BRISBANE BATTLE.

NZ Truth, Issue 648, 17 November 1917, Page 8

BRISBANE BATTLE.

Graham Beats Lake.

At the Brisbane Stadium on Saturday night, Bobby Graham defeated the Sydney bantam, Harry Lake. The referee intervened m the sixteenth round.' . ■ . /

WORLD'S GREATEST MIDDLEWEIGHT: Late Les Darcy or Robert Fltzsimmohs? "The Men 1 Compared. Who was the greatest middle-weight of all time under Marquis of Queensbury rules-^-Robert Fitzsimmons, the wonderful Cornish -Australian fighting machine of a quarter of a century ago, or the brilliant Maitland boy, Les Darcy, who passed' out o% the game under such tragic circumstances some few months ago? asks a writer m Brisbane "Truth." The matter has called for a considerable amount of discussion of late among' : the leading Australian newspaper critics and fight fans, and it will not be altogether amiss to give herewith a few • notes of comparison on the two great gladiators. ' Although born m Cornwall (England) m 1862, Fitz came with his parents to New Zealand while still an infant, and it was m/ New Zealand and Australia (principally the latter) that he rfelly learned the game of fisticuffs, consequently, Australia' can lay claim to calling him quite her very own fighting product. He, unlike the deceased Darcy, did not do a great amount of boxing In Australia, as the game was not booming m his day as it is to-day, and consesequently he (Fitz) had to go further afield, and ultimately found himself m America. His first fight of any note after his arrival m Yankeeland was against "Nonpareil" Jack Dempsey; it took place on January 14, 1891, at New Orleans, and carried with' it the middle-weight championship of the world. This battle Fitz won by the knock-out route m the 13th round, after literally hammering the game Dempsey to pieces. On March 2, 1892, he accounted for the great Irish champion,' Peter Maher (heavy-weight), m 14 rounds. Then, after beating four other men m as many ~ months, Fitz had the pleasure of once more facing that clever middle-weight, Jim Hall, who had beaten him some couple of years previously In Sydney. He turned the tables on Jim, and beat him to the boards m four rounds. Between this time and '96 he cleared up all and sundry who sought boxing honors, and then came his clashes with the principal heavies of the world. On" February 21, 1896, he once more put the clever Peter Maher to sleep m one round,'! but on- December 2 of the same year had ' the ' misfortune to lose on a foul to the wonderful Sailor Sharkey, after having considerably the best of the argument for the whole of the eight rounds fought. On March 17, 1897, at Carsbn City, the pleasure of Bob's heart was gratified, and he was at last face to face with the brilliant heavy-weight, James J. Corbett, on the decision of tho battle resting the title of champion heavy-weight of the world. This was perhaps the most gruelling fight of his career, and after a give-and-take battle of 13 hard and fast rounds, m many of Which Fita got a trifle the worst of things, he early m the l"4th got his famous solar plexus on to Corbett, and as the game Oalifornian staggered and gasped- for breath Fits: stepped m with a hard right to the point, putting his plucky opponent down for keeps. By the result of this battle the auburn -haired wonder and wizard of the ring became the holder of both middle-weight and heavy-weight championship of the world titles. Nearly two years later the game Cornstalk, who was beginning to age, and, no doubt, was reaching the slipping-back jstage, .met his first "Waterloo" m America. On June 9, 1899, at Coney Island, he met the big 15-stone bollermaker, James J. Jeffries, / and the result Is no doubt remembered | by many of your readers. After, blinding the big fellow, and giving him a boxing lesson foT 10 rounds, weight told its tale, and the game old battler (list 121 b) was knocked out m the 11th session. Between this andhis meeting with the same 6pponeht, which took place at Carson City on June 25, 1902, Fitzsimmons had accounted for five men by the knock-out route m a total of 12 rounds, among his opponents being Tom Sharkey and Gus Ruhlin (the Akron Giant). The Cornstalk was once more vanquished by the burly "Jeff " who put paid to his account in' eight rounds. On the retirement of Jeffries some time later Fitz once more became the champion heavy-weight, and on December 20, 1905, he met and was defeated by Jack O'Brien at San Francisco m 13 roundsV This is the last battle of ' any note m which the wonderful Austrlian took part. But what a brilliant career." when it is borne m mind that this game old warrior never weighed over 12 stone m any of his fights. His weight ranged from list 61b to list 101 b, except m one or two cases. The career of our late and lamented. Les Darcy is no doubt- fresh .In the minds of all lovers of the noble art, and there are many who will still argue that the Maitland idol was quite as good, if not superior to, the great middle-weight of a quarter of a century ago. No doubt he was the best of his class m sight m the present generation, but it must be remembered thafc poor r*ss had still to meet the good heavlas; and were they (the heavies) as good as those of 25 years ago, would t-ea have succeeded m vanquishing them? He may have made good m this mission had the Grim Reaper not seen fit to claim him as an easy victim, b4t there Is certelnly a doubt on that score. The wonderful Maitland boy had done all that was asked of him m Australia. His defeat of such tnen.as Holland, Billy Murray, Jimmy Clabby (twice), Knock-out Brown (twice), Lob O'Donnell. Harold Hardwick, Buck Crouse, Dave Smith (twice), GeorgeChlp, and that great fighter, Eddie McOoorty (twice), stamped him as a great fighter. But all (or nearly all) of these men were middles — not "heavies." Again a number of these battles went the full journey of 20 rounds. Did Les Darcy possess the "punch"? He certainly showed that he was the possessor of a fairly good livery m his two fights with. Eddie McGoorty. and also with Hardwick, Daye Smith, Buck Grouse and George Chip. But was it a sleep-producer of the calibre of a delivery by his fellow Australian

of a quarter of a century gone by? I hardly think Les had the wallop of old Bob.

Fitzslmmona had the height, the reach, speed, cleverness, and, best of all, the "punch." Darcy was handicapped m height and reach when meeting big men, and his delivery was not, m my estimation, nearly so severe as Fltzsixnmons s. He may, had he lived, have done all that was expected of htm. Poor fellow, he was never given the opportunity, so there the matter must rest for all time. Still, as as far as both gladiators had "been allowed to go, Fitasimmons was the better middle-weight, A careful perusal of their respective performances as given above must convince the most sceptical on that point In my estimation Fltzsimmons was the "best" middle-weight, for all time, under Marquis of Queensbury rules, who ever donned a glove. In a future article, to be printed m this journal, I will deal with the world's best feathers, lights and welters, and will introduce such men as Griffo, Billy Murphy, Barron, Herb McKelL Snowy Sturgeon (of the old school), arid Spargo, Llew Edwards, Herb McCoy, Tommy Uren, and others of the new.