IN THE RING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 78, 15 March 1935, Page 15

IN THE RING

BRITISH PRO. BOXERS Quantity But Little Quality PETERSEN AS AN EXAMPLE (By “Ringrider.”) British boxing critics who are in the habit of “taking stock” of the better fighters in the different weight-classes in professional boxing in Great Britain, at the end of every year, had very little reason for satisfaction with their review of the year 1934. They found quantity but very litt’.e quality in most of the divisions. The most interesting aspect of their survey, though, was that they weie iorced to the admission that Jack Petersen, holder of the British heavyweight championship, has been much overrated, states a Southern writer. One of the leading critics had. indeed, to confess that “there is a painful el—inent of truth in the taunt in an Awrican sporting paper that Petersen spends his time in ‘beating up old incn > >> —this allusion was to the fa t that at ]enst five of the men whom Uetersen has beaten in the last year or two are long past their best. Since that admission was made Petersen has met one of the younger men in international heavyweight boxing. " alter Neusel. of Germany, and has bpen decisively beaten by him. As usual. Uetersen had something of an “alibi” to offer, but his bout vith Neusel wns simple confirmation of the deepening impression that he has been much overrated. Perils of Bad Management. The dumping of Petersen’s British* made reputation is of some little interest outside his own country, because one of the reasons for it is part ®f • modern world wide fashion in heavyweight boxing. This reason is bad management. Careful selection of opponents for Petersen, so that he should not have a serious set-back too soon, was a good policy while he wns still under age, but it has been persisted with much too long. The determining factor in the arrangement of matches for him during the past two or three years seems to have been the sta® of the purse offered, not the gradual development of his fighting qualities and the steady “hardening” of him as * potential world’s champion. On the average, a professional boxer is at his best at about 24 or 25 yaars of age. Many a man has won a world’s championship at 24; Max Baer, present holder of the heavyweight title, won it when he was 25. But Petersen, bow 23, is farther from a fight for the title than he has been for two year« past, because his ambitions in boxing nave been fixed upon current cash instead of upon the world's championship. Small Hope of Recovery. The decadence of quality in British heavyweight professional boxers, as a class, hag continued for so long that there is small hope of recovery from it—certainly not until there is a reversion to old ways of developing them. The itinerant boxing-booth, from which many good fighters gradu* ated once, has gone very much out of fashion, but nothing has yet taken it* place adequate ns a hard trainingground for boxers —possibly because se many boxers, and their managers, now* adays look for something softer. The number of boxing-balls in Great Britain has increased, and, corresponding* ly, there is a greater number of promoters of matches of little import nee. This fact, however, is not benefiting the game, because so many of these “small town promoters” are not of tbo type needed, and there is much bad match-making. Amateurism Popular. The decline of British professional boxing is not, however, a matter for very much regret, because as an amateur sport boxing is even more popular than ever before in Great Britain. Although statistics are not available, it is apparent that even the economic position has not increased, in propor* tion, the number of good amateurs who turn to professionalism. The waxing popularity of amateur boxing at a time when the general standards of professional boxing in Great Britain arc comparatively low is part of the evidence that, in general, sport is tending more to an increase of amateurism than an increase of professionalism. World Champions’ Activities. World’s featherweight champion, Freddy Alilier, of America, continues iO earn big purses in Great Britain. He is ready to fight anyone, and the spectators are delighted with him. In bia last fight in London at “The Ring,” the “house” was sold out three before the fight. “Baby” Arizmendi, Mexican featherweight champion, and Sixto Escobar, of Porto Rico, are waiting for Freddy Miller to return to America. They are accepted challengers. The reason why Al Brown, of Panama. can no longer claim he is bantamweight champion of the world, i* because in his last fight, against Freddy Alilier, world’s featherweight chainpion, Brown stepped on the scale as a lightweight, weighing 9.4. Harry Mason is challenging the new-ly-crowned British welter champion, I’at Butler, for a match w-ith the t:t»e at stake, and Mason is willing to i £5OO on the result. Dave Crowley, who lost a points decision to Nd Tarleton for the BrU.-!• featherweight title, now emerges a alist of a tournament staged to fine «• challenger for the same crown. The purse of 3600 dollars (£7lB prox.) which King Levinsky recei when he was knocked out by won heavyweight chainpion, Max Baer, cently, was tho smallest Lexin-k} I received in his six vears of fighting.