BOXING.

NZ Truth, Issue 128, 30 November 1907, Page 2

BOXING.

GODFREY BEATS HANLEY ON POINTS.

Great Crowd m Wellington Opera House.

A Decision on which Opinions Differ.

Seldom has Wellington • Opera House accommodated such a surging mass of male humanity V as that, which squeeze^ m on Monday evening last, the occasion being the fight for the Dominion professional featherweight championship honors between T. Hanley o$ Sydney, and J. Godfrey of Auckland. Of the Wellington Boxing Association's efforts of the past six months to provide lovers of the noble art with clever and scientific exhibitions nothing but .praise can be accorded. Indeed, Wellington, of all . the centres this season, has been covered with gore and glory. Amateur and v professional contests- have been provided .galore, and "there has been but one drawback,' a mar, as it were, to entire satisfaction, and that is no less than the inefficient refer eeing of Dr. NapierMcLean, a gentleman truly beyond reproach and above suspicion,' and against ., whom the imputations would be idle and cruel, who, no doubt, }s impartial to his lights, but whose decisions, m the opinions of a good number— opinions entitled to respect —and m the judgment of others liavdly worthy of serious consideration, have been far, .

VERY FAR FROM SATISFACTORY. The Turner-Tracy fight decision some months ago, given by Dr. McLean, was then, and still is, and will continue .to be, open to doubt. His decision m the Hanley-Godfrey contest on Monday evening has far from given all-rpund satisfaction, and the opinion is expressed, and, m this writer's judgment, not without some shadow 'of justice, that the Wellington Association should, on the occasion of the next contest, secure ; the services of some gentleman to . act as referee, and the principal qualification of whom ought to be some experience m the hempen arena of more modern days. . Boxing, glove contests, prize fights, or whatever term best indicates a punching match, like many other branches of sport, has been evolved into a science. In America, truly the home of pujrilism, it is brains atid not brawn that carries all before it. : There, the day of long-range 'fighting is over.* It is s quick and sudden in-fighting that counts for every thin n \ the bullocker, and the brutal basher, mideavors by sheer' strength !to send' his opponent to sleep* is counted for nought. Dr. Napier-McLean, belongs to the old school, American, or even Australian tactics are discounted by him. Under New Zealand ring rules, a close and fast fipht; is nigh impossible. So involved are the rules dovernin-g clinches that not one boxer, or even those ' who profess to know the game from A to 7, can clearly define what constitutes or What docs not constitute a fouL The average Sydney boxer belongs to a school of ills own! From the sound of the eong he is obliged to adopt new tactics : he is debarred from engaging m lawful American and Australian tactics. Thus debarred, he is at a disadvantage, knowing his liability, to disqualification, even for a technical breach, '

HE LOSES HIS DASH. The result is a poor display, perhaps defeat of the t'other sider,. and if ■the various Associations m tiie Dominion imagine .that under such conditions, , Australian boxers of any note will . be attracted across the Tasman only to recross loud i and , long m their lamentations off wretched, unsatisfactory decisions" on, points ' unknown to the pug of to-day, then all. that can be said is that the. Associations will make a sad and sorry mistake, and will help to keep the game m the background. The Boxing Associations of New Zealand are conservative to the core. Against their control of the game perhaps it would be unwise to complain, but, like kindred Associations they want galvanising into more modern activity.

' From various view-points on Monday evening, the boxing and wrests line contests were eminently successful. Despite the divergency of opinions on the decision m the Han-lev-Go'dfrey contest, everything was satisfactory and everybody was satisfied with the exhibitions. The wrestling competition between Constables A. Skinner and Clarence Stephens was a great bout". Stephens weighed about 14st 3ft, while Skinner turned the scale at list Gib. But hip great advantage lay

' IN HIS SLIMNESS AND GENERALSHIP. Stephens is a pupil, an adept pupil, too, bf Skinner's, who secured a pinfall m 12£ minutes. ~ Both contestants were warmly applauded for their exhibition. Tim Tracy and Tom McGibbon next gave an exhibition spar of six rounds duration. McGibbon, unfortunately, was suffering from a very heavy cold, and this great drawback militated against the fireman being fully extended. In ■normal condition. McG/i-bbon would., prove a hard nut to crack, * and m a match with Tim Tracy, Wellingtonians would probably see a very clever and game fight. '

The event of the evening," of course, was the Hanley-Godfrey contest. Hanlev's weight was announced as Bst Bft, while that of the Aucklander's, or rather the Englishman's was

given as 9.5t. ... In weight and reach, Godfrey had the advantage. Hanley was as brown as a berry, and gave evidence of careful training. He was as hard as nails, and presented a better condition than the ruddy-com-plexioned Godfrey, who half through the fight showed signs of distress.. From the outset, both sparred for an opening, and Godfrey was the first to open hostilities, but nothing material resulted. Hanley possesses a left which commands respect and he early scored with a punch on Godfrey's chin. The Sydneyite was seen , to great advantage m close quarters, his body blows beinj* very effective. •: The. .Aucklander, howaver, held his own. A riftht with A l^t of weight behind , it, lande4 on Hanley's face, ,■ making Mm wince, but a left. on. Godfrey's cfiln evenetT matters. . In-fighting, is Hanley's forte. Several ; , times he played a tattoo with both' hands on Godfrey's body, and was cautioned by the referee, a caution which > pu7.*led Hanley; who more than once after that

