BOXING.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 9136, Issue 9136, 8 February 1910, Page 6

BOXING.

(By "Old Sport.' 3 )

It is amusing to read the opinions of a number of writers who contend Jffines will win "and win easily" on the 4th of next. Julv. Corbett has also made use of several absurd statements, and the world's ex-champion and other Yankee admirert- of Jeffries consider Johnson already beaten out of shape. Corbett ;>lso informs us that Jell' is almost in perfect condition now, and live months to "o mind von. Now eight out of every ten" medical" men will tell you that it will be. a physical impossibility lor Jen to get into the same condition as before his retirement. 1 once held tho opinion that lit and well Jeffries would beat Johnson in 10 rounds. But since then Johnson has disposed of O'Brien, Kotchoil and Kaufmann easily, and I have changed that opinion. Even now I maintain that the two men will never meet, a.nd Jeff will do the same as John L. Sullivan did after signing .to meet, Potcr Jackson (coloured), "repudiate the whole business.'" although there .is a. fortune for The loser. Jeff says unless assured That he will bear the coloured man all the money i:i tho world would not got him into 'the ring against Joliii.->on, and ho would never place himself in the ■ same position as Tommy Burns did m Sydnev. The humiliation would be too ' gieat (is this not an indication of funk:). '" iieccnt notes from the land of tiie Stars and Strines express the opinion that Johnson will be badly beaten, that lie is living a fa*r life, going the pace, etc. We have- not yet heard that he is leadins a- -drunkard's life or a life of dissipation, and the fact of a man. leading a jovial, happy-go-lucky lift- with his many friends is not to my mind an indication that he will be easily defeated bv Jeffries. The fact is that. Johnson ciiu get in splendid condition in two months; consequently he has yet three, months of leisure, whereas Jeffries is now. and has been, for the- past six months training and preparing for the ordeal on the fourth of July. Now. to ge* down to bedrock. Jeffries' supporters argue that Jeff is big. has wonderful hitting powers, and already lie has made Johnson afraid. The two first may be correct, but the last, assertion cannot be proved until they meet (fair play is boniiie play). We" heard all this kind of Trash for weeks prior to the Burns-John-son contest. "But what a. difference in the morning !"'" The coming contest is to be the best of 45 rounds. Jn my opinion it will go about 20. and Johnson will win. The fact of Jeff being bigger than Burns will be all the better for Johnson.- who gives

.me the impression of being clever with his head., which can be used with better effect against a. big man than a short one. His hitting powers are excellent. Did he not knock Bums clean off his feet twice'.' And his heart, "if black." is equal to that of his opponent, who has condemned Johnson to the lowest. Local .supporters of Jeffries say Johnson has not got a punch. Well. a. punch is not hereditary. It has to be developed, and surely live months from date is .sufficient time io develop that. A man without a punch could not have beaten Ketchell in such a decisive manner surely. When the contest does start Jeffries' game will be to get the unwelcome- event over as

quickly as possible. I Kay unwelcome, becauso this content, is not Jeffries* own peeking. Jeff will therefore force the fisrhting. while Jack' will play fhe watchful, waiting game. The black can run. and will give the white man a. taste of it. too. I don't think for one moment the coon will force the lighting, but before eight rounds are over Jell' will get leg-weary, caused by carrying his excessive- weight for the. SJ. years. Then Johnson will start io punish, and will continue to do so until Jeff is helpless. provided of course . the spectators will allow this to be done., which I very much doubt.

In conclusion, I consider thai, should the match eventuate it will have a midden ending, either the police will srop the contest or tho ring will be rushed by the spectators to prevent Jeffries' annihilation. The Yankee* would not witness the downfall of their idol by one of the coloured race in a fair, honourable contest.

The professional contest between Lang and Malonc, intended to take place at Westport mi the 27th of last month, was postponed on account of the illness of Ma lone.

Wanganui is hold in sr a tournament on March 7th.

The Hawlce's Bay Association will have two professional contests. £50 and £30. at their next tournament at Hastings. .

Waipukurau will bo holding their initial tournament shortly, when a line programme will be submitted to patrons.

The next annual conference of the New Zealand Boxing Association will be held at Palmerston North.

