A BOXING SURPRISE

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 141, 17 June 1913, Page 6

A BOXING SURPRISE

ATTEMPT TO "KNOCK OUT" LEN. PORTER.

Boxing circles have recently been startled by the .announcement that the Wanganui Association has (recommended to the New Zealand Boxing Association that Len. Porter, at present professional light-weight champion of New Zealand, be disqualified for life. Commenting on this extreme action,. 'fMercury" mi Saturday's Dominion makes the following remarks ::—

PORTER STOPPED FROM BOXING

HERE,

"The best laid schemes of mice and men aft gang agley," so runs an .adage, the truth of which has been forced upon the looal Boxing Association since last week's notes were written. The "scheme" in this particular instance was a good one. It was formulated as an outcome of the victory of L. Porter over "Jim" Hegarty at Auckland last week, and consisted of a return match for the light-weight championship to be staged at the Town Hall.

This, then, seemed a very desirable contest from every point of view. The boxing public of Wellington has, through a variety of reasons—of which endeavor on the part of the Association is certainly not one—never seen Porter in action since he started his professional career. Hegarty has appeared here once only—when he defeated Allen Maxwell—and his showing then was such as to create a very strong desire, for an "encore." Then the Auckland contest of last week was so favorably commented upon that .another meeting between the two appeared just the thing that the public and the Association wanted most, both from the sporting and the box office aspects. Well, to get to the point, the Association had been successful in,securing both boxers for the much-looked-for return when there came a bolt from the blue—.a telegram from Wanganui. It was here that the well 'laid scheme Avent "agley." The message from Waiiiganui came from the Association there, and was briefly to the effect that this body lias recommended to the New Zealand Boxing Association that Porter be disqualified for life. No reasons were given for this drastic measure, but apparently the Wanganui people think that they have reasons for their action. These have no doubt been 'sent to the council, with the recommendation, and the decision of the head body will be awaited by the boxing association and public.

WHAT CAN PORTER HAVE DONE

WRONG?

Meanwhile the case is sub judioe, and therefore not open to discussion, but Mercury." understands that a letter from Porter to the Wahganut executive, .which is considered by the Association to be offensive in tone plays a. prominent part in the affair. ' lhe Wanganui Tecommendation necessarily calls for the endorsement or the council before Porter's service with regard to the Begarty "return" can be definitely looked upon a& unavailable, but it is considered as being highly improbable that such extreme measures would be adopted unless there was ample cause. Therefore tho glow of exultation with which the members of the local, association resigned, on for anothor meeting has changed to an uncomfortable feeling .of uncertainty that oan be expelled 7IL y7 % s^y decisi°* of the New Zealand Council one way or another.

POUTER'S VERSION. _An Express representative sought L criers version of the affair last evening The fistic champion did not seem at all perturbed over the matter, and expressed the opinion that the Wanganui authorities did not }£ V? ft. g f tand on- He explained that the whole trouble originated at Wanganui several months ago in connection with • the Porter-Truscott fight decided there. Articles were signed that neither man should weigh more than 10 stone, and accordingly during the afternoon before the fight he was weighed, and found that he could keep to the' agreement. Trus.optt, however, refused to -weigh in the ■afternoon; and' Porter stipulated that he should do so at the ringside in the evening. But when the time came the facilities for weighing were not available at the ringside, so Porter, to prevent a deadlock, agreed to faght if given half the stake, win or lose. Previously he had put up good nghts against such men as ' Griffin, Hegarty, and others, but the verdict had been given against him. In this case, however, he was positive that he had had the better of the contest, and when the referee adjudged Trusoott the winner he was naturally chagrined. He left Wanganui soon after the fight, but his twin brother, bid., who was practically his double, remained behind, and, he believed, expressed his dissatisfaction at the result of the contest in several quarters. Both of them were more annoyed at the referee's decision in favor of Truscott in view of *the fact that there was much betting on the result, Truscott having been backed heavily. A short time after, Len. Porter continued, he wrote to the Auckland Sportsman concerning the fight and its termination in favor of Trusoott; but the letter, instead of being published, was forwarded to the Wanganui Association. The outcome of this was that some time afterwards he was asked hy the Wanganui Association to answer, several charges. He admitted writing the letter which had been sent to the Sportsman, but stated that any remarks which had been made at Wanganui after the contest did not emanate from him. And now the Wanganui Association were- taking the drastic step of endeavoring to terminate what had been a "straight" career in the boxing arena merely upon a triviality. He was naturally indignant at the trend of events, and remarked to the pressman that^ anyone who tried to "play the game," as he had always endeavored to do, found the boxing life anything but an easy one. In consequence of recent developments he was compelled to be inactive, much as he desired a return match with Hegarty or a bout with Keys.

Reverting to his contest with Hegarty the other night, in which he knocked out the Tirnaru lad, Porter remarked that certain, sections of the press and many individuals, including the referee, had stated that he himself was outboxed and outfought, and that but for the "knock-out" Hegarty would have won. This he flatly contradicted, because, although he lost heavily in the first f?w rounds, he gained considerably towards the end, and considered t-hnf V«d Tie continued in tho closing rnn-nris in the same manner ns at thp.ii-m« of the "knockout." ho must have won.

Meanwhile, the Porter boys, born

and bred locally, are still preparing for the serious business of the boxing life, and have little fear that this trouble will be to their detriment.