THE BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13846, 4 September 1908, Page 5

THE BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP.

— • BURNS DEFEATS LANG. ' Jftj CHALLENGE FROM SQUIRES. By. Telegraph.— Annotation —Copyright (Received September 3, 7 p.m) "f? Mklhouiine, September 3. This boxing contest, between Tommy Burnt (America) and Bill Lang (Victoria) took place this afternoon, ii; the presence of a. large attendance. Squires agreed to challenge the winner. The first round was uneventful, but in the second Lan£ sent the champion down for nine seconds, the round ending in favour of Lang. At the end of the third round Lang looked tired, Bums keeping his opponent cor.stantly on the move. The fourth round held a lot of trouble for Lang. He was sent down twitfe in succession. In the fifth round Lang received a series of quick left-hand jabs. Then Burns dropped him for five seconds, and shortly after floored him for eight seconds. Out of a quick exchange, Burns slipped, and was down a :ouple of seconds, but was (soon on his feet again. In, the sixth round Burns had Lang dancing round the ring, and punished' him severely, dropping him first for eight seconds and then for nine, the latter blow sending Lang through the ropes. Finally, the champion rushed his man across the ring, and knocked him clean out when the round had ten seconds-., go. " Bill" Lang, the Victorian heavy-weight and footballer, who fought the six strenuous rounds with Burns, is rapidly coming tv tho front as a fighter. With Squires out of the way, he is quite the best big man on the other side, and has improved remarkably since he entered the ring a few years ago. In the opinion of some judges, hi could have held his own with Squires at one time, but the Newcastle miner has come back from America so much improved that he is now undoubtedly the better man of the two, if he were not before he. went away. Lang is a much bigger man th«Hi either Bums or Squires, and is a very hard hitter, as the cabled report of the fight goes to show. Squires is evidently seek-, ing another match with Burns, but it seems hardly probable that another purse sufficiently big to induce the latter to go into the ring will be forthcoming. ■ • '