stan Brookes. This is the first stage in Johnny Leckie’s “comeback” essay, and it will be his first appearance in Invercargill since his memorable bout with Tommy Barber years ago. Leekie is reported to be in good form, and has undergone a solid preparation in Tom Harris’s gymnasium.

At one time Brooks and Leckie were in the same school in charge of Archie Leckie—Leckie was then at the height of his fame; Brookes practically an amateur novice. Brookes has not had a great deal of experience as a professional, hut he is a game fellow and one not to be taken cheaply. Leckie’s professional license has been renewed, and this bout should afford an indica-. tion as to what measure of success is likely to attend his “ come-back.” His many old admirers in Dunedin, and indeed throughout New Zealand, will wish him well. Notes from Drew’s School. Jack Drew, who accompanied the Otago team as trainer to the New Zealand amateur championships last year, has opened a new school in Leith street, and has a number of boys already. W. Donaldson is shaping well, and should be a hard boy to beat this winter. The Otago fly-weight champion. W. Drew, is also in training.

Jack has Stan. Brookes in hand. He is getting him ready _to meet Johnny Leckie at Invercargill on April 15. Brookes is in training hard for the bout, and is shaping very nicely. Training nights at this gymnasium are Mondays and Thursdays. “ In World Class.” Immediately after Williard Brown fought Bob Wilson and won after having been “ out on his feet ” for a long while a doctor forbade him fighting for at least a month. He disregarded this advice, and was badly beaten by Jack Carroll on March 4 at Sydney Stadium, reports the Sydney ‘ Sportsman.’ Cut eyes and a damaged nose caused a halt at the end of the twelfth round. If ever a fighter looked like extending Carroll it was Brown. Highly rated in America as a welter, and one who had proved in his only three fights in Australia that he was above the average, 15,000 paid over £2,000 on Monday night to see what they thought would be the fight of fights. Brown showed up well for a while, but it was a onesided affair at the finish, and proved conclusively that we have a world’s champion in our midst. What Carroll did to Brown he has to all and sundry for years, but only in recent times have controllers of _ boxing awakened to the fact that the Victorian is a welter probably without a peer in the boxing world. Any visiting boxer who comes here with a reputation has only to be stacked up against the Australan for the turnstiles to. click. Carroll fought before his biggest house against Brown —£2,067. Here and There.

Mr B', J. Campbell, who was president of the Otago Boxing Association for a period of twelve years and did great service to the sport during that period, leaves shortly lor England, and the executive of the association is tak-ing-the opportunity of farewelling him before he leaves.

A sign of growing interest in the affairs of the Otago Boxing Association is that eight new members have been elected since the annual meeting a few weeks ago. With the New Zealand amatur championships here later ,in the season, there promises to be a real revival of activity. There has been a change this year at the head of the Southland Boxing Association, the new president of this progressive association being Mr N. M'Gorlick, who was at one time actively associated with the doings of the Bluff Boxing Association. He is a great enthusiast for the sport, and the enterprise that has marked the doings of the Invercargill body in the sport should be carried on under his control.

The welter-weight title bout on Monday evening is not the only fight attraction to be offered to fistic followers this month, the New Zealand University championships being set down for decision here later in April. On Monday week a match will take place in Sydney that has been long deferred. When Jack Portney last visited Sydney his main objective was Jack Carroll, but, as Carroll’s arm was injured, the pair did not meet. Portney beat Bishop and Blatch and fought a draw' with Morgan, so his Australian record warrants a contest with the welter champion, according to an Australian writer. On April 15 the light-

weight championship of Australia will be at stake, Alf Blatch challenging Herb. Bishop.

Jack Carroll’s t.k.o. victory against Willard Brown should give him high American rating. Brown was rated by ‘The Ring’ for January as No. 7 among the world’s welters, and the claims for a match with the world’s champion, Jimmy H'Larnin, should be strengthened as a result.

It looks as ,if Taranaki has another good draw card in the making in Jack Jarvis, who recently fought a draw

with Percy Hawes, the ex-New Zealand feather-weight champion. Jarvis had Hawes down several times at one stage, but Hawes made a great recovery and divided the honours. ; There was a small house, but, as Jarvis is to he matched again shortly, his good showing against Hawes should mean increased patronage on the next occasion.

Freddie Miller, the world’s featherweight champion, has been campaigning actively in Europe. In over-weight matches he recently defeated A 1 Brown (world’s bantam-weight champion), Joe Connelly, and kayoed Francis Augier.