THE AUSTRALIAN RING.

NZ Truth, Issue 508, 13 March 1915, Page 10

THE AUSTRALIAN RING.

Reminiscences and Records.

(BY "BOXER-MAJOR.")

Copyright; All Rights Reserved by th»

Author.

BOOK II.— CHAPTER XXIV

The question asked by my correspondent m far away Cairns, as to a boxer named Mateer, brought me plenty of information about him; while, strangely enough, m looking up my old records last Wednesday, without a thought of tho man enquired about, I came across the report of a fight he engaged m. Of that anon. Chiddy Ryan was the first to pump up the tyreE of my memory. The onetime most-graceful of boxers met me at the Olympia Stadium on Monday night and we motored to town together (tuppence a nob!). He led my thoughts back to the time when Griffo and he (Ryan) won consecutive tournaments at Waterloo, promoted by the late Mick Walsh, and told me that he met Mateer m the semi-final final, and knocked him out. Mateer subsequently fought a battle or two and vanished; so far as Chiddy Ryan can .say. Anyhow he enabled me to bring Billy MATEER'S GOOD-LOOKING MUG into the line of my mental vision. Mr. Ernest Townsend. of Rossstreet, Forest Lodge, very kindly weighs m with a most acceptable answer to the enquiry of "W.W." He writes (February 15. \1916) : — To "Boxer-Major." Sir, — Being an interested reader of your notes, especially m respect to "old timers," I noticed m laßt Sunday's "Truth" an enquiry for news of Queenslander Billy Matteer. I rememberbeing introduced to Billy m 1889 or ■> 1890, I am not certain which, and saw him fight Nipper Peakes some time after, at the Athletic Hall, Cobalt-street. Broken Hill. The flyht lasted twelve rounds, Nipper never being m the hunt any part of the trip; the- "Barrier Miner," as well as most sports m the Hill at the time, being of the opinion that Billy would furnish into a world-beater. Matteer, weighed about 9st 61b and was quite a good-looking young fellow; perhaps this latter . affliction may have been his ruin, as I have never heard of him since, either m or out of the magic square. Thanking you ' for giving me many a glimpse of the past good times. It will be observed ihat Mr. Townsend puts the double t in Mateer's name and he may be justified, though I find that m the account of his fight alluded to above the name was spelled as I was used to spell it m the "Referee." and, later, m "Truth." So I will adhere to the single t. The record I refer to brings m a name that will always be honored by old-time rlngsters, both Australian and American: that of Martin Denny (Denlffe), the Rocks clipper whom I have frequently referred to as a contemporary of Griffo, and as having fought him A MEMORABLE TWENTY-FIVE ROUNDS draw at Darlinghurst Rink (the Australian Athletic Club) with my dear old friend, Mr. Fred E. Diamond, as referee. Denny and Mateer met at Broken Hill, on July 30, 1892, when Denny, one of the strongest fighters ever known (as having splendid science with his strenuous attack) knocked Mateer out m the fourth round of a fast and bitter battle; though Martin was Billy's master from the jump. This little lot should satisfy my Cairns correspondent; though I would fain be m a position to tell him what became of Mateer. A Broken Hill correspondent, Mr. P. M. Learnihan. writes asking if I have the details of tho late Joe Goddard's fight with the giant "Mission Boy," Joe McAuliffe, at San Francisco; how many rounds it lasted, and if Goddard fought m his usual man-eater fashion with one even taller and bigger than himself? I have the particulars, friend Lear-