LOOKED: -APPEALING!, V TO THE

■:.■;■ REFEREE ; after an onslaught on Godfrey's tummy and ribs. Haniey led m the second with a left hook to Godfrey's face, Godfrey's return was a straight left to the' jaw. Again the Au«klander used his left to an advantage, and :. -the Sydneyite s clbtw footwork got him out of an. awKward. corner. Haniey scored freely with liis left to Godfrey's dial, and m close quarters he hanged at his ribs, which, being covered m a bathing suit, .hid all marks of the Sydheyite's assault. In the tbixd round both clashed m the centre of the ring, the Aucklander's right connecting with Haniey 's face. Tn close quarters Hanley's body blows ought to have counted largely m his favor. In this round he displayed wonderful agility, and cleverly got out of reach of Godfrey's onslaughts. Crouching low m the fourth round, Hanley's left ripped, into Godfrey's "kitchen," hut he wasn't smart enough to avoid a left, to the face that Godfrey responded with. Rushing m, Haniey stopped a left on his face. The pace was now very warm. Some hot rallies m. the centre of the ring, followed. Left and rights Vere rained m, if .invthing, the Aucklander. getting the test of It. Godfrey was now worked up, nag a light flush m the face scored, for him. Henley's clever side-st<epi-ing tactics stood him m good st/fa*'. t TVs left three or four times reached Godfrey's chjn. In a hot exchange. Godfrey got a right home 1o the face, Hanlev forced him to the ropes, dealing, hard lefts to his face, and swinging a right, which

CARRIED A KNOCK-OUT WITH IT,

but, fortunately for Godfrey, it missed. Hanley was the aggrfe«?;-~ >n the fifth round. A left iro*- Von reached Godfrey's face. Thr Aiicklander's cyo.by this was bruisiti -.ml his nose bleeding, evidences of 'Tie punishment he had . received. Hauler rushed m. rather wildly m live '.rest round,, and the pair came to close quarters; -the Sytlneyite again ikxuojistrated.'hip in-fightins proTviss. Godfrey's rib.s must have been verr B«r*. Hanley. -got all over Godfrey i> . ■ *: sharp, bout. This rounds was p?sA\y Hanley 's.,,. His lefts •Bevw-ml'a&ad their; ,mark,s, though at the »n<! tp}i# Aucklamler, livened up, an-d y;itfe a couple of, good lefts fou&d Tommy's chin..- A rally m the centre eiwsufi, and the gong separated them. Next round saw the . SvdncysJder aggressive.- Eariy the pair got together. : In-frg-hti.ng ensued and Godfrey mr dv Iged .. m - some s-ho'r t-ra n a.c punch"ing, but.vHanley's nghtni.n^-lilc . Mts. to the face made Oodhvv smirlc, though, that lad wasn't slow with his left, but his blows laekwl force: A left on Godfrey's face, after Uve pair separated after some liot work m close quarters, stao;sere(l th« Aucklander, who <-amo m again,, only to meet that left "dook." Each scored with a right- j h?.nd punch to the face, and whtn corners soimdod, Godfrey showed ' signs of disUoss. The. AucMander took the- lead m tii« seventh round, and scored with a

hard rip;ht on the head,. Hmsley's response being a feeMc lrft. Godfr«f had the best of this round, .au< terced the pace all he knew. H»r>l«r« tactics kept him well ou.t^of de*rr«r though, his footwork beins v«r clever. In the eighth Hauler ]*•&«* as cool as ice, Godfrey bemj: ro^«what blown. Twice did the Syrinx lad score with his left noo?U, nn.4 with his right

A LA GEORGE JOT-TPCK, he '•crossed -to Godfrey's jaw. The Svdneysider ■ scored, freely m ttiis round with left ami right hdofcs, and m close r quarters Godfrey scored with a rijffrt hard m the- tacc. H-rov-ley, m the liext round, livened en a Idt, "and ••trom the stort h;i<l Utf> Aucklahder m difficulties. With ltft and right he -hanged Go-dfrer o» th» face and ' ribs, the Aucklander'e r«ply being a smashing right on the *si«t. A nasty left rip, a favorite hit' ol Hock Kfeys, from Hanley, just rrA/ed Godfrey's chin, the Aucklsuader, not to be outdone, brought his rirht ! into actidh, and connected twico with' Hanlev's face, but he wos Rot nuv?k enouah to- get out of rfii>'^ Tote-

toy's piston-like left that reached the jaw. Godfrey, it anything, had the best of round 10. -Hanley was wary, and skipped about* to avoid tie Aucklander's rushes but was unable to get away from some left body blows, m the eleventh round . Hanky's infighting was a big feature. Godfrey's bloody nose and swollen eyn were troubling him greatly, and ' T anley continued to- rip m his- lefts, several of which reached thY" northerner's chin. A rough-up m the centre of the arena saw Godfrey severely pun; ished, whioh he took good-naturedly. In the next three rounds Hanley did most of the fighting. Demonstratine; his cleverness m side-stepping "and ring tactics generally, he had ' Godfrey m difficulties several times. The 'Aucklander's style was unconvincing. HE TELEGRAPHED TOO OFTEN, though his right-upper proved effective'more than once: In close quarters, the Sydney lad came- out on topi, and though m the last round ifchere were some very hot exchanges,. Hanley more than held his own. He piled up points repeatedly * Godfrey tried hard for a knock-out with a right swing, but missed. The last round was a very* warm 'one, excitement running very high. When it had somewhat subsided the referee announced Godfrey the winner, an announcement that was not ' received .without counter demonstrations..