BOXING

Grey River Argus, 20 March 1940, Page 4

BOXING

WILL RICHARDS VISIT N.Z? WELLINGTON. March 19According to Mr. G. /P. Aldridge, secretary of the New Zealand Boxing Council, who has just returned from a trip to Australia, it does not appear likely, unless th e conditions are modified, that it .will be possible to bring the heavyweights, Maurice Strickland and Ron Richards, together for a fight in this country. Mr Aldridge said that Richards was very keen to come, and he felt that, if the decision were left to him, Richards would make the trip. His manager, however, was holding out for a purse of £lOOO. , With regard to the proposed visit to New Zealand by a team of Australian amateur boxers, Mr Aldridge said that, although in Melbourne, the officials were quite ready and willing for the tour to proceed. Mr McCluskey, of Brisbane, secretary of the Australian Amateur Wrestling and Boxing Association, in a telephone conversation told him quite definitely that the officials of the Association in Queensland were opposed to the tour taking place while there was so much agitation in respect of military service, and, Mr Aldridge said, he agreed with Mr McCluskey that nothing tur- . ther should be done about the tour in ' the meantime. The final decision in this matter rests with the New Zealand Boxing Council and thw Australian body.