THE SQUARE RING

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 21 July 1928, Page 13

THE SQUARE RING

BOXERS IN THE LIMELIGHT TOPICS OF THE DAY. FORTHCOMING BOUTS. July 26.—Gene Tunney v. Tom Heeney, world’s heavyweight championship, at New York. July 27, 28.—Taranaki Amateur . liampionships, at Stratford. July 23 and 24. —Auckland Amateur .liampionships. August i.—Lachie McDonald a*. Harry Casey, at Palmerston North. August 23, 24 25.—NeAv Zealand Amateur Championships, at Auckland.

ECHOES OF HISTORY. Those people avlio are pessimistic o.er Torn Heeney’s chance of winning when he meets Tunney next Thursday fur the Avorld’s heavy-weight boxing championship will find, that the sun will shine again if they look back, over the championship records. Jim Coroott was not conceded a chance before lie beat John L. Sullivan. Fitzsimmons was a long odds shot when he neat- Corbett. People laughed at the idea that so clumsy a fighter as Jjift Jeffries could defeat Fitzsimmons, hut it came to pass. Who suspected that a slow monument like Willard Avould do eat Jack Johnson, or that a curiynaired tramp, Jack Dempsey, could fed Willard in three rounds? Theft again, the idea that Gene Tunney could beat a- champion of Dempsey’s calibre was more or less laughable. Ana in, the past, so to-day. It is difficult to -ind people who are optimistic. about Heeney'6 winning the world’s crown. Who knows, Histoiw mav repeat itself.

HEENEYSAVES HIS PARTNER

Tom .Heeney, avlio is in training for his bout with Gene Tunney for the world's heavyweight boxing championship, saved his sparring partner, Phil Mercurio, from drowning Avhen their .anoe .upset in a river at Eairhaven, New Jersey. Heeney carried .his partner, who could not swim a stroke, to the shore, and then swam out and retrieved the canoe.

AMERICAN OUTPOINTED

Jack Carrol (10.4), welter champion of Australia, outpointed Danny Lewis ( 1 0.45), of San irancisco, at the Sydney Stadium, on June 23. It was . ewis’s first contest in Australia. A gaftie fighter, he battled hard throughout the 15 rounds, but he was no match for Carrol, who, fighting below Ms usual form, outclassed the visitor. In the eighth round Carrol had the American in a groggy state, but the latter recovered during the interval and fought back well in the succeeding rounds, during which Carrol did not appear to exert himself. Lewis 1 placed some good blrnvs to the body and Head. Carroll’s punching was of greater variety than the visitor’s.

HOL DING OBJECTIONABLE

During the contest at Sydney between j'alok -Carroll (Australia) and Danny l.ewis (America) there Avas a considerable amount of holding on the part of the -latter. He could not be olarned for that, he was often in trouble' ‘.ut from, a spectacular point of . view, i liis caused the contest to be of poor {•lass (says the “Suii”). At one stage v an-oil’s arms were held for several seconds. Given more freedom, Canibll would probably have knocked out the San Francisco boxer about the middle of the contest, and enhanced his value as a draw-card. Carrol is keen on fighting Harry Mason, British welterweight, but there is talk of Mason and Tow Fail-hall meeting at the Sydney Stadium tonight. FOUL FIGHTING. A manager of boxers who has just returned from the West tells the writer i that, in Cleveland, Avlie-n one boxer fouls another tlie purse, which should have gone to the foul lighter, is taken away from him (writes “Tad,”’ the well-known American sports writer). There are too many fouls, too many nig-purses and too many escape® from, curs ,of the ring nowadays. The courageous fighter -never fouls. .Battling Ne son wa,.si in the ring for 16 yearns, and tire on-ly time lie ever lost on a joul was when lie fought after the bell rang. (We do riot count the Gans fight at Goldfield. That Avas not a foul regardless of what some prejudiced ringskiers say). Right here in Ncav York there Avere more fouls committed in the ring last year than at any other time in the history of boxing. Take a foul fighter’s money away frofti him and give it to charity. That aaHH hurt. This suspension job is a joke.

WORLD'S MIDDLE-WEIGHT TITLE

Mickey Walker is defending his title against Ace Hudkins in Chicago shortly. It strikes mo that Hudkins is made to order for Walker. He has nothing that can hurt the middle-weight champion, and lie tears in at his opponent that ought to give Mickey a sure knock-out over him (says an American writer). I have always thought Walker one of the greatest fighters of the past twenty years, if only for the reason that lie invariably gives the clients some kind of a, show for their money, lie is a gambler witli his right hand, taking desperate chances with it against the toughest punchers. You rarely see a champion doing that. A fair line on Walker’s form as a middleweight is presented by his swift knockout of the aged Michael McTigue. Recently Michael went ten rounds with Armand Emanuel, the young heavyweight who has been showing astonishing. .form on the west coast. Walker was practically matched with Emanuel out there this winter, but Jack Dempsey is said l to. have advised Eniaiiuel’s father against the match, indicating that the ex-heavyweight champion still retains his judgement about fighters.

LIGHT-WEIGHT QUERY. An English exchange states that the British Board of Control recently held a meeting to consider, the question of the light-weight title. As Harry Mason, the holder, was leaving for Australia, and as there was considerable dougt whether he could still do the weight, it was thought that the board would do something to force the champion’s hand. Instead, the board threatened Mason’s challenger, Kid Berg, of Stepney, that if lie did not return from America in time to meet Mason for the title when called upon lie would forfeit his right to box for the title. It .further declared that, in that event, Ernie Rice, who held the championship some yeans ago, would be substituted -as Mason’s op-

l>oTvent. jVtuso'n should have left England ior Australia last month. AMERICA’S 'AMATEURS. H. 11. Smith, sports editor of the San Erancisco Chronicle, writes : “Time was when our sports fans shrugged their shoulders at the amateur boxers and passed them by on the other side. No longer is that the case, even though we have legalised boxing in this State. Now, when an amateur show is staged, the promoters are assured of capacity houses. Why? Because the fans have dome to realise the amateurs will give them a run for their money. These boys who are boxing ior glory arc always trying. The technique may be lacking and 1 the experience is missing, but you know, as you watch them, each boy is working every inch of the way.” It is frequently the case in New Zealand that the amateur preliminaries are far more interesting and exciting that the professional fight (continues an exchange).