BOXING.

Grey River Argus, 27 April 1910, Page 1

BOXING.

LIGHT-WEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF AUSTRALASiA .

A GREAT CONTEST

SUMMERS. KNOCKS OUT MEHEGANI IN THE 19feh ROUND.

•"THE AfrST&ALIAN'S' :feßE^t' ■V '- v ' -GAMENESS.^ i; ' k . :]: -

Rain . fell-, in ' 'fehe^ts. f and >oaked to the skin, over vand over again, many thousands of people at the Stadium last'- Wednesday 'night -while they patched the concluding rounds of a; most exciting batter between Johnny Summers and Hughie- Mehegan for the liglrfr-weiglit championship 6i Australasia. Fit>m" this fourteenth roitnd inclusive the clouds emptied their great wealth of water on the exposed mass of' i( humanitty spread all over the en-j closure. The downpotir was comparatively' light until the fifteenth and* sixteenth rounds were in progress', and then the two fighters slipped all over the canvas-covered floor, but as the 17th, 18th, and 19th rounds sped' along the cdnditions were something 1 to be rfemembered, and the ring looked like a shallow, miniature lake.' Each lost his foothold and 1 widened his leg spread in 'turn, and, now and again, jiist missed a fearful-looking smite from the enemy more by good lUck thaß gooa management. Onoe Hughie Mehegan's feet went fairly from under him, and he flopped down on hi? hams with a bump that must- hai^ shaken him up a grejat deal', and SuxU' mers suffered a somewhat similar experience ha. the next round by going i between the ropes and flopping calve? over the lower hempen boundary — a position from which his foeman assist' ed him, amid a big burst of applause It was a stirring and remarkable spectacle indeed. Those two lads fighting away, all senses alert and keeo as if very life depended upon the outcome, left ah impression on the mind that will not readily be forgotten. They gripped and then glided from each! other's holds through the amount of moisture on the surfaces of their bodies. ' v The end came. in the nineteenth rund, when Summers whipped \ the I right in while some hard exchanges , were agoing on, ■ and • down " went Hughie like a log, to be counted out and then carried from the ' ring, limp as a dead snake, on the stalwart shoulders of his- trainer-manager Tom Boyl*. The Australian champion's showing was, brave .indeed,, and , called forth the admiration of ■ every man in the gathering. - He presented ,a bold front always, and exhibited a good measure of skill, but the Britisher had it on him, as a rule,- after the first four founds. Both lads were 'officially placed on the scales, and each pulled the beam short of , the limit in the presence. of

friends and seconds, 'iwho. : watched and examined' everythirig" closelyi ; for the good- and- Bunicient- reason that ; each, principal' had sighed his willingness, to forfeit £50 ii he> wfeiifc abovfe the weight mark by a hair lino. ' " ! . VJ ' 1 Never was the battle uninteresting, and rately, indeed, ;did "either have ; a blow .for more than, a inomeiit or two. Summers foughtl better than' Sydney had previously seen '• him - fights 'and Mehegan responded in ; great- style. How; ' many • boxerswould "• have^could have; mijghti,' perhaps, 'be the better way of puttdig! ilt— irflood^ -tip after that! knock-down -near the termination of the fift& rpuhdy " and those : two quickly -succeding fallings in the sixths Mehegan rose to all fours and sliook hii.head fiercely, in an ©ndeayour- to sHiuif. the, cloudiness ; of 1 his :wits and the . limpness . of -his limbs> ; and, straightening,', fought desperately a moment after : appearing absolutely outiv ■■■■:/■■.--• ■ ■ .•■■■'■•■•■. V ; • • ■ ".■■.>-. .

Getting to the' perpendicular at 'eight sußsequent to bumping the boards the third . time,, the Victorian carried war to. the .jenemy,- to such.- purpose,, and with, such effect that Johnny ,. backed away from ■.the onslaught right across the ring, and round Mehegan's .angle, whUe ;t}ie iast^named hammered- away midst the wildest excitement, .but when Summers made -a s^art - .W, nover stopped -till pretty: near as good as he received was given. Ever afterwards the :Engldshiman lield the advantage, though now and again, the. Australian evened a round, and once oiv twice had a slight margin. - ; Messrs Reg. L.. ("Snowy") Baker and W. T. Kerr were in their usual places as. referee and timekeeper. Behind Summers were Pat O J K!eefe, B^ob Bryant, Ed. Jessop, and Qyril Cooper, .and Tom Boyle, Jim Barron, and a couple of others attended Mehegan.