nihan, and am delighted to supply, them. The pair of giants met at the California Club m June, 1892. An interesting circumstance was that when the huge "Mission Boy," Barney Farley's hope and joy — for a while, Joe. had a fatal habit of getting licked, after he beat poor Dick Matthews, calculated to wean the fondest affections; and must have cost the eccentric, but bighearted, Barney a fortune — and Joe Ooddard were matched, and McAuliffe sat down to affix his name to the contract, he remarked: "Signing my own death warrant, I suppose." It was a ■ QUEER AND PROPHETIC UTTERANCE for a man who might have been expected to enter on such an engagement with confidence and self-assuredness of superiority; yet, m the circumstances, it was hardly to be wondered at. Joe's "experiences of men from Australia was about as unhappy as it was possible for any such experience to be. He began it with Dick Matthews; who, though born and raised to adolescence at San Bernardino, Lower California, had learned his boxing m Australia, ; and earned his greatest fame m New Zealand. As before stated, poor Dick got Peter Jackson to give him a fair fighting trial as a. test of whether he was good enough to undertake that tour of Maoriland. That the grqat Black had Matthews "dead to the world" — to use his own words when asked by me to satisfy me on the result of that trial that was to make ring history; though neither thought of that at the time — was no proof that Dick was not good enough to take the risk. He fought Jackson four rounds at their very top; and then was not really knocked out; only ripe for the finisher; and that was considerable of a performance; for it occurred soon after Peter had so easily won the championship from Tom Lees, and the colored wonder was then at his very prime. I McAuliffe certainly beat Matthews after a terrible fight; but his next experience of an Australian boxer was that with Peter Jackson, who beat him to shreds m twenty-four rounds/ almost untouched himself. McAuliffe was taken to England to avenge himself on Australia BY WHIPPING .PADDY SLAVIN. They met at the N.S.C., London, and, as a fact, Joe very nearly did it, dropping Slavih with one of his devastating "haymakers." But Francis Patrick was like a strong emetic — hard to keep down! He recovered, and m very short order knocked out the giant who, a very few minutes before, had so very nearly got him instead/ That was the third adventurer from Australia that Joe McAuliffe had encountered m the ring; and that he should have hud a superstition regarding the breed Is not to be wondered at. McAuliffe. as I have .said, was much the taller and heavier man. His weight was given as J3st lOlbs, but If that avhs right he fought a stone lighter than he had ever done before; while Goddurd's w«s announced as 12st 12lbs. They fought eleven terrific rounds, with varying fortunes. Goddard's lip was badly split by running: Into a welltimed straight left, In the beginning of the. second round— McAuliffe had paid a heavy price to Pater Jackson to' bo taught that straight left: It bled terribly all through, but the sting and the sight of his blood only made the grlwly Joe light more furiously; and m tho twelfth round, aa the two incarnadined plants met nt centre, Goddard swung one of his terriMc tights at the Jaw. It landed fair on the point, and tho "Mission Boy" fell on his face and was counted out. For the third time he hnd been knocked out by an Australian. It was Kismet! Little wonder that THK DOGGEDLY COURAGEOUS CALIFORNIA^ Khould believe that he was signing his own "death warrant." He felt that he was fated. How did the great Persian poet, Omar Khayyam, put this tx> perfection when he inscribed that terrl- j bly believable quatrain: — "The Moving Finger writes: and, j having writ. Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a , Line, | Nor nil thy Tears wash out a Word of 11. So! I trust I have satisfied my Broken Hill enquiring friend. From Argalong. Tumut, 14/2/15. Mr. E. Lnffnn ■writes: — j To "Boxer- Major." : Dear Sir, — Always watching: .•inxlotijtly for your old time memories of boxing. Otto Cribb. of last Issue. Interested me. and 1 thought ] a report given then of that fight j • by "Old Timer" In the "Bulletin" might oven make prenent day funs think boxing and lighting could be. | done even -'G years hack. Hero la j the extract :—"Saw Cribb and Sturgeon fight Friday night last and marvelled at the capacity each (•vldenced for taking and Riving j punishment. .sturgeon In the quickest and host built man we | have had m Sydney for many a day. Two pluckier fighters never doffed a shirt. Kach had had times In turn, and taken* of 2 to 1 on Crlbb could have laid off at even". Had Cribb'a knock-out awing been the smallest fraction of n Hecond laior. Sturgeon* punch over the heart would have Wl him (Crlbb) nt the mercy of th« Bananalnnder. In fnct. for a moment or two It looked AS IF BOTH WERE GOING OUT. It wan as much ns Crlbb could do to ntfiy on hi* fret; nothing but the rope* kept him up while (he enemy wan lining counted out. If the. »ti me two in*«i again Sturgwn's dinner would be good. He hits very clean and fights mom i cleverly limn Crlbb. whose extra, xtrength proved too much. Had Sturßoon used his right lesn frequently m tho carllcc stages ho

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