BOXING.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 9186, Issue 9186, 9 April 1910, Page 7

BOXING.

Great interest is being taken in the proposed new Boxing Club, and tho public meeting called for Monday night, in tho supper room of the local Opera House, is certain to be a crowded and enthusisatic one. The promoters desire all young men to join the Club, and there will be no limit to membership. Arrangements have been made to occupy Whalley's Alexandra Hall, in tho Square. The gymnasium will be fully equipped, and the cost to members will be 5s per quarter. Should the membership warrant it a first-class instructor will be engaged. Two good instructors are leaving Sydney for the Dominion during the coming season, and one of these can be secured.

A cable message says: —James J. Jeffries is training for his fight with Jack Johnson on July 4 in a camp amid the Santa Criiz mountains, and that Johnson has commenced his training in Chicago. Jeffries always does his preliminary training in the" mountains, hunting bear, ■mountain lion, and deer, and improving his wind" by long trudges over the hills with his rifle, finishing up the day with sparring and ball-punching. It is currently reported in America that Johnson is not taking anything like the care of himself which world's champions arc wont to do, but if all the recent stories arc true tho giant black man Is going oven further than that, and will, by July 4, have himself in such a state of physical debility that he will fall an easy victim to the cx-champion of the world, no matter in what kind of shape tho latter may happen to be. Furthermore, there is no positive assurance that he will even enter the ring—though the failure' of his theatrical ventures and tho sizzling pace he has set have undoubtedly cut big swaths in the family bank roll. According to rumour, the primrose path has been none too good to the negro, and alrcady*thc signs of retrogression and decay have.commenced to manifest themselves in his face and features. His extravagances are said to be playing havoc with his once magnificent physique, until the Johnson of today is far from being the Johnson who beat Burns, Ketchcl, and Kaufman —and some writers and critics expr'ess the opinion that the black man can never get back into that form again nor expect to withstand, for any length of time, the bull-like rushes of Jeffries when the couple tangle up in the ring. Of course, these reports may be greatly exaggerated, but it is barely possible that Johnson —not Jeffries —will, in the end, be the man who "could not come back." The promoters of the fight announce that the price of seats for the forthcoming contest will range from £1 to £10, and not from £2 to £20 as announced heretofore. It is anticipated that tho takings at the fight will amount to £130,000. THOSE BROKEN RIBS. Says the Referee: —Our readers will remember that Jack Johnson visited tho Manly Hospital the morning after his victory over Burns, and when questioned by curious people regarding the why and wherefore, said it was his practice to call at a hospital before and after every battle he engaged in. Wise-heads smiled doubtingly; they knew no athlete visited a hospital to be examined —especially after a contest —unless he felt queer. Later it leaked out, and was subsequently testified to by members of Johnson's training suite, * that Jack had had two ribs broken, and further testimony to the truth of the information was the fact that he asked his show sparring partners not to strike him about the body under any consideration. Last week Mr H. D. Mclntosh received a long letter from Sam Fitzpatrick (who was Johnson's manager during the champion's stay in Australia), in which the following appears : "You misunderstood me regarding Johnson and Jeffries. I never said I thought Johnson would beat Jeffries. When a man of Tommy Burns' size could send the big nigger to the hospital, where would you imagine Jeffries could send him ? Burns put up a badly-judged fight against Johnson, and made one of tho greatest uphill fights I ever saw, but he fought right into the coon's hands all the time. Had Tommy been properly advised in his corner, and made Johnson do some of tho leading, the fight would surely have gone the twenty rounds, and the most you could have given would have been a duaw." THE CHARGE AGAINST JACK JOHNSON. The trial of Jack Johnson, the negro prizefighter, charged with assaulting Norman Pindar, another negro, was dropped from the February calendar of tho Crim-, inal Branch of the Supreme Court by Justice Goff, in New York. No date was set for tho trial. James Nugent, counsel for Johnson, objected to putting the case over, and said that although Johnson was in Detroit, playing a vaudeville engagement, he could be in Court within forty-eight hours, and wanted a speedy trial. Johnson is scheduled to meet Jerries for the heavy-weight title on July 4of this year. The charge against the negro is a serious one, and if found guilty the fighter is liable to a sentence of five years. It is believed that if he is found guilty tho minimum sentence imposed would extend beyond the date fixed for tho fight. Recently Johnson was charged in Detroit with having a dangerous bulldog at largo. The animal viciously attacked a citizen, and the negro must show cause why his pet shall not be killed.

LANGFORD v,. JIM FLYNN. A Los Angeles cable to the London Sportsman states:—Sam Langford, an aspirant to Jack Johnson's heavy-weight championship, was defeated by Jim Flynn, of Pueblo, in a, vicious ten-round fight before the Pacific Athletic Club, at Naud Junction, on February .8. Flynn won the bout on in-fighting. He managed to cover up or stand off Langford s blows until he could rush hie dusky rival to the ropes, landing blows on the head and body. In the early rounds Langford kept the' former fireman away with ■ right and left ewings to the jaw. However, the blows did not check Flynn, who fought a defensive battle until his head was on Langford'e chest or shoulders. Then he would pummel the negro to the repes. Lant?ford had to hang on to his opponent, and hie knees shook. Langford seemed to become surprised, and finally discouraged when his best and heaviest • blows could do no apparent damage. Flynn bored in without trying to land a single blow at long range. The entire ten rounds were fast and furious, and at times even vicious,.for both men were butting with their heads. Langford was eevcrly cut over the cye._ in the second round, and the wound interfered with his sight, so he claimed. It was not "until the last two rounds that Langford resorted to foul _tactics, although Flynn had used his head'as a battering ram for six rounds In tho eighth and ninth rounds the referee found it almost impossible- to separate the boxers. Langford had opportunities at times to show his usual speed and clever boxing, but mainly the heavier white man smothered the negro. Langford could not get away and set for a knock-out. There were no knockdowns. Langford started "the bout too eure of his man, and many expressed tho opinion that the clever negro was so taken by surprise in the second round that he 'forgot all his knowledge of the game. There were also those who thought the negro under-trained. When tho long swinging punches failed to trouble Flynn the smile with which he opened the fight fa'clcd from Langford's face. His sudden anger almost got away with his better judgment before tho close of the tenth session. The attendance was,around the 5000 mark.