AUSTRALIAN BOXER

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 159, 20 June 1931, Page 1 (Supplement)

AUSTRALIAN BOXER

GEORGE COOK IN AUCKLAND.

MATCH WITH O’MALLEY

After three months spent in his native land, George Cook, the Australian heavyweight boxer, is on the move again looking for further fights. He arrived in Auckland on Tuesday morning by the Marama from Sydney, and is to meet J. O’Malley, the ex-Greymouth man, at the Town Hall on June 29. He is accompanied by his wife and child.

Cook is making his reappearance in New Zealand after an absence of ten years. He recalled that tne last time he was here, in 1921, he won the heavyweight championship by beating Albert Lloyd in the Wellington ( Town Hall. Since then he has wandered about the world a good deal, and he estimates that he has had 250 fights. Men with whom he he has had bouts include Georges Carpentier, Stribling, Sharkey and Risko. He lost to Stribling on two occasions and fought out a ten-round no-decision bout with him on another occasion. He beat Risko in five rounds, and lost to Sharkey at Boston on points. “It was one of those ‘Boston decisions’ they talk about,” said Cook. “They kept me in the ring fully twenty minutes, with the crowd roaring for a changed decision. In order to clear the hall they had to put out the lights.”

The Australian has never seen the heavy-weight champion of the world, Schmeling, in action, although he was fighting in Germany when the German was there. Endeavours were made to bring the pair together, but Schmeling would never consent to a match.

After his bout with O’Malley, Cook hopes to secure other matches in New Zealand, and he will then go to England, En route he will fulfil several engagements at Algiers.