- Smart give-and-take work was seen early in the first round. Afterwards; ■.'Mehegan sent a light left, to the jaw, and, over-reaching himself "in essaying another, gave Summers the "chance 'to. go in with both hands, whicli he 'did., and then Jonnny 'drove' left) to' fhe body and Mefiegan brought" a' r right to the jaw (loud applause). r M6b.^gan: scored "left'' to the body, and 'BUmmers" followed suit; then 'Mehegan' s right, found the head, and a left jab "/Bo' the • face by Sumnlers kad. ; pali>abl^ eiTect, while' the crowd cKeerecT a good blow. Summers 1 followed ' vp 1 wilih a ;r f ight to the Head,' J and both wall'bp^Sd either weaiponini touch' to : the joy" of d ,p.ow; greatly-excited tirowd. ' ' Getting 'back j again 'after' the bre&k, Summers'" left straight, dii to Melieg'ah*is mouth,' and a left';' from "the same 1: quarter landed on the Victorian's^'a^r The; boxers retired ' f oilowed rt by- loiid^ cheeringi ';' ';'. '': v. ' ■■■'■■■■• *'-! :: '- '.-.":" ri '.^.; Mehegan ''starred'*' "hostilities * y in Hihe: ■ second' : ' : i>y / ''i^^in ; g*' i mtn i ' { 'Ddth fiaiids, "then he' rushed Johnny to- the J*opes, but hothng oif* a' EurtfuiL ' nature 'occur-: red. ! Sunimers' right, driven' hard to ibhe belly, ina'd^ Hiighie tuck up- a 'bit, and after .being sundered' frxjni the resultant'clinch; SiintmerS' lefb thumped the face with' weight;- : Johnnyi 'ducked' cleverly from some wicked-looking efforts, and Mehegan's swinging^ left lodged : fairly ; on- the neck. • ' At close quarters Johnny's: left worked like- a pistonr rod about the body> while. Mehegan'dug the right into the ribs once. Together- again, Summersr notched left and ; rightj and Mehegan's right,- banged the ribs. ' pummers' right to the head preceded aralyatf the boundary whicli roused excitement ;to a high pitch. Summers emerged best. Mehegan's left to the ribs was brought up to the jaw quickly, and a right from the same quarter to the head followed quickly. Summers reached with the left f rom muoh too far away. A clinch brought "corners." The third opened with clinching. Summers barbed his left straight as an arrow to 'the nose, and Mehegan' s left was hurled to the forehead. Summers, forcing' hard, sent the right to the ribs, and left and right to either side of the body. Mehegan worked in nicely, and came away immediately upon making contact with a right to the ribs. Summers scored three good rights, in the ribs, while Mehogan had him (Summers') blocked. A heavy right jolt to the face caught Mehegan in a bending position, and a left jab fair on the mouh helped the trouble, as far as he was concerned!, and nearly upended him. Once more did Summers get three rights into the body as Mehegan imprisoned Johnny's left .'tween elbow and ribs': Easily' Summers' round. Summers drove the left home on the face, and he blocked a return beautifully. Summers' left found the face again. He, as always so far, showed good skill in the clinches. Mehegan's left to the face was a beauty, and Summers squared, matters : with the right. - Both bit out fiercely, using ' tHeir -hands with, effect, that brought the- crowd/ to its feefc yelling excitedly. I Mehegan's* powerfully-swung ngnt encircled Johnnys-n eck/S ummers right to €he chest, and left and .right >to the ' body — all straight punches — won -applause from tke hoarse-voiced thousands; t} An unusually , long clinch was followed by 1 a right upward jolt to the Tibs' * from Summers. ■». Mehegan's left uppercut was In evidence twice as the pair , embraced, and he plunked the same fist fair in the face and ducked the return like an artist, • to find Johnny coming with a full head o!f steam * on, and belting left and right away at he body ; . but the f aab did not>stop Mehegan from driving a good txppercut^to the jaw. , Clinches and short-arm punches oh both sides set the fifth going. Sumtmers' right came, into contacti with t the head 'at "such ' speed, and bo ' forcibly, •that the* brave :Melburne Jboy staggered- Blightly. Mehegan stooped and smothered) arid continued ' in that position while Johnny operated with both arms for a nlttfilea-fc or two before

