BOXING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19764, 15 April 1926, Page 4

BOXING.

Dy CbomCountb*.

AMATEURS IN ACTION. The Dunedin Combined Sports Club has awakened Horn its sumr.-cr hibernation, and a sv*ocessful series ol no-decisicu uov.U was hold in Cos. Murray's rooms on Saturday evening, it is gratilying to note taat some promising now material came to light, displays were' also given by some ot Hie best of our local amateurs. George Alatlieson, an old prolessional, aithougn obviously out of condition, put up a fine bout against Jim Lochio, the New Zealand champion amateur light heavyweight, if Alatlieson were in condition he might still keep busy some of the present-day heavyweights. Reekie is in good form, and if he appears in the New Zealand championships tins year he will prove hard to beat. One of Jim’s brothers, a middleweight, and Jack Bachelor (Otago middleweight amateur champion) also gave a fine display of boxing, and their toe to toe exchanges were particularly brisk. Had Bachelor shown Saturday’s form in the University championship there might have been a different tale to tell of the result of tile contest for the middleweight title. Another of the apparently inexhaustible supply of Leckies tried conclusions with U. M'Alevey, and a willing mill ensued. M’Alevey, for his size, has arms like battering rams. There were also several other interesting bouts, in which Les. Cotter, Johnnie Lcckie and other more or less well-known boys appeared. There is o reason Why the Sports Club should not dourish this season if it can continue to provide such programmes. It is a line thing for amateur boxing It is rumoured that Charlie Purdy will leave for Australia after his next fight, which, 1 understand, is to be with Hector M'Donald. Why is it that M'Donald is matched with boxers who are so obviously above him in class? Down here, it will be remembered, he fought Les. Murray, and was hopelessly outclassed It will not be surprising if the same thing happens again. Purdy, 1 believe, would find a better field in England than in Australia. His style would be appreciated better at Homo, whereas in the Commonwealth aggression counts for a great deal more than in most other places. HERE AND THERE. Harold Kindley, Bobby Fulcher, and Johnnie Leckie are. in my opinion, the three best amateur boxers in Dunedin to-day. A song with a moral (says the Christchurch Bun) —Merv Williams, who was allegedly beaten by Eddie Parker last week, took out his ukelele after the sad little function, and warbled dolorously, T'm so unhappy, and only me knows why.” The Christchurch Association is almost on its last legs, and after the end of this month it is almost certain that there will be a new body controlling boxing in Christchurch. The present officials called a meeting to decide upon a fixture during the Easter race meeting, but failed to get a chairman, so that the whole body is in a state of disorganisation, and cannot possibly carry on much longer without reorganising, and it is certain that the New Zealand Council will step in and do something. It is interesting to notice how boxers of difierents weights have their boom season. In Australia at present the middleweight boxer is having a harvest, and it is time they were popular because ever since 1917 the mid-weight boxer in Australia only got a contest at long intervals because the light-weights were in demand The good drawing cards, such as Godfrey, Criqui, and Co. were beating all importations,. and it is the latter that create interest among boxing followers. Following the decision of the Williams v. Parker contest in Timaru recently, Solar ,Plexus, boxing editor of the Sydney Referee, and Australian representative of the Wellington Boxing Association, advocates the importation of Joe Wallis, the referee of the .Sydney Stadium, to handle contests throughout the Dominion for a few months, and also give lectures on the art of handling a contest, in order that some of the incompetent referees could take a leaf from his book. The last meeting of Elmour and Casey had a most unusatisfaotory ending, Elmour gaining the winner’s share of the purse on a foul in the second round. Casey immediately challenged Elmour, who readily accepted, and the pair are to meet again, this time in Westport. Elmour is a much improved boxer since he first arrived in the country, and if he prepares himself thoroughly he has a great chance of outpointing Casey, who is always fit, and makes his opponent box all the way. “The fight was lost outside the ring,” says, an American writer, referring to the Harry Greb-"Tiger” Flowers , contest for I the middle-weight championship of the world. “Grob was dead on his feet from the start of the fight, coming out for the first round like a man who had just been courteously tapped behind the ear with an, anvil. Flowers hit him with everything but the bucket, and if he had had a real punch the enthusiasts would have been treated to the spectacle of a famous champion being knocked out in the first round.” Whatever the merits or demerits of Joe Beckett as a boxer, the mere mention of his name in connection with a proposed contest invariably lights the warrior glint in the eye of Tommy Burns. They are slow to anger in the North of England, where Burns lives now, but mighty in their wrath when roused. So the Fiery Cross has gone forth, and Burns, supported (if not encumbered) by 2000 Treasury notes, is ready to do battle We do not know what Beckett will think of this. That Burns is ready to concede a round to Father Time is evident by the terms of his challenge, though flung defiantly and with a fine gesture (via the post office telegraph) on the editorial desk, says Sporting Life. Burns is ready to fight for the biggest purse ottered for 10 two-minute rounds. Two worthy Newcastle citizens will provide Burns’s £2OOO stake money. Will any promoter oblige? Or are these two. Burns and Beckett, to be left to choose another* hotel in the early hours of a spring morning? ‘‘Lady pugs out of the ring.” Apparently that has been the decismn in England regarding the proposal to promote boxing contests between women. For weeks the London press was full of letters from indignant correspondents. and special article writers Were busy turning out columns in order to show bow utterly unreasonable it was to expect the British public to tolerate women in the prize ring. “We should cut a fine figure in the world, shouldn’t we, if among our citizenesses we could number such freaks as Kid Kate, the Game Spring Chicken, Bella the Bruiser, (he Fighting Flapper, and Pug Penelope?” asked one writer at a time when the controversy was at its height. Boxing, it was decided, was, for the gentler sex, a potentiality that must be speedily 1 given the polite but unmistakable knockout. All the trouble started this year when two boxing belles, Misses Newton and Baker, were booked to box at that place of many battles, Iloxton Baths. When the public cried out in protest, the local authorities called the match off. But, just imagine a moment, what sort of a reception these two exponents of the glove game would have received. WORLD’S CHAMPIONS. .Will the temporising Jack Dempsey fight for his world’s heavy-weight boxing title this year? (asks an exchange). What will be the other changes in the ranks of the world’s champions? Already there are rumbles of impending battles, and the managers are shouting their wares, but, as the printer remarks, “all men are liars,” and it is time enough to recognise champions when they actually win the right in trial of battle. In the meantime here is the list of the present world’s champions:— Heavy-weight. Jack Dempsey, Los Angeles. Light Heavy-weight.—Paul Berlenbach, New York. Middle-weight.—Harrv Greb. Pittsburg. Welter-Weight.—Mickey Walker, Elizabeth, New Jersey. Junior Welter-weight.—Pink Mitchell, Milwaukee. Light-weight.—Rocky Kansas, Buffalo, Now York. Junior Light-weight. Tod Morgan, Seattle, Washington. Featherweight—Kid Kaplan, Meridan. Connecticut. Bantam-weight.—Charles Phil Rosenborg, New York. Fly-weight.—Fidel La Barba, Los Angelos.