AUCKLAND NOTES.

NZ Truth, Issue 873, 19 August 1922, Page 10

AUCKLAND NOTES.

The New Zealand boxing championships decided last week at Auckland provided some fine sport fpr the crowd, and the standard of boxing, particularly m the lighter class, showed that the amateurs have little to learn from the professionals. Candidly, the heavier classes proved very disappointing and it is not at all surprising to note that the team to represent the Dominion at the Austoalasion championships at Hobart next month will not cover all classes. As a matter of fact the team will only number four all told, and except that C. Purdy looks a certainty to win m the feathers, the chances of any of the others are not too rosy. R. Meale, the present New Zealand and Australasion champion, is a good fighter, and whoever beats, him should win; • L. McDonald, who will carry our hopes m the lightweights, is a stylish goer and a clever boxer, but 'if he meets an opponent m the shape of a fighter, who desires to go all the time, we may find our representative beaten. Fred Hansen, who will do battle for us m the welterweight class, has made good this season, but his opponents have not been of the tophole class, -and. if any of the Aussiea are really good welters, Hansen. may go under. If he does' it will not toe without making' a figrht of it, because Fred is as game as they can be j found. During the annual confab of the Boxing Council at Auckland last week it was decided to hold the next New Zealand championships at Dunedin. The- Boxing Council has decided that m future amateur contests there shall be two judges and a referee. This was the order at the New Zealand championships and when the judges disagreed m .the McDonaldBlackburn clash the referee decided m favor of McDonald. There has been considerable hooting at the Auckland Town Hall at different times, but it was nothing to the outburst which followed the decision to McDonald. Clarrie Blackburn can consider himself an unlucky lad. At the Auckland championships m June the decision was given against him much to the surprise of the majority of those present. Evidently the Frankton Assocition thought the same because Blackburn was sent to Palmerston North to compete m the North Island championships and he duly carried off the honors. Last week he fought McDonald to settle who should go to Hobart to represent New Zealand at I the Australasian championships, and contrary to the general opinion the verdict was awarded to the Dunedin boxer. There, is not the slightest doubt but that McDonald won the first two rounds by clever boxing and sharp, snappy hitting, but m the final round he shirked the fight and badly at that. Nothing Blackburn could do would make the southerner fight, and he preferred to clinch almost the whole of the round. Why Referee Frank Burns did- not interfere is hard to understand, but it was fortunate for McDonald that the referee was so la,x, otherwise the berth to Hobart this week would have been booked m the name of C. Blackburn. Thos who were predicting that the Aussie boxer Paul Demsky would treat Jack Keenan as- merely a sparring partner on Monday week are not quite so outspoken since Pat Gleeson got the decision over Demsky. m Wel-r liiigton last week. During the past two years there have been a whole heap of boxers from Australia after the scalp of the Aucklander, but Hughie Dwyer ' and . Stewart Smith were the only ones | to claim it. Keenan's admirers claim that the Aucklander was stale at the time — that may or may not be right, but it is a fact that both defeats were registered within the space of a few days. However, those fights are over and done with, and all we need bother with is the ' programme ahead. Keenan recent fought a draw with Hannah m the best contest' seen m Auckland for many a long day. Of course, it may be that Demsky is a much better boxer than Hannah, but my idea- of it hi that Hannah is a lot better than most people believe, and anyone who signs up with him is going to have a real fight Keenan, at the present time, is better than ever, and Demsky will have to be every bit as good as claimed if he is even to be m the picture on Monday night, week. In selecting Henry Donovan to 'accompany the New Zealand team as trainer ,the Boxing Council has done the right thing, because he Is a con-

scientious fellow, a good keen judge, and one who knows the game from A to Z. His heart is m the game and his "boys" and it is not at all surprising that he should turn out such a lot of champions. Jack Keenan, Dick Meale and Charlie Purdy are a trio of crackerjacks m the stable. It is quite on the cards that the N.B.A. will give Jorry Whittome a preliminary to one of the, approaching big scraps. This is the way to cater for the local talent who m the majority of cases are every bit as good, if not a shade better, than the imported boxers.