THE FISTIC ARENA.

NZ Truth, Issue 282, 19 November 1910, Page 3

THE FISTIC ARENA.

Latest Championship Chat Doings m the Dominion. (By "The Second."),

Shields of Palmerston North and health lately. Hegaxty of.Tirnaru have been match- 3^ Sullivan was billed to meet cd. ' Why not pit the winner against R ay Bronson, the Yankee, at the Franky Ellis. Sydney Stadium last Wednesday. PafO'Keefe, who was in-NewZea- Bill Rudd is due at Westport this land with Tommy Burns, is now box- week to put the finishing touches on ing instructor to the Irish Guards himself for the champ, contest with at Aldersbot (London). Jim Mitchell.

GrUS Devitti iS-SMll lemon-cutting m Queensland. His latest victim was Ed. Russell. Gus did the trick m ttow o rounds.

Les O'Donnell, the N.S.W. welter, who toured part of the North Island with Tommy Burns, is at present lying ill m a Sydney hospital. • Sydney has lately been booming Alf. Bromwiob, "the clever New Zealand light-weight." Where does he come from ? Will some fan let us tonow ? •Owen . Miorao, tfoet British light- 1 weight, recently won on a foul iroin Ral. Moore,? of Phaladelphiia, m the Quaker City, They fought at catchwedgMs, and nothing except the cash turned on the clash.

Evil days have fallen on the heavyweight division, and American promoters are at their wits' ends to dig up 'some "nope," and so long as the real/ hope is not forthcoming, Jack Johnson can go his .way rejoicing, on the stage.

The Tasmanian heavy, Bill Turner, says if Billy Papke has any ambition to go out of his class and have

a shot for the heavy-weight championship of Australia, he (Turner) will be only too ' pleased to accommodate him;

In action, Billy Papke is remarkably reminiscent of Tommy ' Burns. He had Tommy's danoe from side to side to perfection, and then the same as Tommy when he found that he had his man confused by the swift movement he would dart m and land his punch.

j Jack Johnson refused to pit up 20,000 dollars, for a go with Langj ford, and urged as a reason that a. v ; go between two niggers would draw very, little money. Then the two boxers stood side by side and had their pictures taken, the champion i towering head and shoulders over the Boston challenger. • Hurtz, the ranch hand who shot Stanley Ketohel, made a full confession when arrested. He said what he ' did was done m self-defence. He further stated that Ketohel brought on the trouble himself • through insulting hiis .(Hurtz 's) sweetheart. Millionaire Dickerson, the owner of the ranch at which Kietchel was staying, offered £1000 for Hurtz's dead body, fcjut declared that he wouldn't pay a cent, if Hurtz was taken alive. They have their own way of doing things m Ameriica. An offer of that kind m Australasia would surely land a man m trouble. It would be "uicitiug to murder," or ivery near it, anyhow.. At the same time, Dickerson' s feelings towards the murderer were much the same as other people's. : When Lang-ford and J ohnson met m : New York to settle on their match, Sam is "quoted assaying: ' 'I don't sea any streets named after you, you big ink spot if I ever connected this . bunch' of lives with your puss I'd make large crevices m your shadow." In reply, Mr Johnson said v "You poor runt, I don't want to mingle with a person who has been hammered down to your shape. Goodness me, if I should pick on you m public the police would jump m and say : 'Why .don't -you get a regular man if you want to mix bbiaigs. He's only a single portion.' " Whereupon both men, wrote cheques out for 20,000 del- i ■ lars and then tore them up, just to show what little they cared for -, money. The match is still m the atI mosphere. ! Says a Sydney writer of Billy Papke :— "The - ' Illinois Thunderbolt' is a young man of splendid propor- ; tiofis, fair of complexion, round of *limb, and wears his hair long m front, : the said lock sticking up like the bristles of a tooth brush or the crest jof a cockatoo. The pugs from the j j Land of the Fried Nagger would beat | the very devil for bluff, and the j smiling-fiaoed, insouciant Papke is no i exception. In commion with his other | cobbers who have visited this part of | the planet, Papke is quick to seize upon any excuse to fluster or de- ; moralise a foemau, and Ms heated o"b- ] I jection to the belt Williams was j wearing is an instance. Also, when the Visitor shaped up, he did so with b. pitying air, as much as to say : 'You poor beggar ; it seems a sin to knock you out.' " More Langford-Johnson controversy. A 'Frisco paper supplies the following :.— Mistjah Johnson, like Louis of France, presumes the attitude that he is tiie whole Herkimer. Langford on the other side says 'that Jack is a Herkimer, but here it is, gentle reader ; Sam Langford : Good morning, Mr Johnson. Jack Johnson : Good morning, i have a cashier's cheque here to post. "Get it up," said Sam, "I want to see it." Then Johnson , flashed a small roll of bills. • "Put that toothpick away," said Langford, derisively. Johnson came back with this : "I am Jack Johnson." "Who is Jack Johnson ?" •queried Langford. "The champion," retorted Jack, "and the man who whipped you m Chelsea." "I was a kid then,'" said Sam', <: '.hait that isn't posting the money- Post your money, Johnson. ' You said last night that , you would do so to-day. I don't see „ you doing it. rr "Why should' I post j the money for you, Sam ?" said j , Jack. "Did Bums and Jeffries post • the money for me when I was follow- . ing them about the country for a I match? No, sir, Jack Johnson, now the heavy-weight champion of the world, is the man who 'did the posting." Then the champion started to quote Shakespeare. Langford said : , "Abandon the 'bull,' Jack, and get down to business." "This is my business," was Johnson's reply. "This bull is getting me, the champion of i the world, 2000 dollars every week. I am going to pick up 30,000 or 40,000 dollars before my theatrical contract expires, and I am not going to throw any of it away. I have a mother and sisters to support, anil I ' am going to do it properly."

