BOXING AND BOXERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 12 March 1936, Page 9

BOXING AND BOXERS

. SOME SURPRISE DECISIONS FOORD'S DEFEAT OF LOUGHRAN “MERE CLEVERNESS A DOUBTFUL COMMODITY” (By Air Mail—From Our Own Correspondent) LONDON, 13th February. . There has been a crowded week of boxing (writes B. Bennison) and not a,few surprises. And, I regret to say, room for questioning the soundoss of more than one decision. It can never bo that a common mind will be applied to reading a fight, and in disagreeing with the verdict of Mr U. B. Thomas, who had charge at Leicester on Monday night, when lie returned Ben Foord a winner on points over Tommy Lough - ran. it is possible that I was in the wrong. • Bui; 1 stick to my guns. I was quite decided that the Irish-American was i:t front by more than a few points when the last hell went. I agree that Foord fought to greater purpose than when 1 saw him against Roy Lazer end in most of his previous contests, I lit for all that I considered that Longhran was his master. Loughran, it need hardly be said, was also of Hint opinion. However, all the argument in the world would lead nowhere. Ir is on record that. Foord was the winner, and it i s perhaps better to leave it at that. I am bound to say, however, that the former world’s cruiser champion has enjoyed precious little, if any luck since he came amongst us. He assures me that he will soon have forgotten what lias happened. He is too much of a philosopher to wear his heart on his .sleeve. But I am afraid that, with all his undoubted cleverness, he will not red)) such an abundant harvest as be expected. 1 am almost beginning to think that such a studiously scientific boxer must be content with the lesser prizes of the ring. It is demanded, of heavyweights in'particular, that they thrill the onlooker. Loughran does not thrill in the popular sense of the term, in that he has no considerable punch and banks his all upon boxing knowledge. That, of course, should be enough. But, as he must have discovered in these, his later days, mere cleverness is now a doubtful commodity.

ILLUSTRIOUS FIGURE He has had a very long innings, and no fighter of this or any other country has lent more distinction to the ring. In a recent chat I had with him, I gathered that he had no thought of retiring, for the reason that he does not in any w,ay feel the weight of. his years. It is for him to decide whether lie will go on and on until the merest tyro might beat him. But if I were he U should, in the light of his latest experience, he much tempted to hang tip. my-gloves. . As' for Foord. he will perhaps ap. proach liis pending fight with Larry Gains with a greater certainty of winning* than he would have done had lie been judged to have lost to LoughiaiV ‘lt he makes good against the former Empire champion, he will not lack for profitable employment, and it may. be that before the year is out he will have gone'far to forcing a fight with Petersen, if the Welshman is then in possession of the title. Fool'd will have taken note of the fact that Jack . London was a convincin': winner last. Tuesday in a bout with Rov Lazer. Some surprise has been expressed at : the Hartlepool heavyweight’s success over the American/ Personally, I. would have had small faith iii the future of London if he hacl lost. Lazer, to my thinking, is at best‘.a rather awkward fighter, imd not quite up to championship class. It is none the. less a feather in the cap of London that he’.won. From all accounts he boxed and fought with greater purpose than on any previous '•ocacsion, and .will now be regarded as favourite for the bout he is to have with Pat Marrinan, tho Irishman, in the final of the Wembley heavyweight competition next month. And not a few shrewd judges believe that he is the very man to put up against Jack Doyle.

DOYLE’S. AMBITION

Doyle, by the way, is still in considerable evidence in London, but I take it that it will be necessary for him first to niqke headway with the Board of Control, before, lie will be free to'prove that he is ever so much better than all the other fellows. He would lio well advised, in preparing for the British.champion and the more distinguished of. the profession, if he took such as . London, Baines, and Farr into his reckoning. : Then he would know precisely his relationship to the championship upon which he has set his heart. If so disposed, and providing, of course,) that the -Board of Control is agrees bio,, -he could have a fight at -Wenibley next-niohth. .-It is up to him. Balthazar Sangcliili -may or may not be the: rightful holder of the world’s bantam title.-■ He beat A 1 Brown, hut it may be that .the Panama negro has pretty well 'come' to the end of his tether. That is the only deduction to be made from liis’ display against. Bendy Sharkey at Newcastle on Monday, for in no particular was he the equal of the North Country lad. Sharkey, being a featherweight, had an advantage naturally, blit that advantage did not take him to victory. He won because he urns the cleverer boxer and a more effective fighter than the Spaniard. Whether Sangchili will come here to defend his Title may only be conjectured. The probability is that he will remain at home. In any event I .hope he will; be linked up sooner or later against our best 8.6 man. I expect that he will have a call from Manchester, if people of that city can be made- sure, that Johnny King can get down to weight A l the moment King is pledged to a meeting with Nel Tarleton at Liverpool for the feather’s title.

NOTABLE SUCCESS Dave MeCleave lias got appreciably hearer to a fight for the welter chainp.ionshin by a victory over George Bunt'er in London at the beginning of the week. MeCleave, it is said, was more convincing in his affair with Bunter than at, any time since lie became a professional. 1 know Bnnter to be a good,' strong, and courageous fighter. Indeed, I much doubted whether McCleave had the beating of him. t saw George Cook a few days before lie left London for Hull, where last Monday he met Emil Scholz, one of the younger German heavyweights. He was the optimist he has over been, but alas, “The Grand Old Man” had to strike his flag to the Teuton. His defeat will not hasten Cook’s retirement, for he is quite sure that, though round about 40, he is good enough for an-

other couple of years’ hard fighting. A George Cook on the shelf could hardly be. He will stop fighting only when there is no more fighting for him to do.

“What have' you taken the'curtains down for?’’ “Well, you told me not to smoke here, or it would spoil the curtains.”

Smith: “Do you remember' when a girl was proud of having a wasp-liko waist?” Jones: “I ought to remember it; that was when I got stung.”