AUCKLAND ANTICS.

NZ Truth, Issue 72, 8 December 1906, Page 2

AUCKLAND ANTICS.

The Rival Camps. The two rival boxing clubs m Auckland—the Northern and the AucklandAmateur— aire just now busily engaged expressing their mortal hatred of each other m no uncertain terms. When the" Government passed, two years hack, those very desirable regulations foi' the betterment of boxing, the Northern Boxing Association became affiliated to the N.Z. Association, and the Auckland Amateur was left out m the cold. It was prophesied afc the time that the unaffiliated club must short.lv die from sheer >lack of support, but, contrary to expectation, the club battled along, refusing absolutely to get off the eairth, so to speak, and leave the field clear for the Northern B.A. The more surprising was this continued existence, because at that time 4 Aie management of the Auckland Club was, not to rmt too fine a point upon it. hardly idealistic. At the time this "illegitimate" club was' bossed by a cove named Cross, who, 1 with ' a few pals, carried the show •alone . somehow. Still, they did carry ;cn, arid they managed' to set" a number of passable programmes which the nublic supported m generous fashion: Latterly; however, " THE CROSS CLIQUE, became absolutely too torrid . hot even for. the pugilistic push, and they had to resign m a body. It might be imagined that, considering the difficulties under which it labored, of which be--ing banned by the N.Z. Council was the most serious, this- would have been a very favorable opportunity for the Auckland Amateur Boxing Club to give Up 1 the ghost. But this it flatly refused to do. Instead, out of the : ashes of the old club arose a club stronger m all points. It set to wprki to put its house m order, and to-day the Auckland club boasts a committee of enthusiastic sportsmen who vow they mean to keep theiir flag flying, N.Z, Boxing Council and Northern Boxing Association notwithstanding. This club has shown such an astonishing amount of vitality and pluck m pushing its head up again, that this should m itself give the N.Z. Council pause, before it ruthlessly condemns it, and, : by increased Parliamentary power, sweeps the little club into oblivion. Asked by a "Truth" man why they didn't settle their differences with and merge ' into the Northern Boxing Association, the Auckland Amateur Committee stated thp u t such a course was impossible. They allege that the Northern Bpxinn: Association is carried on m such. a manner as no true supporter of the noble art could countenance. They go on to' state that Mr Keenan, secretary of the N:B.A., - and his committee have played; the game just about AS LOW DOWN 1 ; ' , as it is possible to l play it m their efforts to oust the hated rival clubi They quote one instance m particular. Mr Keenan, supposed to hold professiona,r boxing iir holy horror, some weeks ago approached Brain; a professional living at Onehunga, and asked him to train- to meet the Aus^ tralasian heavy-weight amateur champion, McDonnell. Brain told Keenan he i was. a professional, but. the Northern sec. said that would be alright, for he would take steps to get him j reinstated as an amateur. Accepting' this statement, Brain trained , for three weeks, when, to- his astonishment, he found he had been given the go-by, and McNeill was billed to meet McConnell. The McConnell-Mc-Neill match, duly, eventuated and Brain, naturally asked Keenan what he meant by serving him so shabbily. The Northern secretary- suavely answered that his (Brain's) papers had j not been returned yet (the question arises as to whether Keenan ever applied for Brain's reinstatement), but he expected them -every day, and would then match Brain against \,a better man than McConnelh. to wit, a pug hailing from Taranaki (Ryan, New. Plymouth). : But is the N.Z. Council aware that the McConnellMcNeill match is , ' . ' A, DISTINCT BREACH of its regulations m relation to amateur and professionals being matjehed. Keenan says McNeill is an amateur. Others say that he has been after the gonce down on the West Coast of the South Island. Another trick of K,eenan's w;as . this. Following on the Northern secretary, came . H. Mackieroy, secretary of the Auckland Amateur Club, m quest of Brain for a match against Lewis. Brain agreed. But Keenan loomed up on. the horizon, told Lewis that Brain (whom but a few days before Keenan had been cajoling into a fight, holding out as a bait that he was to be reinstate ed) was a pro., and if Lewis entered the ring .with him he (Lewis) would be disqualified throughout N.Z. Altogether there is A LOT OF FUNNY BUSINESS, going v on, and before ousting the Auckland <. Amateur Boxing Association- altogether, the N.Z. Boxing Council ought to be quite certain whe-r ther they or the Northern Club are likely, to do most for the furtherance of pule sport m Auckland. Unfortunately m the old days the ; Auckland Club -.had- a bad reputation, but the governing Council, if it could meet the new management as the representative of this paper has done, and see of what clean and enthusiastic sports it is composed, would hesitate before doing anything drastic. Anyway, Keenan and his committee are m bad odor with the Auclfland sporting public, and it is lamentable to think to what state of chaos boxing may descend- if left entirely m "their inefficient hands.