BOXING

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12750, 4 January 1936, Page 11

BOXING

BOXING—OLD AND NEW SPORT COMES -FROM GLADIATORIAL DAYS NOT ALWAYS CONFINED TO MALES

The memorable days of the BurnsJohnson fight, in 190 S at the Stadium, are recalled by the intensity of public interest in boxing at the present moment, writes Jim Mathers in the Sydney Telegraph. Boxing is periodically on the horns of a rlilemma. One month it is in the doldrums, the next it is carried away on the wings of the wind. At the moment it "is on the crest of a huge wave, due largely to the promotion of two important- contests, one at the Stadium and the other at the Sports Ground. Like most other things, boxing lias changed through the ages. In ancient times it was the custom to wear gloves with spiked knuckles, and later on slabs of iron and lead were attached. This, no doubt, provoked the legend that boxing is “the most brutal form of sport.”

AVe are told in the Bible that Cain and Abel had a regular set-to, but we have to come to 900 B.C. before we find any reference to the first fight promoter, who was none other than Thesus, son of Argus, King of Athens.

Thesus armed gladiators, who sat nose to nose and punched away until one or both of them were sent to the morgue. Theagenee, of Thasos, killed no less than 1425 gladiatorial opponents. After the conquest of Greece by Rome, the sport seems to have taken on a little refinement, and it became a star item, not only on fete days,, but- also at all funeral ceremonies.

Patroclus was given a grand burial, in which two naked i fighters, Epens and Eurydlus, whacked, away at, each other, with thick leather gloves tied at the upper arms with thongs. Oestn-s warfare was waged for hundreds of years in Greece and Rome, and we have now to approach the 13th century before wc fin'd any record of baredisted fighting. Tt was in 1201 AD. that a famous ujpnjc. St. Bernnidine, taught the bot-heacled youths to settle tficir differences nojfc ip brutal encounter, h;ijt .‘.‘ifi the art of boxring up an opponent.” To these revered saint lies the honour of being the first match-maker.

CRADLE OF MODERN BOXING

Apart from these classical allusions to the sport of boxing, we find that the,game ip its modern sense -really began in, the 17th century. Thp London Protestant Mercury of 1681 has the following, paragraph:— “Yesterday a match of boxing was performed before .His... Grace the Duke of Alfie'nnai'le, between his. butler-and his .fiutcfie.r.. The.latter won the prize as he , Hr?d, done many times before, ijeing . accounted, ".although a little map, tjip .best- at that exercise in England.’’ , . , .... Then came James Eigg, whose style was, known in England as “F'igg’s Fighting.” Figg blossomed between 1718 and 1734-. He retired at the age of 36 and died four, years later- He established .an “ampitbeatre” and produced quite a number of boxing schools In Figg’s time boxing was not merely, a masculine sport, ias the following- advertisement in a London paper, of- June, 1722', testifies: “Challenge.—l, - Elizabeth Wilkinson,, of Clerkenwell,having had some words with Hannah Hvfield, and requiring satisfaction, do- invite her to me.et pie upon the stage and to box for l three guineas each woman holding half a crown (a piece -of money) in each hand, and the first woman that drops the money to lose the battle.” The published answer, was: “I, Hannah Hyfield, of Newgate Market, hearing of the. resoluteness of Elizabeth Wilkinson, will not fail, Godwilling, to give her more blows than words; I ask from her no favour, and she may expect a good thumping.” The police stopped the fight! “Figg’s fighting’’ dominated unt'il August 10,. 1734, when the original “London Prize Ring Rules” were draw up by Jack B'oughton. These rules, which were the authority for bare-.knuckle fighting, were later revised, and. remained in force until July 8, 18S9, when John L.„ Sullivan and Jake Kilrn'n fought the last championshipThis brings us now to the famous Marquis of Queensbury Rules, which, although they are the basis of pre-sent-day boxing, have been shattered almost to ribbons by nearly every promoter in the world. The Queensbury Ru)es were framed in 186-5, and the first world’s' heavyweight championship under them took place between John L. Sullivan and James J. Corbett in 1892 at Now Orleans. These rules provided for three-minute rounds and the use of dfair-sized boxing gloyes.” Prank- G. Menke, a brilliant American fight authority, writes as follows of the debut- of boxing in the United States: “In 1816 Jacob Hycr, having a. grudge - against Tom Beasley, challenged him publicly to ‘a battle with fists until one or the other is conquered anil helpless.’ Hyer won“A few of Beasley’s friends refused to grow excited about Hyer’s prowess, and Hyer, in anger, replied that, ‘I can whip any man in the United States; I am champion of them all. Bring on the douhters..’ No one accepted,’’ writes Menke, and Hyer is thus rated as the first champion! And so down through the ages we go. when fights were fought to a finish wifh cestus, spiked gloves, from sitting to standing position, from Cain ar.d Abel, through the 'gladiatorial displays of the Greeks and Romans, the bare-fisted students of St. Bcrnardine, the pupils of James Figg, of England, the famous London Prize Rules, and now the Marquis of Queensbury Rules, these, all these, were the precursors' of what we see lias remained throughout the centuries. A fight is still a hectic shin-] dy.‘* . - !

