BOXING.

NZ Truth, Issue 173, 10 October 1908, Page 6

BOXING.

THE TRACY-GRIFFIN CONTEST Wellington v. West Coast. Tim Claims Another Victim. (From Our Own Correspondent.). CHRISTCHURCH, Thursday Night.; The Christchurch Sports Club had a big attendance at its meeting on -Thursday evening, the principal attraction, of which was the Tracy-Griffin fight. As a curtain-raiser, A. Thompson (U. 13-) met S. Mangin (U.G), which ended m Mangin being outed m the second round after an uninteresting display. The crowd didn't believe that Mangin was a trier, although he took the count out on. the floor, and he was hooted heartily when he didn't get up. Subsequently, Colonel ChaHey, the referee, suggested publicly to the Sports Club that Mangin should never I again be permitted to appear on the stage. • .

J. H. Jones (10.12) next tried conclusions with A. Birch (11. If), who used to arrange his hair Avhile fighting. Birch is long and e&'eminite, but he foughb a strenuous six-founds bout, the verdict being given to Jones on points. After that extremely gory exhibition, the "go"- of the night followed— Tim Tracy, Wellington, champion (O2£) and J . Griffm, Greymouth ( ( J .10^.) • Tracy stripped ostentatiously .m the ring before the public, a la "Burns, and the/ .first, round ended 'harmlessly, if. anything slightly m• Griffin's favor, who got" m two or three- , *

UNEXPECTED BRUTAL LEFT'S which' seemed to stag&er the Wellington nt^n. ,^3oth men displayed . good footwork, m the second round. Tracy exerted^ superiority but the, slighter man exercised considerable activity; and escaped' a considerable amount of punishment. In the third round .Griffin- was prostrated .by ( a blow on the jaw, and remained down while the "Majah" counted eighth He. (Griffin, not the "Majah") wanted a rest, apparently. Round four saw' Tracy dogged and determined, and Griffin's shiftiness didn't save him from punishment • when the heavier man followed him up. The man! from the windy city got: m a number of : body blows m the fifth.-round, both men displaying great ; cleverness, the footwork being a ' noticeable (feature. Tracy got m three heavy blows on his" opponent's face. The sixth round saw a fine exhibition of defence by both men, but m close quarters Tracy got m two unpleasant upper-cuts with a villainous left. • The seventh found was almost en-; tirely without incident, the defence of' both men being exceptionally good. In round eight, .Griffin forced the pace; and Tracy was equal to "■ the occasion, though the defensive tactics of\ both men • again' prevented any) damage; all-hough -th3.-Wes.tr. -coaster got m some face and body blows. Griffin made it so vigorous that he lost his footing by the force of one of his own blows, and was contaai to remain on the carpet while nine was counted. The spell was needed by him,, In spasm nine NEITHER WAS KILLED, \ Griffin doing a lot of in-fighting " to avoid punishments On these occasions, the Greymouth" boy's back was! the^ only place presented- to Tracy to punch,- and lie accordingly belted the, Gieymouther under the shoulders, which provided arn-r---usement for the crowd. The -tenth! round was distinctly m faV.or';o£ Tracy, who got m seven face blows to his oppor nent's three. Tracy's favorite jab was on the- side of the iace. when Griffin was swinging round to. avoid punishment. Round eleven fouri4. Tim 'as .strong, as a liorse, .and When Griffih -his vulnerable ' points ' the ' Wellington^ man "simply banged . his opponent on the back of the hea<d and on the back, whereat the' crowd roarei" wilih laughter. . . Numler twelve was a colorless' sparring matcby. In the thirteenth,' at first both men hung off, defensive tactics being indulged m, tut by pure physical strength Tracy drove his opponent on to the ropes, where Griffin got three punches about the body, but they lacked strertgtft* i aria /JPr i^ was eviSent ' he had fought, himself out. In the fourteenth round Tracy f floored • his opponent, and afterwards,, although Vhe might have finished his opponent, Tracy manfully let up ,>on Griffin, who" -Svas i butpointed at every turn, so. much so that the crowd yelled, "Turn it' up Griffin," and "Take 'him off^', whereupon the. referee declared the fight m: fayor of Tracy. It was a deserveuiy ..popular win for Tim/who never, at. any ■s.fcage' of the contest, left the issue .jn. doubt. -^ ■ BQTHi FOUGHT CLEANLY AND : .:' :.<■■■■;.- FAIRLY. ■

111-feeling .there 1 /Avas Hone. It was a scientific .bout,, but .Griffin, was naanifestly" no match, for. Tim,' Avho,/ if the truth must be 'told, was. never fully oxtended; aiitl the question re.ally arises, has Tim" ever, ' 'except jyhen. v matched -with Hock Keys /and Bob' Turner, heen seen%fc .his bssfc. ; He has 'improved fceyondKall know;-*; ledge. He is, without doubt, {he'dacldy oi: all New Zealand , lightweights, . and it is ■ problematical now "-'whether Hjbck Keys or Bob Turner might, beat hini. There- are now plenty of Jia-htweights ',' in Australia "out of worlc;"' and against Keys, Turner, Thorn, tireenshields, or even the much-vaunted Sid Sullivan, ..the unassuming and , gentlemanly Wellington bootmaker could be relied .upon to make them go for. all they are worth. Next -Wednesday, i/evening Tracy is 1o meet Bob Rollo, at JPalmeiston North, and though Bob has ; Been .training carefully and "is sanguine of turning the tables, Tim, who is, m splendid. nicn", •' : ' IS JUST AS CONFIDENT of again beating the Australian. • Nevertheless, it will or ought to prove one

of the best contests ever witnessed ia New Zealand, because Rollo is a cleVeC .boxer, whose experience m the ring ta* ables.him to put into practice every lr.icU of the trade. "Truth," next issue, will contain a full account of the RaUo-TLraty contest, and the ofiber events pf th» Manawatu Boxing Association's carnivaL