BOXING RING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19699, 27 July 1927, Page 16

BOXING RING.

AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS.

SOME PROMISING FIGHTERS.

WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES

Two very lino programmes of amateur bouts were staged by the Northern Boxing Association on Monday and again last evening, when tho provincial championships were held. Record entries were received and on Monday the promoters were compelled to continue until after midnight in order to complote the eliminating rounds. The standard throughout was good and some well-equipped lads were seen in the ring. Chief interest centred in the featherweight and light-Weiglit sections, in which there were 15 and 14 competitors respectively. G. Smith, holder of the feather-weight title, was a pound overweight and could not take his place, but he fought gamely against a taller and heavier opponent in tho light-weight division.

The defeat of C. Broadfoot, the lightweight champion, did not come as a surprise. As a preliminary to the PurdyJamito fight on "April 11 Broadfoot was well beaten by C. McKnight, a contender for this year's championship, and on Monday he was eliminated by D. Armishaw, a clever boxer with a good idea of in-fighting, who is trained by Matt Hatton. Other clever boys in the same class wore Jack Bishara, a rugged but clever boxer from Taumarunui, and T. Slattery, also from the King Country. The middle-weight elimination rounds on Monday provided plenty of amusement. Science was at a discount, except in the case of Joe Smith, a welter, who was fighting out of his class. Dethroned World's Champions. The various world's championship titles aro beginning to change hands again. The year 1926 was remarkable; it saw the dethronement of six world's champions. They were Jack Dempsey, Paul Berlenbach, Harry Greb, Mickey Walker, Rocky Kansas and Louis (Kid) Kaplan. Only two men who started the year as champions retained their titles—Rosenberg (junior light-weight) and La Barba (fly-weight). So far this year, Peter Latzo and Fidel La Barba have lost their titles, but New York still recognises La Barba as the fly-weight champion. The great contest of the present year was the meeting of Dempsey and Sharkey last week. Greater still is yet to come when Dempsey meets Tunney for tho world's championship cn September 15. Mickey Walker, who lost the welter title last year, proved clever enough in the middle-weight section to climb to tho top of the tree, and he joined his name to the title in a recent fight against Milligan in London. Present Title-Holders. Following is the latest list of titleholders : Heavy-weight.—James Joseph (Gene) Tunney, New York, America. Light-heavy-weight.—Jack Delaney, St. Francis, Canada. Middle-weight. Edward (Mickey) Walker, New Jersey, America. Welter-weight.—Joe Dundee, America. Light-weight.—Samuel Mandell, Chicago, America. Feather-weight. Vacant. The title was resigned by Louis (Kid) Kaplan in 1926. Bantam-weight.—-Bud Taylor (America). Fly-weight.—Tommy Baldock, England. The feather-weight situation, which is of great interest to New Zealand, has not yet been unravelled. "Honeyboy" Finnegan and "Red" Chapman are at the top of the class, while Billy Grime, the Australian, is leaving no stone unturned in an endeavour to secure a match for the title. A Promising Middle-Weight. David Shade is regarded in America as Mickey Walker's most serious challenger for. tho middle-weight crown. Shade ia considered iu many quarters to bo tas best middlo-weight in the country. Joe Dundee is tho new welter champion by virtue of tho fact that Pete Latzo trained himself down too fine for tho match, and lie did not have the stamina to go the full distance. Bud Taylor will probably now bo recognised as the world's bantam champion after his great victory over Tony Canzoneri last month. He has beaten everything in his way and stands out very prominently. Fidel La Barba is recognised in New York as ily-weight champion in spite of the fact that Archie Bell, the accredited American champion, went .to England and was beaten by Tommy Baldock, the clever English boy, in what was announced as a world's title bout.