THE AUSTRALIAN RING

NZ Truth, Issue 472, 4 July 1914, Page 10

THE AUSTRALIAN RING

ItEMINfeCENCK_A^ RKOBEDS (By "Boxer Major.") \- 1 Copyright: AH Rights Reserved by the Author. (CHAPTER XLVm.)

A correspondent, to whom \l am deeply indebted, and .from whom I hope to hear often, sends me a quotation froih my own writings m the "Referee," on the eve of the first Griffo-Murphy contest, which took place on September 2, 1890, at the | S.H.G.C. He offers the loan, of the) cutting from which he quotes, ; for! I have actually not' got the time to look up my former writings, and have to i depend* almost solely on memory m recounting many incidents. I hope my valued friend will stand to his offer and forward me the article from which he quotes; for it would, as he says, BE OP GREAT INTEREST if reprinted now, to say nothing of the amount of, research and memoryraking it would save me. I guarantee a safe return of my ' correspondent's material, so carefully treasured all these years— if he will send with it a precise address. The quotation refers to the GriffoPluto series of matches and gives the facts aboi/t them. After introducing the subject (the article was one giving particulars of Griff c>s career up. to the time when he challenged Billy Murphy to fight for the feather-weight championship of the world, which. had not Idrig previously been won by Murphy from Ike Weir, '!The Belfast Spider," one of the fastest and most punishing fighters who ever trod the American ring), by relating, as I have done m a former chapter, how Monsieur Victor came to get hold of Griff o through me;

I wrote:- — : "Arrived there (Melbourne) he was at once matched to box P.luto eight rounds at the Victoria Hall. The match ended m a draw (m those days there were no points decisions), and a second meeting of six rounds, at the Hibernian ; Hall, resulted similarly. The outcome of these two undecided battles was a match with skin gloves. The lads met before a select circle, at Lilydale, m the open, and after fighting 23 rounds, m which Griffo did most of the leading, the sports humanely stopped it and made a draw of it. A , little while after Griffo and Pluto had ■ A BARNEY IN A BILLIARD ROOM and adjourned to Peter Newton's rooms, where they fought 13 rounds, when Newton stopped it. Griffo'broke i the third finger of his right hand, m this go, on Pluto's hard black brow. ... Then he- went to Melbourne again to fight Pluto, m the Amateur Athletic Club, for a purse of £100 (a record m those days), and after 70 rounds the flgbi was declared a draw and the boys divided the purse." The which, being written at a. tun o when I had eyory detail of Griffo's careor at my fingers' ends and could refer to him m, any case of doubt, is likely to bo absolutely "tho facts of the case.!' : More correspondence on Griffo the Incomparable. ."An old sport" wroto me last week (10/6/14):— "I have been reading Truth* for some years now and I take a pleasure m reading your column m reference to the Australian Ring. I have always been, a sport, ever since I was. a boy, and, as regards flghts and fighters, I have followed them up for many years. Lately, I am sorry to say, I- have hot been, able to go to them on account of sickness, so I take all the more pleasure m reading" your reports m the 'Sportsman,' that and your reminiscences m Truth.' They make a man see the .fight as it went on, I noticed In your writing last Sunday, on Alf Grlffo's record, you forgot to mention the bare-knucklo , FIGHTS THAT GRIFFO HAD. ; "Ohe of ' thorn' -was about the * year 1888 or 1889 with a young lad about 17 or 18 years of age at the time, as near as I fould Judge. This lad's name was Snowy Pulham, or Pullen, I am not suro of. tho spelling of his name; but he was working on tho sewer job m Harrington-stroct, m No. 16 Bhaft, near where I was working m Foster's bedstead factory, at tho corner of Harrington-street and Gallows Hill. It was at dinner time that they fought and it was the best fight ever I saw and it lasted an hour and 10 minutes, about 13 rounds, and I think, onlyVfor tho boys, Griffo was beat. Griffo knocked him down seven times; but tho lad was game; and I thought myself after ho was knocked down and got up again and again that. I never saw a better two-handed knucklcflghter In my life." (And yet it. was Griffo who did tho knocking-down. It is hard to rcconcllo "Old Sport's" opinion and that fact disclosed by him. — Boxer-Major.) "And I am very sorry to say that our old friend, Ironbark Jim Burge, is not alive, ■ for ho could tell you moro about Pullen and this fight, for ho it was who picked him up nnd was working mates with him. . '*ln the same year, about 6 or 8 months afterwards, the same two met again, at Botany, at somo sports ut Sir Joseph Banks' Grounds. 1 can't bring to momory what hollduy It wa«. but they fought nine rounds on 4hc grass and GRIFFO NEVER HAD A LOOK IN. I mysolf stood by and watched it. i Another of our old- time grass-fighters j was picking him up. I remember tho lads, when thoy saw how things wero going, sang* out. 'Police!' Tho Jast I heard of 'Snowy' ho and a man named Rubo Russcl hud a small boxing club In Lyndhurst College, Glebe, "But give mo old Oriffo with tho gloves. Some of our champions of today would not hit him with a handful pf rlc©! Ho was, the best boxer that over Blood In a ring. , "Sir, I raaV later on give you somo moro Information." I am very glad "An Old Sport' r reminded mo of these Incidents of "do feddcr's" career, for they had quite slipped my memory, though Ineard of them often enough at the time. Thoro word a few of tho tfrim old pushltcs who were only too pleased to toll mo how Pullen had worried tho champion; and what my correspondent recounts nt» m with my remarks about Abe Willis— who, by tho way, I was informed last week, died m Callun Park Asylum, whero he had been interned for several years, somo eighteen months back— and his ability to muster Griffo m a rough and tumble. I shall be glad to hour from "An Old Sport" again, nx It Is such an he. Intolllgent men with good memories, who can greatly asslut mo In the compilation of this work, and Jog my me-* mory when It allpir a cog. I am very Horry that my correspondent Is not m a Htato of health to see present-day fights for himself; but if he ahould feel Jlko it. I would bo delighted to be allowed tho pleasure of gaining him admittance to a fight, say after ihe rigors of winter are peat, I ahall not forget his name, ho may bo suro. ! BILLY MURPHY APPEARS. ! Thero ho* only been one Murphy, i and hlii name Is billy Murphy! Thero have beftn, and arc, othera bear tho name, notably Hnnrtam Tommy; | but thare never was and novcr will bo I a boy of 8 stone -41b like Billy Murj>by. He stood out alone and proved hi* quality finally when h<* knocked out Spider Weir, In San Fra»d*co. m 1800; 'after being knocked about like n punching ball for fifteen round*. Wolr