SHARKEY TO "< OME BA<Tv" In his rise to the top of the ladder Louis is not going to have his path made easy. The champion, James .T. Brad dock has: intimated that he is prepared to meet all comers, black or white, but not until after June next, in,.the meantime Louis apparently will have eliminated quite a few of the lively candidates. On December 29 be was , to have met- .another Spaniard. Isadora Gastonaga of Havana, tinder the auspices of Alike Jacobs and the Heart Milk Fund. . About this time, too, Jack Sharkey, a former heavyweight champion, is expected to he making a “comeback'’ by meeting Edd.’e Winston a negro, at Boston. Sharkey considers that he is just the man to beat 'Louis, and he plans to do so and then meet, his old sparring partner, Brnddoek. for the title.

WHEN BELL FAILED DEM PSEY-WII.LATH) BOUT If. it is necessary in boxing for a bell to be rung at the end of a round before it can officially close. Jack Dempsey was never champion of the tyorld. His famous bout with Jesse Willard in 1919 As still going. on. To the first round ..Tack- . Dempsey lr-.O crashed the huge litlebolder to tfie mat six times, and towards the close of the three minutes rent him to the floor for the. seventh. The refe'ee immediately commenced the count, and although 'Willard wia.in a sitting position at.the end if four seconds lie made no effort wnnto>or to rise.

Outside the ring the official timekeeper frantically endeavoured amid The uproar .to attract .tlie. attention of the referee, but to no avail. The latter ticked off the seconds, and then raised Dempsey’s arm hi token, of.victory. The winner acknowledged the plaudits of the crowd and then departed for his dressing-room-

In the meantime the time.keeper had fought his way into 1 the ring, and succeeded in entci'preting to the referee his preyip, u? frantic actions.

The hclj.liad refu’-cd to ring, and the three j minutes had c-lapsed before the count was. finished. The position was a delicate one. But Jack Ivcnrns, Dbmpsey’s manager, fully alive to ■officialdom. immediately brought Dempsey back into the ring..

.Meantime AYillard,. who had been carried to his corner, was barely able Yo ;get up when, the timekeeper, -striking the hell such a- blow that one one could l fail to hear its metallic clang, indicated, that the second ppnnd had begun. It. profited "Willard little, as lie was subjected to such.a battering that lie capitulated in. the third round. . But the failure of the bell presented a nice question. Willard’s, entourage declared that D&mpspy lost the battle when he left the ring, while the latter’s friends anscrted. and with propriety, that the decision -of the referee, being final, Dempsey, under the rules, did not- need to reenter the arena. But. technically the first round was never concluded, ft is, still, if only spiritually, being waged. ’