BOXING AND BOXERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 30 November 1933, Page 4

BOXING AND BOXERS

A FIGHTER IN TEARS COMMENT BY EUGENE CORRI (From otir own correspondent) LONDON, 26th October Tommy Tucker, the. grand old man of the ling, who has fought for sixteen years to earn bread, as he says, for a family of six, who has a chicken farm, and who teaches in a Sunday school, truly a strange mixture of interests, was brought to tears in a match against a young South. African, Ben Foord, (writes Eugene Corri). Tucker is a hard-bitten veteran of nearly forty, and, although he has never been in the first flight of heavyweights he is a pictuicsquc figure, lie has won the admiration of all interested in boxing by his pluck and rugged style. He is more a scraper of the old days than one of the more modern scientific fighters. His bullet head sinks into his shoulders proclaiming that he is always trying to keep his chin from the blow that may be delivered, and he has a crouching cover which makes it difficult for an adversary to hit him effectively. But young Foord found the way, flashing left hand leads to open the’old fellow's guard and then landing through the gaps ficico right hand hits. Tucker was' bewildered by his young opponent's cleverness, and lie was down in the first round and in a distressed state, fie came up, however, as confident as ever in tiie second round, but Foord soon bad him in difficulties again, and from another blow to the jaw he fell Mat on his face. Tucker got up at the count of nine, but he was obviously unfit to continue, and Bombardier Billy Wells, the old fighter who was the referee, put his arms round his shoulders and sympathetically led him back to his corner.

No one could console Tucker. He broke down completely and sobbed, feeling, I suspect, that bis defeat was a reflection on him. But none of the spectators took this view. As lie tottered back to bis dressing-room they cheered him all the way, almost forgetting the mail who by bis sterling boxing had brought about the pathetic scene. When there was time to reflect, it was at once realised that a- new heavyweight of great possibilities had been discovered. Foord seems to have a wonderful future. An amateur in South Africa, who was judged tocT young and inexperienced to lie sent (|J Los, Angela); to complete at the Olympic Games, he took the plunge into professionalism a year ago, and lie has come to England, to make good. He preferred to make his start in England rather than in America, although the father of Stribling (who died in such tragic circumstances rcently) tiied hard to persuade him to go back to New York with him as a “White hope.” One may hesitate to use the phrase in the case of Foord, but at the age of twenty be has strength and skill in abundance, and be seems to have a wonderful future. He will certainly not want for matches and opportunities to develop bis exceptional prowess. TOO MUCH TALK This about Petersen: I am rather surprised, after his published statement that he was all eager to resume activities, that he has not yet got beyond the talking stage in the'matter of Harvey. I am told that Harvey was ready to accept £6OO as against £IOOO offered to the champion. The story goes that Leicester has offered more than London. If I may say so, I think Petersen will be ill-advised to wait much longer before making good bis acceptance of Harvey’s challenge. If lie is now perfectly 'fit, as he says, the sooner he gets back to work the better. As to Foord, be can wait. Harvey was the first in the field, and it is proper that Petersen should first seek to dispose of him before coquetting with aiiv other challenger. It is said that Leicester, through Mr Jame Panter, is anxious to stage a fight between Petersen and Larry Gains, but surely not at the reputed price asked — £SOOO for each man. I have an idea that if Petersen and Gains ever fight, it will not be before the summer months when, from what I hear, open-air promotions will be on a bigger scale than 1 [The Peteisen-Harvey fight will take place to-night (Thursday).] As I have from time to time hinted, the National Sporting Club will again set up as promoters at Olympia in December. On,the 19th of that month they will stage as the principal feature of an especially attractive programme a fight between A 1 Brown and Seaman Watson. I am quite prepared to see the Club putting Petersen on at the Olympia early next year. A 1 Brown and Watson are to fight at 9st. And so Primo Camera accounted lor Paolino. Of course lie did. He would lifivc l)ccii no kind of cliciinpion. if lie had not beaten the old, and much worn, Basque. Do you know, some dozen years have gone since Paolino fought George Cook at the Albert Hall, and I well recollect the trouncing the Australian handed out to him. Paolino had his day long ago, and the surprise was that Camera with his youth and colossal physical advantages, did not make short work of him.' Last Sunday’s fight only served as a Roman holiday. Io me it means little or nothing, anything hut proof that the monstrously big Italian is unbeatable, as some of the critics consider him to he.