BOXING

NZ Truth, Issue 869, 22 July 1922, Page 6

BOXING

P. Gleeson has written to the secretary of the Greymouth Association, challenging the winner of the PrestonO'Neill bout. Dick Redwing writes to say that he Will meet Alf. Lewis at any time providing the latter makes featherweight. He would also be glad to meet Roy Brien. » Pat. Gleeson's injured arm is how well again, and last Monday he started training for his fight with Paul DemBky, which takes place at Wellington next month. The Wellington Boxing Association sent tickets for the Demsky-Preston fight to the "Blue Boys" at Trentham. A dozen of them were able to make the Journey to ccc the fight, and they desire their thanks to be, expressed to the association. There is to bo a boxing benefit for the blind soldiers at Napier to-night, and several of Pat. Gleeson's Hastings pupils are billed to assist. The Hastings welters, Bob Townsend and Bill Stevens, are anxious to be matched with Wellington welters on the occasion of the Demsky-Gleeson fight. They are pupils of the latter, and he says they can make a good showing. A prominent officer of the New Zealand Arm y, who saw a lot of service m France'and Gallipoli, writes a letter too long for insertion m full, but the fallowing extracts are culled, and will be read with interest: "The writer had many years' experience m boxing and refereeing under the Navy and Army rules, and Is conversant with the civilian amateur and professional rules. During my term m France with the troops, an effort was made to popularise boxing with the troops. We had far less boxing than any British division on the Western front, and It was due solely to the fact that boxing m New Zealand is not as popular as it ought to be, and there must be a reason for it. We have the men, and our national game, Rugby, is one that does not breed cowards or men afraid of giving or taking physical punishment. In my own humble opinion the associations are to blame. The associations do not cater for the average boxer, therefore the schools do not make them. The one association should not ' control -both amateur, and professional boxing. In considering programmes, executive committees think too much professionally, and consider the spectator too much. Of course, there is the financial problem, but it is ridiculous tJ see thousands of barrackers at a boxing match, who probably have never boxed a round m their lives, and who don't care twopence about the novice or the average boxer. If any. one of our N.Z. boxing associations saw; a meeting conducted as they are under the Navy and Army rules they would change their present methods. Dead pilence from the audience during each found, the gong is as much for conduct of »the audience as for the boxer. No smoking, and last, but not least, the part played by seconds. No such thing as throwing m the towel. A ; second Who did that would be ordered out of the building; and/ finally the respect paid to the game by the spectator and the dignity of the whole show. In 1919 I (had the honor wlfh Col. Campbell, the veteran Army boxer (now Inspec-tor-General of Gymnastics to the British Army), Bombardier Wells, Jim Driscoll, Johnny Basham, Dusty Miller and other well-known boxers of attending the National Sporting Club and bearding Lord Lonsdale and committee m their own den. It was with satisfaction that we left them quarrelling among themselves as to the merits of our methods. The exponents I have named gave a clever demonstration of all that goes to make boxing unpopular owing to the present system of ' conducting boxing meetings." Pat. Gleeson is coming to Wellington a couple of weeks before the date of his fight with Paul Demsky, m order to get some Bparring with Billy Preston.