AFTER TWO TITLES

Evening Star, Issue 21992, 30 March 1935, Page 6

AFTER TWO TITLES

AASSiTHMiS JOHNNY M‘KAY Johnny M‘Kay, who is to meet Don Stirling for the latter’s welter-weight boxing championship of New Zealand, is a fighter with ambition. Calling on the ‘ Star’s ’ boxing writer this morning, he stated that besides being anxious to lift the welter-weight crown from Stirling, he had his eyes upon the light-weight title at present held by Joe Franklin, who is in Australia. Like M‘Kay, Franklin hails from Gisborne, and naturally there is no little rivalry between the pair. Some five months ago M‘Kay beat Franklin over twelve rounds at Blenheim, and as soon as Franklin returns to New Zealand M‘Kay will be right out for a match for the light-weight championship. M‘Kay arrived in Dunedin ou Tuesday, and has been working out at Mr T. Harris's gymnasium. He is in good form, and expressed confidence in his ability to reverse the decision gained over him by Stirling at Oamaru some time ago—a decision which caused a good deal of controversy at the time. It is three years since M‘Kay left amateur ranks, and he has proved a good box office attraction in Gisborne, where a packed house greeted him on the occasion of his win against Mickey Holland, former light-weight champion of the Atlantic fleet. M‘Kay is accompanied to Dunedin by his trainer, Mr P. Sweeney, of Gisborne.