BOXING

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 2 April 1927, Page 11

BOXING

CURRENT TOPICS. NEED FOR REVIVAL. (Notes by “Pollux.”) Reports from various centres indicate an. encouraging revival of interest among the youth of the Dominion in the glove game. New schools, which are stated to he attracting good numbers of recruits, have recently been opened at Auckland, Christchurch, and the Hawke’s Bay district. HAWERA DISTRICT SPORT. The South Taranaki district should offer further scope for a competent ’instructor, preferably a local exponent, with the requisite knowledge and readiness to train willing pupils, not necessarily with the objective of producing world heaters, but along the lines which would develop, among as many as possible, the qualities of -self reliance sportman.ship which are the dominating characteristics of the manly sport.

The revival of the local Boxing Association is another matter uhioh is worthy of earnest consideration. Tournaments held at suitable intervals have shown that exhibitions dominated by the amateur element may be expected io receive good public support and it is to he regretted that this particularly beneficial form of recreation is not af present receiving the encouragement it wait?

In athletic circles, Hawera has the reputation of being one fit rlie live centres of the Dominion and what 'has been accomplished in tins branch of sport -should lie equally possible m the realm of .boxing. POSSIBLE WELTER CONTENDER. Information from Auckland indicates that it is unlikely that in future Trowern will be able to make tlie lightweight and enter the ring fit for a hard journey of 1.5 rounds. That being the ease it is probable that he will not figure among the number of lesser lights who will seek- the lightweight crown when Purdy, who i.s to leave in the near future, has overstayed the six months’ absence limit. If Trowern enters the welter class lie should he capable of making a .strong bid for the title at present held by Artie Hay, ot Hastings, though before be can annex those laurels he will have to reckon with the best of a :set which includes Oueenlande.r Casey (who knocked out Hay), Dick Loveridge (who beat flay on points) and Nelson McKnight.

MURRAY’S PROGRESS. The ex-light-weight champion, Les Murray, is likely to he away from New Zealand for a* fairly long time yet as he is reported to, be contemplating a trip to England and the continent. At present he is in New York, endeavouring to get his wrist and shoulder better, it will be recalled that he was badly knocked about when the hard-hitting Billy Petralle sent him to the canvas for the foil, count in the third round of a fierce bout. Jt seems that Murray has suffered much the same fate that befell Hughie Dwyer when he visited Uncle Sant three years ago, OTAGO PITTANCES. The committee regrets to state that for the first time for a number of years the association shows a loss over the season’s operation despite the fact that more contests were staged last year than in any previous year since the inception of the association (says a paragraph in the annual report of the Otago Boxing Association). The wave of depression over local boxing has been felt- by most of the associations throughout the Dominion. The patron age bestowed on tlnq various contests was very meagre, although tiie contests staged were made from the best material offering in the Dominion. The position of the local association should not give much cause for alarm, for, with the exception of Wellington and Southland Associations, practically all the associations have lost money on the past year’s working.

FIFTEEN ROUNDS PREFERRED. The Board of Directors of Stadiums. Ltd., (Australia) decided last week ?.<> limit main lights in Sydney. Melbourne and Brisbane ti> fifteen rounds. A writer in last week’s Sydney “Referee’ extends congratulations to the Stadium authorities on the sound common sense of the decision.

“The directors will find tliei.r step is one that will benefit everyone, associated with the sport in this country. He stales: “It will please the public and the boxers themselves, mid it will have a fine fencing effeel on ihe young men now coining forward. Many in Hw past have their careers prematurely closed by the severity of twenty-round contests against more matured tighter.*. Now tilings will ho different. In America they rarely box even fifteen rounds, and the game "here is a wonderful success. Even conservative England is finding the restriction of the number of rounds very satisfactory. “Another strong point is that Stadiums, Ltd., will find the fifteen rounds limit induce the botter-olas.s American fighters to think more .seriously when a proposition to visit Australia is placed before them.’’-

THE FOUR MINUTE SESSION Many years ago the English Amateur Boxing Association decided that bouts for the championships should consist ol two rounds of three minutes each and one round of lour minutes, the idea being that t ho final round of I our minutes was a test of a, competitor’s stamina. The rule, - which was adopted in 18,sO, and is still in force, was accepted h> be Olympic Council, hut some months ago the International Boxing federation decided that the boxing contests at the Olympic Games should consist <>l three' three-minute rounds, 'the British officials objected to the alteration, and it is now suggested that Britain should decline to send a team to the next Olympic Games unless the old conditions are restored

OLD FIGHTERS AND NEW In the days of the .old prize ring authorities said that any man standing oft. lOin. and weighing 12st. or a shade over, was equal to tackling any human in the ring. And records show that they were not far wrong in their estimate. But t-o-day, with taped hands protected by well-padded gloves, it would .seem that a champion needs to be somewhere in the region of 6ft in height, and over 13st. in weight. There is a- world of difference between fighting on the turf with bare knuckles, under conditions which provide for the conclusion of a round when one of the contestants is down, and lighting under modern conditions.

GUN V. GLOVE. Paolino, the Spanish heavy-weight champion, who Reckons he is good enough to meet Tunney, recently engaged in a contest in Havana, Cuba. During the progress of the bout one Pcpe Conte, a. spectator, audibly expressed Ill’s opinion of Paolino, who hopped over the ropes to sock his critic. Pepe produced a gun from under his coat tails, and Paolino hopped nimbly back again. Commenting on the incident, an American writer says: “If I’d been there I could have told Paolino that lie was making a had match. J knew Pepe years ago. When Pepe was 14 he was a. mounted insurgent fighting under Gomez, and in those days Pepe thought no more of potting a well-armed Spanish soldier than of cutting a stalk of sugar cane to chew on. The ‘Tiger of the Pyrenees’ would have been pie for Pope.” DOUBTFUL EXPERIMENT. A known as the League of Old Boxers was recently formed in Paris, its object being to ensure the selection of managers, trainers, and other officials entirely from the ranks of former boxers, whose experience, they contend, naturally fits them for the work. That reads quite nicely, but experience has shown that many a champion boxer has proved useless in the art of imparting his knowledge of the game to others.

NO PLACE FOR FLAPPERS, “Personally, I think women are spoiling the fight game in Melbourne. It’s not the place for them,” states L. J. Mooney in “Smith’s Weekly?” Sydney. “The perfume they invariably use spoils the taste of good tobacco, and tiieir languishing glance® interfere with the aim of our best prebin. boys. Since they’ve been crowding into the Stadium Satuiday nights the whole atmosphere of the place has changed. And these vaudeville turns. For the most part they’re terribly trying. No, boxing and busking don’t mix. Stadiums Ltd. is endeavouring to give the public too much for its money, and thereby spoiling Saturday night for those who would be- quite satisfied with a night of fight.”

BLOW TUNNEY FELT. Champion Gene Tunney recently enjoyed his first view of the entire movie of hi*, first match with Jack Dempsey. In the first round, when lie saw his two right hand punches to Dempsey’s jaw, he said, as the first one landed: “That’s the one that won for me.” He visited tlie theatre during the dinner hour, when there were few spectators, and only one person in the crowd recognised him, as lie was passing out. in Hie sixth round, lie again pointed out the left hook Dempsey landed on his “Adam’® apple.” “That’s the only one of Dempsey’s blows I really lclt, Gene said.