hadn't it all his- own way, even'therefor Murphy's awful wallops v to the body were weakening Ike all the way;' and m the sixteenth Billy got' the: jaw with one of his terrible rights • and '■■ Weir was out for keeps. ■ , .1 read, m a Sydney paper; that reek* of reprint matter, only a week or tw> ago that some "clever" Yankee scribe* wrote that the fight lasted 30 rounds^ and the man responsible for the republication 'of the silly', falsehood should have known enough to refute the statement. But he evidently did not, for it was allowed to go uncontradicted; though Billy stood for Australia and should have been protected by anyone posing as a reliable recorder o£ facts, where Australians are concerned. . Billy Murphy was born m Auckland* and, though a wisp of & boy ribs could be counted as he stood m, the, ring, even up to his last public ap-J pearance, which was at the National' Sporting Club, now Brennan-Fuller'a Amphitheatre, Castlereagh-street, in* I think, "1903 or 1904. He was a comeback then, ' was. painfully :a has-: been and was badly beaten m a on«K sided battle. . Yet, sucti is the virile little gentler man's eternal youth and belief m him-: self, that it is only, as it were, yes-v terday. that he was roaring for tf chance m Australia against "some of THESE SELF-STYLED CHAM- /« PIONS.V As late as' December 20 last, BUty published the following cartel, as .'an( advertisement, m the Auckland '.'Even* ■ ing Star":— : BOXING CHALLENGE.--TO Ana Man who has a Reputation m tho Boxing Ring up to. lflst. I will back i myself to stop him m 4 rounds at 3 minutes each round. Will meet him, at any time m the ExhibitionGrounds if he should put on a show;! or will knock out in '4 two-minute ."■■ rounds any of tho*e would-be fighters with their mouths that donM{ know their right hand from their; leg. If any of them call on roe, they} can make £5 m eight minutes afteii • this.-r-BILLY MURPHY, ox-Cham-pion of \he World; still Champion where, the would-be's are concerned. The which is not bad for an old 'un S . I met m Sydney last week, an old friend of Murphy's, a one-time pedestrian athlete of Auckland, one Finley, a well-set- uj>, - good-looking- maii carrying his years, as so many Nev^ Zealanders do, as thqugn they were thistledown, and he told me .that Billy is the same old wiry bit of vigor and nerve, and thinks he only needs f* •■ ' chance to satlpfy the world that lie is still a champion. He sticks to \his old trade as a tailor, but m the cleaning , and repairing line, having a ; shop, at Mount Rosklll, just out of Auckland city, bis sign bearing the legend, "Get your clothes cleaned and repaired by Billy Murphy, champion of the world,* When Mr. Finley saw him recently, during. a visit to the beautiful place o£ his birth, Murphy was "pouri" over the death of. his father, to whom he had devoted himself during the year* since ho went back to settle, In htß>na? tive city. Every: morning Billy (took the old man a cup of tea In bod ( ohji generally treated his progenitor with; BEAUTIFUL FILIAL DEVOTION;, and he miasod his loving old pal and devotod admirer, sorely. \ Murphy poro was a typical Irish' workman. A little weazened old .man even when I knew him, over a qujyjfcMT • of a century ago; all wire andTT?hlpV*** cord and madly devotod