BOXING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 6 December 1924, Page 10

BOXING.

MEN ARISE IN CYCLES. (By “Queensberry” in the Referee.) There is a tattered stock phrase, that boxers are born, not made; in fact, it is applied to every branch of athletics. It has been used in connection with swimming, footrunning, football and cricket. There is no doubt it is true. lam dealing with the boxing end of the question. , First of all, it will be generally admitted that a boy has to have a natural inclination for the game. The spirit of self-defenee is latent in everybody, hut the vast majority of people have no knowledge of the method they will employ nntil suddenly put to the test. There must be thousands of persons who have never had a strong boxing gloye on their hands. They have not the slightest inclination to box, let alone.fight. That is ah irrefutable fact, and, therefore, supplies the truth of the axiom, “boxers are bom, not made.” Even then many are called but few are chosen. Hundreds of young fellows try theriiselves out in gymnasiums, find themselves lacking in mahy essentials, accept the inevitable, 'and, are never heard of by the public. Many more refuse to heed the preliminary warnings that they have not ah earthly ehance of succeeding in accomplishing anything really big in the ring. They go on. They are the stock preliminary fighters—the “pork and beaners” of the business.

Champions undoubtedly often come from the preliminary class, but they are hot there for long. If they have ability their apprenticeship is quickly served, and then rapidly rise to the headliner’s brigade. With these boys chreful instruction now comes in. The natural cleverness of the pugnacity is there. The instructor moulds the former, be cannot ihclucate the latter. No mail cab be made to .fight, biit he can be taught to box —always - provided there is some foundation upon which to work. Boxing instructors of to-day are just as astute as ever. They are acquainted with the methods of the time but the fact remains they have not the material upon which hp Work. Iri the boom times of 12 or 15 years ago in Sydney there were hundreds of young men in the bbxirig garrie. The monetary inducements was therfe for them to endeavour to break into the business. One has only to trirri bafck to the files of the Referee to realise the position. In them one will find dozens of paragraphs concerning boxers —and good ones too—either Watched to fight or looking for it. Where hundreds were on the warpath then, there are how net ten. Should there be a revival akin to the days of which I, write, I am certain the material would be offering upon which the instructors could work.

Instruction in bbxirig is an art not required in anything else to such an extent, with the exception of, perhaps, cricket: Many men have the natural gift of knowing what to do at precisely the right moment, but few of them can tell you how or why they do it, much less impart the knowledge to others. In substantiation of the statement I would challenge any ex-boxer to say that he has taken a boy, knowing absolutely nothing about the game, arid made him a champion. He may have got a raw lad, planed off the rough edges and set him upon a successful career. But there would be no doubt that that boy was a natural fighter, that he would have achieved something even had he been left to himself. We have known instances of boys whose one pleasrire iri life was to box. They carried boxing gloves with them in their school bags and would always be looking for a spar. Some of them, wearied of the pastime, but several kept going, and niade names for themselves in the Australian ring. Can anybody say that Griffo and Cocker Tweedie were taught their science! They were, perhaps, the two cleverest men Australia has known. They were naturally clever, and I am certain that neither of them would have made good instructors. Some of the best men in that connection we ever had never appeared professionally, yet they were able to demonstrate the art much better than boxers who had risen to great heights in the ring. While applauding the endeavour to get the game back to .its one-time high standard, I must confess that' I think the task a hopeless one, unless the right material is offering. Then boxing will automatically correct itself, and once again the big Sydney Stadium will ring with cheers of excited thousands.

I c 0 Relieve that champions arise in different countries in cycles. There was a time when Australia was paramount in boxing and swimming. America wrested both honours from us, but in Charlton Australia has a swimmer the like of whom the world has never known. H e has regained for Australia a great deal of her lost prestige in the water. Back in 1905 New Zealand was mvincibh at Rugby football. Then caiiie a long lean period. Now her players are once again carrying everything before them in England, Ireland and II ales. Thus there is hope that in Australia boxing may come again men of the calibre of Fitzsimmons, Jackson, Griffo, Dawson. Greedon, Murphy, Darcy, Godfrey, and others capable of holding their own against the world’s best. Already we have one man—Harry Collins whom I consider at least the equal of Mickey A\alker i world’s welterweight champion. A DOUBLE KNOCKOUT. A FAMOUS FIGHT RECALLED. , the old Ultimo hall did nothing e-se, it will always remain in the memory as the place where Snowy Sturgeon and Otto Cribb fought their famous

battle, in which a double knockout occurred. Jack says many erroneous statements have since been printed regarding tlie blows which brought about the unique situation. , Left books to the jaw were simultaneously loosed by the nien, and both connected at precisely the same moment. Sturgeon fell almost in the centre of the ring, while Cribb dropped on to the ropes, and, by some miraculous chance, the top 'strand caught him under the arm-pits. There he hung like a. gartiient on a clothes line, with his legs spread out .arid his head wobbling from side td side while the count was on, Sturgeon could not rise, and Cribb had no idea he liad won the fight. To this day Jack Matthews declares that Cribb waS Wore “out” than Sturgebn. I remember the fight well, but the excitement at the sudden denouement was so tfeWebdoUs that it was afterwards impossible to get a coherent explanation as to what actually happened.

WELLINGTON COLLEGE

OLD BOYS’ PAVILION; In formally declaring open the handsome new sports pavilion, a memorial 'i™ boys, Mr R. Darroch, aii old boy and headmaster of Terrace School, expressed the hope that the new pavilion would be the centre and headquarters of good clean sport in all the years to come, for this quality had characterised Wellington College hoys since the establishment of the school. THE AVERAGE BOY; The last speaker was the present headmaster, Mr T. R. Cfessweii who deprecated judging any institution by outstanding individuals. It was the average boy who should, count also. The powers that be could be rushed t'6 advertise. tile school’s success; tlie critics could point out the faillif'es, the average bby was liable to pass uhnoticed. Happy Was the average boy who sipped at tne font of knowledge, but 'did not drmk too deeply to become druhk with the strong .wine of knowledge. He gained a moderate success in examinations, nr in the playing fields, hot withouV wholesome effort, not without tehrs. ouch a boy learned, in tiWe to feel gratitude for his school, to thank bis school that he lias got on in the world. If that were the only thanks then the school had failed and failed. badly. There were things that counted more in real life than bank balances, motorcars and cabaret dances. By and by Ih® nmh would begin to think lovingly of his old school as time went on. Then he would begin to think that the old school had played a .vital part in his life. He . would feel that the influences of life school had gorie to make him. a good citizens, a. good husband, a good father, and then a good grandfather. In conclusion Mr Cressweli applied the verses of Browning td the college:—

Here and Here hath College helped rqe; And how can I help College, say ?

If such- was. the feeling of the average old boy, then he ha'd not spent an unprofitable time at college.

An amateur athletic meeting in Wellington last Saturday was arranged expressly, says the Post, for the purpose of devoting the proceeds of ihe gate to' the fund being raisfed for Mt J. W. Butler, late director of the Boys’. Institute, who is now incapacitated, as the result ofj a motor accident. Mr Butler has done much for aIL branches of sport. It will be remembered lie visited Hawera last year, and it was on the journey back 1 to Wellington that he met with the accident.