SCHMELING’S DEFEAT

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 July 1932, Page 4

SCHMELING’S DEFEAT

NEWSPAPER OPINION ’’ “It has been a legend that a foreign fighter could not get a square deal in the United States, especially in New fork. - Up to this time I felt that this was merely a legend, but that decision given last night was the worst I have ever seen, in peering intcncntly at these things for a quarter of a century oi- more.” This statement, made by W. 0. MeGeehan, of the New’ York HeraldTribune,” oh the morning after Max Schmeling, of Germany, had lost his title as heavyweight champion of the world to Jack Sharkey, aptly sums up (he opinion of practically all the prominent newspaper critics who witnessed the contest. The casting vote of. the referee, “Gunboat’ 1 Smith, himself a famous heavyweight of other years, uftcr the judges had disagreed, came in for much trenchant criticism, and from newspaper accounts of the bout it would seem that the German was more than unlucky in losing the .coveted championship. Naturally the decision in favour of the American immediately started a heated controversy, and there were suggestions that' the verdict was not altogether an honest one. .Ire Jacobs, Schmeling’s manager, went so far as 1.0 say that his boy had been "robbed,” and he talked of laying charges before the New York State Athletic CommisL'lon Lili <•» zlntr zA-»» ...1 . _

sion, but a day or two afterwards decided that this would be of little use and did not carry his complaints further. “They stole the championship from the German, only to hand it to Jack Sharkey, who is no more deserving of the honour than a youngster net yet in his ’teens” (writes Harry B. Smith in the “San Francisco Chronicle”). “It is with more or less shame and regret for a game I have followed many years I have written the above lines, 'ifet one must face a disagreeable situation, and we must admit the fight., game has been once more trailed in’ the dust of America. If there was the least vestige on which to hang an excuse for Referee ‘Gunboat’ Smith and the one judge who voted with him- we might take that opporLu nity. “Having read various accounts and opinions, I cannot but feel this was no error of judgment that handed the Bostonian something to which he is clearly not entitled. We can’t undo the damage, but we can let other nations know tha( American sportsmen wholly disapprove of (he vicious cir vie that makes such, things possible.’ THE BOUT REVIEWED “Those who agreed with George <mly. the judge who voted, for Shark f.v. and Referee Smith, himself a. famous old-time fighter, who cast the deciding vote, could see nothing but that that Sharkey, fighting the coolest emmysi duel of his hectic career, had consistently outboxed the charging Teuton, spattering his face and “ribs through most of the fifteen rounds ynh jarring left jabs,” states- an associated cross account. “It seemed from that side that the Eoscon sailorman, although always in retreat, had followed the battle’pjan ■ “ m .ic illustrious predecessor,

Gene Tunney, always on the defensive, neer leaving an opening, but drifting through steadily with countering left hooks and right crosses to th© head and body to give him a margin on points. “But to a wide majority of the critics it seemed that Schmeling' had earned the right to retain his crown, even if not by any great margin. “For the entire fifteen rounds, dur able as a baby tank, the German marched into Sharkey, never breaking ground, continually punching and in dieting the only real damage that showed in the entire distance. His short, right-hand jolts to the head started Sharkey’s left eye drooping hithe early rounds and closed it completely in the last three.” He missed a great many punches, short swings that Sharkey pulled away, from as he concentrated doggedly on his plan of battle —jab, hook, counter, and retreat. At times he seemed to make the tactical error of jabbing with the long armed New Englander, and when he did that Sharkey seemed to be beating him to the punch. That sort of milling made a fight in which there never was a really thrilling moment, never a touch of the dramatic, and the spectacular that the faithful- have come to expect on ; their heavy-weight title tilts. For the first three rounds, at least, Sharkey’s battle plan, drilled into him all through his long conditioning grind, worked to perfection. He kept Max off his balance with his left jabs, losing his left'hook and right cross

• only when the opening loomed large, ‘ always in retreat, but always piling ■ up points. Then for a couple of rounds the sun- ■ blackened German, never- discouraged, never changing his forcing tactics. • plodded past Sharkey’s guard, belting ; his head with short rights, and reaching him with an occasional jab. But then Sharkey edged out again, through the half-way point, morq selfcontrolled than ever before in a career that includes his famous blow-up against Jack Dempsey, his tired ef- .. forts when a choice of Gen„ Tunney’s last ring foe was up for decision, and bis erratic punching that cost him the first Schmeling battle. So it went on until the last three rounds, uninspired, unexciting milling. In the stretch it was Schmeling, and not the new champion, who seemed to be winning as he pulled along, as fresh as though he had just been warming up for a dozen rounds. In the occasional punching flurries, he hurt Sharkey’s left eye which was closed tight, but still the sailor boxed, jabbing, hooking, retreating, piling up points.

DOSER’S SPORTSMANSHIR Schmeling himself took the decision in the most sportsmanlike and graceliil manner, and thereby made himself tar more popular in defeat than he has ever been in victory. Nevertheless he found it hard to understand how he had lost. “If someonebeats me, I don’t care,” he said in the dressing-room afterwards. “I say, ‘the better man, he wins,’ and that is all right, but how can Sharkey best um running away all the time. Sharkey was only playing with his punches," be said. “He runs away ail Un; time. Never did he hurt me. Only a a few time I hit him hard, but I know he is hurt. I can feel that he knows

■ I am beating him. But they give him the decision. Well I am a young fellow. 1 have plenty of lime. I tight Sharkey again. Now I will telephone my mother in Berlin. She will be waiting. Everyone will be waiting.” Over 70.000 people saw the bout, and the receipts, including moving pie! are and radio rights and other concessions, totalled close on £05,000 at par. Of this Schmeling received £32,000 and Sharkey about £7,200.