Several good 9-stonc lads arc residing in the Manawatu and will bo available during the coming soason. including Watkins. Havell. Treweek and Chapman (late of Wellington), who will vie with the local champion for supremacy. AN UNUSUAL HAPPENING.. •ALMOST, A DOUBLE KNOCK-OUT. An English exchange tells the story of an extraordinary affair which happened in a match at Camberweli Baths last month as follows: — "Jack Meek ins, in the second round of a contest with a boxer name Evernden was knocked down, tumbling clean out of the ring. When he •returned into the ring he appeared to be in difficulties, and Evernden plugged him with a right-across, dropping Meekins again. The latter struggled to the upright and swayed as he reeled towards his op- " ponent. Evernden, assuming he had his man beat to the world, walked towards Meekins with his hands dropped, intending, perhaps, to push Meekins. who seemed too • weak to stand. Meekins, however, instinctively lunged with desperation, and caught Evernden flush on the point. Evernden dropped to the boards as if t>hqt. and ho rose dizzily from the coiini. what time Meekins swayed helplessly near his prone rival. Then an extraordinary thing happened. ,The two men drew close, both obviously beaten and incapable of defence. Each man swung his right for a final effort, and simultaneously each blow from the mark. The two contestants fell to the floor with a crash. Meekins lying next the ropes and Evernden under them. ' "Evernden tried to rise, but he could not'! the bottom rope of the ring was in his way. Meekins groped, and his hand found the side ropes. It was as a straw to a, drowning man; he gradually pulled himself up and stood swaying against the ring before' 'ten' wits shouted. Evernden. after several efforts to rise, was not on his feet when the count concluded,. and the question as to who won was decided in favour of Meekins."

THE HANDY MAN SPARRING PARTNER.

JACK JOHNSON AND YANK KENNEY.

•Say- an exchange :—Jack Johnson is hp'mf sued by his former sparring partSer YaTk Kennov. for 2000 dollars back salary Kcrmcy says ho had many trying times* with the big black, bur tho 'worst over" wiis at the Cedar Lake (Indiana) training quarters. "Johnson, he says, "took me down to that hole m the woods and hired a cottage. Then he went out and bought a. cow and a calf. That was so he could have the fresh milk to drink. Then he bought a litter of pig*, for ho likes pork better than automobiles, lneu, instead of staying down there and training, he u«d to get into his buzz waggon and go to Chicago every day. and sometimes he didn't get homo until I was milking the cow in the morning. "I also had to take care of the pigs. There were nine or ten of them to start with, and.it was quite a job. Did I get any ribs nr backbones? Not I. Johnson is'a big man and a hearty eater, and one small pig had no chance with him. Sometimes the cow and calf would stray awav of a long afternoon, while I was taking a nap after my housekeeping

labours, and then it was Yank out in the. woods to round her up in time for supper, in case the champion boxer of the world mighf come down from the city with a motor-car full of friends. When I remember those evenings Kennev shuddered and was compelled to .steady his voice before ho coulu proceed with his narrative.' "You see." he went on, "Johnson was awfully fond of entertaining. Well, sometimes.' when I hud just got the place cleaned up Jack would come tearing down the road with as many friends as the car woidd hold in tho seats and on the footboards, and then my troubles would begin. I always have been fond of iiiv sleep. Sometimes I didn't get \ any until the crowd had caught thp noon | train back to town, tho next day. _ "Then Johnson, for some reason, 1 don't know why—mavbo it \vas remorse, or maybe he thought I wasn't earning my money—but at any rate he would insist on uiy getting on the gloves for.fifteen or twenty rounds. And ho never spared me. Mind you, I am not complaining about the bumps, for those corao in the business, but I kind of thought it was nibbing it in. We broke all the windows and furniture in our bouts. I never saw any money after the first few weeks. 1 had a good job in Brooklyn when lie harpooned me. He was to pay me 60 dollars a week. "I staved there as faithful as—as—well, mighty ' faihtful considering that I was getting nothing for it except a. chance to work niv head oil' like some big slob. Finally Johnson went off to the coast without saying a word to me, except to wire down'to send the trunks up to Chicago. When I began to read the train-ing-enmp trossip from the coast it dawned" upon me that I had been duped. I sold the Inst of the pigs he hadn't eaten and raised car fare to tho city, where I got into louch with some money I had saved back to Brooklyn." —American exchange.