Mehegan thought fit^^ straighten up aha smash his right on the enemy's head. Into it the pair now went' — each determined to, if possible, break the other up per -medium . of a high tension, sustained attack, and a mass of man rose all round the arena waving hlats and whirling armty while emitting cautions and urgings of all descriptions. Summers stabbed his right to the head, and some good two-handed work about the midriff, warned Mehegan not to take any 'liberties. Again did both Johnny's do good service for him about the ribs, and his left to the head made a fine point. A left jab to the head by Summers fell 1 wide, of its mark. So skilful a fighter should never have been guilty of such an error of judgment. They were busy as nailers till Summers hooked a right to the jaw as Mehegan left an opening through miissfitig: badly with, a well-meant swing, and to the floor went the Victorian for eight seconds, to rise and fight as hard as nature would allow him, and totter weakly to his chair at- corners.- This was a most exciting time, and the brave battling of the boys quite carried the spectators away.

Each moved to midring apparently fresh as ever, for ~the sixth 'round, and Johnny Summers began operations with a left jab to the face, whieji provoked some roughing. k Summers missed, badly with a left swing, and I some wide?range blows told against each while both were on the *tjpes. Mehegan nearly went off his feet get ting away from a rush, and no sooner had they moved up for a breasfc-to-breast tussle than a right hook to the jaw floored Mehegan, who rose full of ginger, only to met a torrid time at "the hand of the enemy, before which he (Mehegan) went down again, and remained there till! eight was celled. On his feet once more, Men* 1 gan bent his head low and smothered, and Johnny banged away — as a rule, uselessly, because of the Victorian's skilful smother. Meanwhile Mehegan was recovering, but a weighty left to the jaw caused him to hang ty?s hands limp and- take a few liberally charged blows. Mehegan bled from tho nose, Summers swung a left to th& 'jaw, which maddened the Victorian r to charging like one beset, and, sustaining the act at an eye-opening dip, he had Johnny -backing across to the eastern side of the ring, and round past Mehegan's angle at the. •outh-easfc of the square. AH the time voices shrill and sonorous created a ' veritable Babel. Left and 'right, Hughie fought like a tiger till 1 Nature' would have' no more, and he had to let up a bit. Now Johnny took a hand, and gave almost as good as he received, compelling the gritty little Australian to back before thd vjgbr of the blows; ■ " " 'The fighting Was solid, clever, 1 and continuous in every round afterwards. As % already .stated, such a battle has rarely been seen, especially of late years. It would be tiresome to give a detailed description of every- round, though not one of them, (lacked exciement, and all were interesting. In the twelfth, Mehegan's hard-swung right went within very little' of snatch ing Summers on the jaw, and the effect would surely have been disastrous for him. AH through this round vthej fought? at express speed, and it. was the same in the > fourteenth . and the fifteenth, which saw Saunders gefc the right on to the jaw -so weightily that many in the enclosure roared, "He's got himf" but he hadn't, for Hughie skipped away and kept clear afterwards.

As the fifteenth was being fought hundreds of people were going, away, so heavily did the rain come down, but the giving and taking going on in tho ring put all thought of the soaking rain out of mind, and the drenching was endured so that the fight might be seen right through. The torrent of water from above and the flooded- ring had no deterrent effect bn either boxer. They kept on fighting and slipping, with the water on their Bodies glistening in the strong electric light, till 1 the nineteenth round when 1 Summers landed a convincer in the form of a right to the ' jaw that settSed matters. Johnny won.