A CHANCE CAME AND I TOOK IT.

NZ Truth, Issue 873, 19 August 1922, Page 8

A CHANCE CAME AND I TOOK IT.

Played the Same Game as Opponent

(By Georges Carpentier.)

My fig-ht with Kid Lewis was the least satisfactory I have had for years. There was no joy m it for myself — for anybody. But not, I submit, through any fault of mine. It was a fight I would blot out of my memory. But I am constrained to offer to you this, my story, of it — my point of view Lewis, only because of his very nature, could not box; he certainly never thought of boxing He will, perhaps, not admit it, but I am' sure he had the feeling that he, more than a stone lighter m weight, and hand-icapped by inches, had but the smallest chance of winning by. straight boxing. For ray: self, I will never be able to think of him other than as a terrible fellow, obsessed by the idea that if he could get inside my guard — how, it did not matter — he' would win. . » Lewis is a stranger to the rules which should govern . fighting m your country, and, though I will not pretend that I was free from blame," I insist that I tried with all my might to make the contest 'worthy of what was,, indeed, a memorable occasion.. You rwho were present at Olympia know that Lewis was the first to give forth a shower of blows. I took several on my body, purposely and designedly. It was^ my plan to have him suppose that I was not his equal at close quarters. You will remember that I practically did nothing m the way of punching- when we were locked together beyond getting m a couple of short uppercuts. '. ( THE KNOCK-OUT. As Lewis sought to punch with all his might when he was not clinging to me and whenever he had one hand free, I could hear him puffing and blowing and snoring. There was poor Mr Palmer, the referee, appealing for us to break. I saw that Lewis would not break unless he was literally, dragged away. When he realised that he was eating up his stamina by holding, and what you call roughing it, he broke, and as he did so he dropped his hands, halfturned his head towards the referee, as if. he were piqued, and I hit him on the jaw us hard 1 have hit any man m all my life. . I meant to do so, and when, the blow connected I knew I had won. ' '■ A DENIAL. I have read that Lewis had not actually broken away when I hit him. This I deny with every emphasis. The punch which brought an end to the fight- was m every way allowable, as Mr Palmer declared. You must remember that it was delivered m the smallest fraction of a second m such a small space of time that I can yvell believe it was not' possible for everybody present to follow it. I have not the least qualms of conscience as to its legality. Lewis offered me a chance to knock him out, and I took it. That is all there is to it. Let us reverse the position of things. Supposing I had been foolish enough to leave my Jaw unprotected, don't you think that Lewis, would have done exactly what I did? • MY ONE REGRET. t One regret I will always have; it is that the fight was not a clean one. The tactics employed by Lewis made it impossible for it to be so. No. one expect-; ed studied ceremony; but it hurts me to know that the . largest, the. mos^t distinguished audience "bef ore . whom • I have ever fought m England only saw something remofe from the great game of boxing. ' . ' When- 1 knocked. Lewis' down with what I held to have been the one real^ ly clean punch of the evening I suffered to be execrated as I have n«ver been before, and I trust never again. The Lewis following were mad with rage. One rrian at the ring-side, white with passion, I- heard" screaming as poor Lewis sat m his corner, "Chin him, Kid; kill him." - Lewis refused to shake hands; I could only hear howls. And I fell to saying, with a great big lump m my throat, "Can this be true."