SOME GREAT FIGHTERS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 162, 28 June 1930, Page 1 (Supplement)

SOME GREAT FIGHTERS

Stanislaus Zbysko, one of the Greatest wrestlers of ad time, has ietired from competition, and in future will promote wrestling contests at Madison Square Garden.

The Canterbury Association has accepted the 1930-31 tennis championship meeting. At the last meeting it was resolved to recommend to tbe New Zealand association that the championships be held at Christmas time, commencing on Boxing Day, December 26th,, and continuing until December 31st., and following days, if necessary. In order to give effect to this decision it was decided to ask the Management Committee to take steps to rescind the resolution which provides that the fixture shall not commence until niid-January.

A CITY’S RECORD St. Paul, Minnesota, has produced some of our greatest fighters during the past thirty or forty years. Among them was Mike O’Dowd, the game, hard-punching, retired middleweight world's champion (says an American writer). Others were Mike and Tom Gibbons and Joek Malone. But. none of the St. Paul boys deserve more credit for their gallant fighting spirit and ability than brave Billy Miske, who fought and held his own against such tough opponents as Jack Dillon, Mike O'Dowd, Bidy Panke, Tom Gibbons, Gus Christie, Battling Levinsky. Charley Weinert (when ho was in his prime). Bob Brennan, Bob Roper and a large flock of other fistic stars. Among those whom Billy either knocked out or defeated were Torn Cowler, “Gunboat’’ Smith. Jim Flynn, Jack Renault, Harry Foley. Jack Lester, and a dozen others. If poor Miske had not been afflicted with Bright's disease in the very bloom of his young manhood and pugilistic glory he would to-day probably be the leading candidate and contender for the world's heavyweight championship. But after trying to battle that fatal disease off for several years, he was finally counted out by the hand of death in his family home at St. Paul on Ist. January, 1924, when lie, was only thirty years of age. In 1920, when Jack Dempsey knocked out Mislie in three rounds, Billy was really a sick man unfit for such a gruelling task. But he needed money for his little family, and took a desperate chance against the annihilating champion. He received 25,000 dollars for his end of the bout.

During a game of bridge at Avalon Constitutional Club, Glastonbury, "Somerset, the Mayor of Glastonbury dealing, it was found that each player held a complete suit. The odds against this combination of cards turning up have been worked out as 2,235.197,406.895,261,308,301,569, 999 to 1 against, but there are at least eight other authenticated instances of such a deal, the last lieing at the Carlton Hotel, Pall Mall, S.W., last October.