IN THE BING

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7446, 22 May 1911, Page 5

IN THE BING

In the match between Bill Rudd and Blaokmore. at the Sydney Stadium, the former had matters all his own way, winning after threo very one-sided rounds. The result of the Lang v. Lester fight was certainly a disappointment, because no one wanted to see the American beaten through a breach of the rules. Of course, a man should make himself conversant with the rules under which he is to box before going in for a contest. If he neglects this most elementary precaution he cannot expect to receive very much sympathy if his carelessness brings about defeat. At the same time Australian sportsmen would doubtless like to see Lester tried right cut against Lang, and it is highly probable another match will be arranged between them. The result of the first meeting would appear to suggest that the Australian is too scientific a boxer for Lester, whose efforts, from all accounts. appear to be vigorous but somewhat crude. Billy Papke and Jim Sullivan have been matched for a twenty-rounds battle, in London. It will take place early in June, and will be for the middleweight championship of England. Hughie Mehigan is anxious to meet Frank Picato for the light-weight championship of Australia. _ Mehigan leaves for America shortly with Bill Lang. PICATO OUTPOINTS DOUGLAS. In its account of the big fight at the Sydney Stadium, between Prank Picato, the Italian-American boxer, and Arthur Douglas, idle South African light-weight champion, the Sydney “Referee” says that “all the way along the crowd volleyed ■ excited applause, and men who had grown grey as fight-followers marvelled at the grit and endurance of the pair, and the manner in which they assimilated punishment, and even smiled , at each other here and there when the battering was fiercest. There were people who deprecated the way in which Picato forced his extra weight down on the lighter man every time opportunity offered. Tho Italian scaled 9.131, and the South African 9.5 L This was no mean trick; it is allowed and done everywhere and every time, but in America they know hove to do it, better than we in Australia, or those down under from whom our Australian nation sprung. More than once, in several rounds, when the position looked desperate for him, Arthur Douglas fooled' Picato by clever evasive work, which had the Italian swinging direful-seeming wallops in wide circles over the timely-bent head of Ms adversary, and there were not a few occasions when Douglas’ side-step or j hie clever back-move mod Picato look a novice as a judge of distance or position, j All those misses meant points for Douglas, and still Picato finished up a good winner, because his blows were cleaner and more effective, and landed easily thrice to the once tho other fellow's made impact. ■' It would be hard to tot up exactly how often Picato placed his right on the jaw, cither swung, crossed, hooked, or brought to that section as an uppercut—which last punch was skilfully and frequently executed during breast-to-breast fighting; but Douglas, though bending before the weight of electrifying onslaughts here and there, and staggering away from an unusually forceful rush, or the power of a particularly heavy blow, invariably straightened up and cam© back as full of fight as over, and not always without doing something that fairly brought tho bouse down. The real worth of South Africa’s lightweight champion's showing may be gathered to an extent when it is stated that Picato is no back number —no, not by long chalks.' Only twenty-two years of age, he has been prominent since June 10th, 1908, and has a record of over thirty battles —-two of them 10-round “no decision” contests with the light-weight champion of the world, Ad Wolgast, and two more engagements of similar length and like endings with George Memsic, to whom Joe Gans once handed the title, which Wolgast now ownsNo braver exhibition has ever been given than that Arthur Douglas gave, and the manner in which he weathered tho ordeal is proof positive that he has got back to somewhere near his best. Referee Snowy Baker’s decision in favour of Picato was loudly applauded, and rightly so, by a big majority of the spectators-”