BOXING TOURNAMENT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 237, 19 September 1934, Page 8

BOXING TOURNAMENT

Annual Fixture at Hastings

ACTIVITIES ARRANGED To-night will mark the commencement at the Hastings Municipal Theatre of the three-night tournament which brings within bounds of achievement the ambition of all amateur boxers, the right to wear the gold emblem symbolic of fistic premiership of the Dominion. Indeed, the annual fixture this year offers even greater honours. Upon the performances of the competitors will depend representation in the New Zealand tjam to take part in the international event next month between Australia and the Dominion, so that in addition 'to the golden emblem may be added that even more coveted emblem, the Silver Fernleaf.

The Hawke’s Bay province has on six occasions sent to the New Zealand amateur championships a boxer whose ability was of a sufficiently high stand ard to win a title. In 1920 when the tournament was at Hastings for the first time Duke Maddox won the bantamweight crown to secure the first Dominion championship for the province; in 1924 Artie Hay won the welter title at Wellington; the next"year at Christchurch Vince Parker won the light-heavyweight division; 1926 at Napier Stan Lewis secured the heavyweight championship; Len Knuckey went to Palmerston North in 1930 to be crowned' bantamweight champion; and lastly, in 1932, at New Plymouth, Wallie Hogg camo out on top in 'the welter class. Nevertheless, Hawke’s Bay, particularly in the last decade, has been ably represented by teams which, if not good enough to take title honours, have given a hectic account of themselves.

This year there will be 11. representatives from the province taking part, the Hawke’s Bay and Napier associations having entered fairlv strong teams. Six members of those two teams will be competing in the 24 preliminary bouts to be staged 'this evening and the outcome of their appearances will be watched with special interest by local fans. Nearly 50 different champions will take part tonight and to-morrow a number of the undefeated ones will again appear, with almost as many fresh faces, so that plenty of variety is offering. To-morrow the delegates of 22 associations directly represented will attend the annual conference of the N.Z. Boxing Association at the Council Chambers, commencing at 9.30 o’clock. In the afternoon there is the “Get together’’ gala afternoon at Cornwall Park commencing at 2 o’clock. At 7 o’clock in the evening there will be the second' series of bouts numbering about the same as for to-night. The tournament will conclude on Friday night with the finals of all divisions and possibly a number of semi-finals. AN AFTERNOON SESSION. Although it was at first thought that there would be no necessity for staging Hi the afternoon sonic of the bouts in connection with the boxing championships, it has been found advisable that a certain number of bouts will have to take place to-morrow afternoon. So as not to interfere unduly with the “get together'’ gala afternoon at Cornwall Park it has been decided to commence the afternoon programme at 3.30 o'clock. The contestants for these bouts will be those who were not drawn for the 21 fights set down for this evening. The admission charges for the afternoon session will be adults 1/-, schoolboys 6d, stage 2/3.