Jack Smith" has Mitchell m. hand down at Westport. Larry Foley is reported from Sydney as not being m the best of

Gus Devitt, of Wellington, and Dick Cullen, the clever Yankee, are billed to box at Brisbane tq-nigbt, Saturday, November 19. Devitt is reported as being as brown,, as a Kanaka, due to - sun-bathing at Bundaberg, where the sugar is crushed, and the sun is— well, just ho%f; j: '; Franky Ellis is keeping himself ' m good condition. He's , <a - regular early morning visitor to Te Aro baths, and if the lad would perfect himself m the' crawl and the trudge, he might turn ou-t a craofc swimmer. He's strong and big-hearted, and has the build of a nateitor.

Jim Mrtchell is now located a4 West-port, and is steadily training for his championship contest w4H Bill Rudd on December 3. He is getting into the best of condition and is confident of turning the tables against Bill of Wellington. Jim says that

Rudd will not caioh him napping. Let's hope he won't send him' napping.

At an exhibition given at Eketahuna on Thursday evening N of last week, the following lads sparred :— G. Hall (9.4) and C. Small (9,10), J. Prentice (10.0) and W. J ' Palmer (10.12), Stratford (9.0) and Smith (9.2), A. Pratt (12:4) and Ireland (11.0). A good night's sport was put on. There was no charge for admission, and there were no. decisions. "DarMe" Richardson is the instructor to the Association, and some of his pupils showed great promise. He has a particularly likely lad m .A. Quin, and things are promised from him.

As . readers last week can imagine, the Palmerston North tourney, promoted by the Palmerston. North Boxing Club, was a great success, and the club should, as a result, be fitted up m the most up-to-date manner. The' boxing, generally, was clean and clever, the decisions just, the management perfect.. The only complaint is that patrons got too much value for their money. The success is due to the painstaking efforts" of the secretary (Mr T. H. Stacey)* who, a little bird informs me. .is very handy with the gloves, and has "seen service" m America. Our old friend, Ike Fake, is, of course, the life and soul

of the club, and, to make the tourney successful; he grafted like a nigger. He officiated as referee at the tourney, amd acquitted himself, as he always does, with honors. Able assistance was afforded by Ford Hankins, who is becoming; the "Uncle Ben Jordan"- of New Zealand. Dr. O'Brien, the President of the M.8.A.,

was there. Of course, he was. What would a tourney be m Palnierston North without that good sport ! Jim Cla'toby, the welter of the Yankee contingent now m Sydney, got away very easily with Bob Bryant at the Sydney Stadium, the latter's towel being skied m the seventh round. Says a writer m the Sydney "Sportsman" of the American: — "Jimmy Clabby has made good here with a vengeance. He simply paralysed and aroused the admiration of all the sports m this town by his brilliant showing against the clever (and vimful welter, Bob Bryant, at | the Stadium. Some people were unider the impression that Bryant fought badly on the occasion. That is all poppycock. He battled as if fighting for his life. He brought all his arts and wiles to work, ami his courage throughout the encounter was admirable. . But he was simply overshadowed and bewildered by the shifty,' evasive, quick-stepping, fleeting, hard-hitting Devil m front of him. Clabby has brought more tricks with him m his fighting kit than belong, to any man the writer has seen stepr irito the ring. What a revelation h& was when he fairly got going ! On bis appearance, one would never believe that all the natural qualities of a great fighter are within him. Narrow of face, and wearing Ms hair I long, minus thick ears and scars, he ! looks more like a spring poet than a | wonderful fighting machine. Unlike j the majority of his cobbers from the land of the potted dog, he goes m for no Yankee bluff and ring gyver. All through his fight with Basher Bob from the Shore, he wore a cool, alert, smiling expression. It was only when the local man smashed home a hard punch that a glimpse of his fighting dial was on show, and he waded m m turn until he caused Bob to look somewhat sorry for assaulting him. As an exponent of looping the loop he is the best we 'have seen. He keeps up to his man all tse time, ready to lead with either haad, and he back-moves beautifully."

W. Crawford, instructor to .the H.8.8.A., -writes me.to the efiect tflia/t L. Roibisnson, who'won from Wenand vOn a foal at (xis'boEne, is open to box any Lad tim the Dominion for the pro. fera/bher-weiglit championship". Any association"* loo'ying for a match might give this matter attention. Bobby is a clever, two-banded. . boxer. W. Crawford is 'bis mentor acd' manager. Joe RstsseU, wbo wrested the Australian feather champ ionshiy from Bill Elliott, proved that his victory over the Dominion champion was no ! fluke by decisively defeating Frank jFitzjohn at Brisbane recently. Fitz will be remembered m Wellington as the Australian amateur feather who was beaten by Elliott when the Australasian championships were fought m the local Optvra House. The sport is booming on the West Coast, and there is no reason to doubt that as long\ as the present excellent managemimt is maintained, boxing shall contiuvue to boom m the mining districts. Denniston is to hold a tourney, and some dark horses are promised. The Mfillerton Association are promoting t!?he heavy-weight professional championship between Bill Rwdcl and Jim Mitchell. After that the Westport Association will try some local talent a'V; a gatfeering^.