BOXING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 1 November 1924, Page 11

BOXING.

COLOURED MEN AMONGST THE BEST. . Naturally when Harry Wills was on the eye of his match with Liiis Firpo American boxing writers discussed the great eoloured gladiators of’the pastand the question arose, too, ms to who was the greatest fighter that ever lived.. There will always be argument upon' that point, and 'finality will never he reached. If a man set himself the 'task of naming the ten greatest fighters the game has known, he would find extreme difficulty in completing his list without the inclusion of five coloured men. feter Jackson would be Australia’s entry for the Hall of Tame. Jackson was tjie beau ideal of a heavy-weight. One American writer, in a recent article—Tad—exclaims, “What a man lie: was. Standing well over six feet tail, and tipping the beam at 2101 b. (to stone), Jackson was a treat to beliold. Jic was not only a master of boxing, but a hitter of tremendous power as well. He was so good that John L. Sullivan’s managers drew the colour line on him, and Bob Eitzsim- - mons issued a challenge to fight any many alive bar Peter. His 61 rounds no contest battle with Jim Corbett is one of the classics of the ring. His win ovci- Paddy Sluvin in ten rounds at the National Sporting Club, London, is declared to be the greatest boxing event ever seen in England. Yearn later, when visiting the club. Slavin' paused on the stairway, lmt in hand, before a photograph of Jackson. “‘The greatest fighter and finest gentleman I ever met,’ he said.” In the opinion of the late W. W Naughton, himself an Australian, and the doyen of American boxing writers George Dixon—“ Little Chocolate”— was the greatest boxer that ever put on a glove. He gave a wav weight to boxers, and mowed them down one after the other. He' lost his grip only when drink had made him the wreck i that Terry McGovern toppled .over. , Then there was Joe Gans, the Old ' Master—rquiet, unassuming, andable. He was. light-weight champion when the men of that brigade were as tough as whalebone, and championships were waged in. 25 rounds and .finish bouts. Gans was one -of the coolest men in and out of the ring, imaginable. He never finished trying to leafri. Even when he was top of the heap’heitwould visit Jim Corbett to see if he could learn anything more. . , AN EX-CHAMPION.""'' ' ' Joe Thomal, the ex-bantam champion of Australia, -who- is now a boxing instructor in Hawera, has had a rather remarkable career, and the following from prominent papers - will show something of a many sided personality:— Prom Melbourne Sporting Globe: “Am I addressing the boxing editor?” Thus spoke a cultured voice behind my chair. I looked round and found niv visitor to be a coloured gentleman, dressed in the height offashion. “Take a seat,” I said, “and tell me all about it.” We talked for an hour, and the more he talked the more in- ■ terested I was. Joe Thomal was born * in Somaliland. Left an orphan at an early age, someone took him across to Aden, where he was educated and learned to read and write Latin, French and English. Becoming a shipping clerk he soon learned of the conditions of life in Australia, and a yearning came over him to visit that great country. He stowed away, but was saved from punishment by a lady. Arriving in Australia he aspired to become a boxer, and in his class speedily reached the top of the tree. After a fierce battle he won the bantam championship of Australia. Since then h.e has been running boxing classes, acted in .the movies, and-son the legitimate stage. He lives a good life, wherein good books, good music and church all play their part. Asked what he. thought 'of Siki, Thomal said: “He came from the Senegalese tribes in the north-west of Africa, and is rough, untutored and wild. He cannot be blamed for his persistent breaches of etiquette, because he knows no better.” Evening Post—Tall and slim, for a bantam-weight, yet strongly built. Joe Thomal would be taken for a scholar rather than for one who twenty years. ago was the premier bantam-weight in Australia. Such well-known battlers as Ned Murphy, Paddy King, Bert Weekes and Teddy Green had to acknowledge defeat lief ore Thomal annexed the title. Sydney Arrow;—Joe Thomal has played many parts on life’s stage in his time. He is now playing a part bn the theatre stage as a member of Oscar Asche’s Chu Chin Chow Company. Joe has toured the continent as a member of that combination, and has been so occupied for 12 months past. He looks well, and time and life have dealt leniently with him. We discussed Joe’s fights with Murphy, Paddy King, Bert Weekes and Teddy Green. Thomal says West Australia has gone ahead wonderfully since he last visited there ' 20 years ago to knock out Dempsey iii 10 rounds at Kalgoorlie. - I r •