THE RING

Grey River Argus, 22 December 1920, Page 5

THE RING

MLLY SHADED STRAIGHT LEFT

HOW HE DEVELOPED IT.

Billy Shade tha coming middleweight champion of the world, is the owner of a. slashing straight left. At the Domain baths one day last week, dura spell between riming dives off ,the high springboard, at which Bi'.ly is an adept, he told me how he developed that punch. "I used to play a lot of Amercan football before I took on boxing. American football as you know, is the most strenuous of all games. Your Australian Lteagiue (foptb'vll is a parlour game in coinparasio)]. Under American rules instead of playing the ball, they play the man. "The clothing of the players resembles armour more than anything else. They are shod i.i boots heavier than the biggest hobnailed bluchers, and in thp ruck work, of which the game is*mostly made up., a. man has to be prepared for terrific kicks on any part; of his body, including the face- aJid 'head. Briefly, the . game consists ot a long series of heavy scrums, interpersed with short, fast sprints when a. man secures the bail!. Once having secured the ball a -player has to go for the goal line as fast as a red shanik. But. as a. rule, he can never travel very far. lii front of him, and to the left and right of him is a solid phalanx, of players through which the man with the ball has literally to fight his way. The opposing players close in tear him down, and jump on top of him, just as they do in the game called "sacks on the mill." "Owing to my natural strength. 1 was nearly always successful in beating the other fellows for the ball. Once having secured the leather J' would tuck it tightly under my right arm, and with a 'do or die' determination, make a dash for the goal line. Every man that tried to stop me I gave him the 'Don't argue' with my left. I beca-me so accustomed to fending off players in this fashion that my left arm became just as strorg ■ as my right, and when I donned the! boxi.ig gloves I found that I was a IT-.' to" shoot my left out a-s straight and true as a piston rod. ''Rather n rough and dangerous game this Ainefcan football," I remarked "Oh, no ! I would' nt call it dangerous." replied Billy. Last year in California there were only ni.ie men killed at it.' J

A Wellington wire states that the motion by Robert 11. Eyre for an injunction to restrain Cook from committing a- breach of agreement by participating i.i his contest with L'.oyd. or in the alternative £500 damages, was removed from the Supreme Court the parties having, agreed to arbitration. Plaintiff based his action on the nlles»tiou tiiat Cook had failed to observe the conditions of an agreement made 011 July 1. l>J2t), under which Eyre was to act as Cook's ma-iager.-