GRIFFO AND MURPHY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 10 March 1928, Page 13

GRIFFO AND MURPHY

ALLEGED TONGUE LASHING BILLY EXPLAINS. SEARCH FOR A FIGHT. Wav back in the ’seventies, when the late Griffo was in his prime, one Billy Murphy, of Auckland, was one of the few boxers of his own weight that the elusive Australian was not keen to meet In the course of an appreciation of the Great Griffo, which was published recently, an English writer declared that when Griffo and Murphy came together in Boston the latter was merely a target for Griffo’s fist and tongue. Billy, who is still alive and sprightly, called into the “Auckland Star” office the other day and gave his version o± that affair. , , , He stated that after he had disposed of Jarvis in Australiaiahd had decisions over Weir, Dickson, and Griffin in the U.S.A., he found the greatest difficulty iu getting a chance at Griffo. Despite the fact that such a match in Boston at the time would be the greatest draw of the day there always seemed to be some •objection from Griffo ’s side, and he (Murphy) caused a good deal of consternation in various boxing camps by making little speeches to the crowds whenever he did get a match. At the time he was a “big noise” in the game, and wliat he said carried weight. Truths About Bouts. The managers of the outstanding boxers, he says, were generally great gamblers with a “past,” and he conceived the idea of telling the fans in Ids short speeches from the ring some choice truths about the boxers and their managers. He admits that in one of these outbursts of .confidence he said some nasty (things about Griffo, with a view to taunting him into a match. 1 That was- the wav .things were -done in t hose days, he said. This leads up to his explanation oi the tongue-lashing he was said to have got from Griffo while he was in Griffin’s corner wlieu Griffo fought Griffin. Billy states that Griffin invited him to have a look at his training camp when he was getting ready for Griffo, aruU^ o discovered to his surprise that Griffin was very sluggish and unfit. On inquiry he was told that Gnffm had had his iiose broken by a chance blow in a previous fight, and had resorted to snifffine- a drug’ in order to clear his head when bothered by his breathing as a result of the break in the nose. Whether or not this was the cause, it was apparent do Billv that somethiing was amiss with Johnny Griffin, and an unsuccessful effort was made to get Griffo to meet Murphy instead of Griffin. bo Griffin, though only a shadow of his former aggressiveness, Griffo, and Hilly Murphy was in Griffin’s corner. Wordy Warfare. Billy had private reasons for wanting to see Griffin get through eight rounds but earlv in the fight he realised that Griffo had seen that Griffin had lost his old punch, and Billy got fearful that Johnny would be knocked out early for Griffo carried a knock-out. It was then that Billy started to taunt Griffo, whenever the action got near Griffin’s corner, and Griffo, still smarting from what Murphy had publicly said about .him previously, was quick, to Tcspond, often turning from liis business of hitting his opponent to send some stinging retort to the man outside the ring. It was highly entertaining to those about the ringside, and it also served Billy’s cunning purpose of nursing Griffin past the eighth round. Tlie wordy warfare also resulted in Griffo- being stung into signing for a fight with Murphy very shortly afterwards. A bumper ‘ 1 house } 7 was 'the result, and, according to Billy, when they got into the ring Griffo greeted him like a long-lost brother. With visions of another match and great house, Billy agreed to make a boxing match of and a boxing match it was. Naturally, with Billy withholding his fambus righthand punch, Griffo dared all sorts of things —quite different from their two earlier bouts in Australia, when Griffo was chased round the ring in his (successful) efforts to evade .Billy’s deadly right, “GREATEST - SINCE GRIME.” “The greatest fighting prospect Australia has scon since the advent of Billy Grime.” That is how one judge of boxing sums up Roy Storey, the undefeated Sydney light-weight. Other good judges 'have endorsed this opinion. Storey, from all.accounts, lias a natural aptitude for the game. He boxes straight up and down, he is a good mover arid a great puncher. AIL he needs is the experience to bring the best out of him. Bv all the rules that are supposed to decide boxing contests, Storey (9.6) was a better man than Billy Davey (9.6) in ■their twelve rounds head-liner at Lcicliardt, wrote a boxing scribe in describing Storey’s drawn battle with Davey two weeks ago. Storey took the lead 99 times out of 100, and his more finished style surely gave him a lead on points at the end. Roy also dropped Davey for eight with a nicely-timed cross in the ninth, and gene rally did the better work; but the Cessnock crack was gameness personified, and his flurry in the three final rounds made such a hit with referee Pearl that he declared the contest a draw.

Storey as about the most promising young lightweight now around Sydney, and liis well-balanced stance enables him to backinove most of what the other fellow shoots out, then be in a position to counter "with, either hand. Davey is also a great prospect, but he does not seem to have advanced yet as far as the young Surrey Hills scrapper. Storey showed this by his free straightup style against Davey’s crouched and somewhat cramped action. DEAD GAME. “We’ll doff our hat. to that Britisher. He may have a frail chin and celluloid ribs, but there isn’t a thing the matter with his courage. Phil Scott is a. game ’un —a dead game ’un.” Thus writes George B. Underwood, the well-known New York sporting journalist, in his account of the. Scott, and Hansen light at Madison Square Garden.

Describing the blow which .put Scott down for the fourth time, the same writer says it was a terrific left-hand punch flush in the groin, but Scott, though badly hurt, somehow managed to stagger to his feet. Twice more Scott tvns sent down, stunned by sledge-hammer blows to the jaw and in agony from the blow it] the groin, but each time lie got up gamely face-front, to the foe. “We don’t know how he did it, but he did. bless his. stonting lighting heart,” concludes this New York journalist,