to "mo bye, Billy." Every* ., time the i\ youngster fought, the old man. would tratnp the weary four, or flvo miles from i Arch Hill, where ho had, with Billy's financial assistance, built a small cottage* to the city, to see his , "bye", perform. He always saw him win, too, till, Barney (Eugene) Donovan, tho one-eyed gunner who' was ten stono champion of New Zealand for many years, and as clever as most Australians, mado him quit m tho eleventh round, one night, at th«vold Theatre Royal. - Rilly scaled Bst 21b that night and Donovan lOst 41b, and. with all due regard to a wonderfully good, light-weight-and as game a man as ever pulled on a mitt, Barney was dead lickod when Murphy held out his hand m surronder. . . T . „ • ;, . I can see it as I write. Tho splen-' dldly proportioned, broad-shouldered Donovan (who \vaa tho good stepfather of the famous Jockey, Frank Burns) and tho lean, "mißorablo-jook-ing" Billy, wont down together m a heap, a conspicuous feature of the tunglo bolng Murphy's scarlet stockings which, on his attenuated shanks, led. the irreverent to' allude to him as "THE PUKAKr,"" . the pukaki being a New Zealand swamp hen with thin rod legs and big rod beak, a' bird from which soup is made that is calculated to make glad tho heart and Htomuch of tho epicure. They disentangled, and, to tho goneral surprise, Murphy held out his hand m token of submission. So utterly licked was Donovan that ho dSd not understand what Billy was doing, and made a feehlo attempt to put up hla dukes, and Billy had to forco ih« w . grip upon him. When Barney understood *ho wa« the most delightfully surprised man la all New Zealand. Ho had only one eye, and Murphy hud played, for tho sound lamp, cutting It badly and bringing It up till dear old Eugeno was as near stone-blind as. hardly mattorcd. Had Murphy, .who was only a boy, seen tho round out, ho , • WOULD HAVE WON FOR A CERT. Poor old George Bolchcr, then a prosperous bookmaker, that being" bofore his ' friendly four round*, at Chrlstchurch, with Jom Maco, had resulted In a cancer forming l» George's ntomach, was timekeeper. I, as th« first newspaper man to write Billy Murphy's name, and a valued pupil. Blood In tho wings with Belcher. Evury bookmaker In Now Zealand knew me. and with doar- old. bluff, deud-Mtralght Belcher, I was an odds on favprlte. * Ah the pair got ready, George turned to me and aald, "I mjppoae this In a damned schlointer. They asked mo to hold tho watch, but I'm «orry I did. That skinny atom can't mean to fight Barney on the level." •"What!" I unoried. "You don't know Billy Murphy. Junt wait till you »co him perform." Less than a minute after, while Belcher wift atlll grumbling, the raori, or rather the boy and the m«n, Hhook hand». "Time," roared the burly bookmaker, and they shaped up. Inutnnily Murphy, who then boxed lefthanded, slammed m left to Donovan's dUI that SENT THE BLOOD SPURTING iv a. ahowor. B«lchor quit growling «nd fairly hlßtse<J In my ear: "By God! Thi« In no Rchlelnter. I never caw & butter punch m my llf«t" H wan a "bontodger," that wallop, and tu> wn« the fljcht that followod r lu If J^irney Donovan luidn't boon two mono the heavier nnd tho enmcM evor. Murphy would hay* a tided : hia scalp to hIR bi«r collection, thai nlshu (To bo continued,) '