BOXING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20832, 26 September 1929, Page 4

BOXING.

Bjr Cross Counteb.

Both Ted Morgan and Steve Hughes are in' capital condition for their bout at. the Drill Hall on Saturday night, and there is every indication that the'contest will he a good'one. It will be Morgans first appearance as a professional, and the .Olympic champion's showing will serve as a guide to his prospects in the new field. Jack Hood, the British welter-weight champion, has been offered a niatch with Len Johnson, the coloured boxer, in Manchester nest month.- ■ ■■ .In preparation for its forthcoming tournament, the Christian Brothers' High School will hold a preliminary tournament at the school to-morrow'night. There Will'be no fewer than 33'bouts', and Mr Jack : Kilmartin will be kept busy as referee. , It is not unusual for boxers to forget the terms of the contracts they enter into, but this is_ obviously .the case witha boy.who has been much in the limelight' recently. The writer has had the. opportunity of perusing the contract he entered into with the local association, and the production of this at a meeting of the council would prove that the boy concerned "ba s a-very faulty memory. The light-weight title-will not be vacant much longer, as the New Zealand Council has declared that the winner of the bout between Hector Leckie and J; Leslie, at Ashburton, shall be designated the champion. The title has been vacant since Purdy outstayed the time limit in Australia aboutlß months ago. Charles Harvey, the veteran fight manager, who acts as manager to Tom Heency recently sustained a fractured skull in a motor car collision at New York. , 'Cyril Hurne and Frank Taylor will figure in a 10-round bout at Te Aroha on October 9. When the pair met in Auckland, Taylor got the decision on points and the verdict was hotly disputed. _The Stratford Association is making an effort to get Tommy Donovan.and Hector Leckie in the ring on October ,19. If Donovan is well again he will.be a busy man, because tho Taranaki Association is. already considering matching him with "Johnny Leckie. • The Northern Association hag completed arrangements for the contest between Artie Hay and Lachie M'Donald, which is scheduled for Monday at Auckland -It is probable that application will be made to the New Zealand. Council for the winner to be recognised as the New Zealand middle-weight champion. This- title ■is now vacant. ,It was last held by Harry Casey, who won it from,Lachie M'Donald Dr Ludwig Haymann, the German heavyweight champion, went over to America early:in; July and.won his first fight, by a knock-out in thefrrst round, Haymann ■iß a graduate of the University of Munich and holds the degree of doctor of politics and philosophy. He is 27 years old, weighs 14st, and is 6ft lin in height. He informed American writers that, he wa« hopeful of getting matches. with some of the big men .at present in the limelight. He is under the management of that very astute person, Thomas O'Rourke, who was once the big man in handling the affairs •of leading pugilists. . Ted (Kid) Lewis/ one-time world's welter-weight champion,.and now running a_ school of instruction in London, pre-, diets a great future for Douglas Parker, who recently created something of a sensation in London boxing circles by knocking out Nipper Pat Daly, the' 17-year-bld youth, whom critics regard, as ranking second to Baldock in the bantam -class. " Parker," said Lewis, " is going to be a champion, if only he.gets the chance. He is without doubt the hardest-hitting ban-tam-weight in. the country; and he can box as well as punch."

- Twenty years. ago—to be exact, on July 31, .1909—Jimmy Britt,’clever lightweight of,the United,States at that time, met England's best representative of the class, Johnny Summers, at the Memorial Grounds, in London, England, and went down to defeat, taking a knockout in the ninth round. The boys had met on two previous occasions.- Britt winning the first and losing the second., : The, British champion. (writes Harry Shelland) was extremely /popular and was a decided favourite, in spite of the gameness, cleverness, and reputation of his rival from the States. One docs not hear very, much about Summers, but take ,it from me, folks, he, was good, every inch a, fighter. England would give a great deal If - it cou|d produce another’Summers. The Old Country is in .a'rather bad way ./in boxing talent, but the ..game runs '■ in cycles and perhaps the day’ is near at handwhen ian English boxer will come along j the lost prestige ,to his native land. Just now Germany is very , much in the limelight, thanks tO'Max Schmeling, t>ut to get back to. Summers. Johnny had 'an, unusual- record. He fought as' fly,weight, feather-weight, light-weight, and welter-weight. Some authorities insist that through his defeat of Jack’Goldswaih at ,catch-\yeight6. Summers was established aa a heavy-weight champion ” inasmuch as -Lnglaud, 20 orso years.ago, was without any officially recognised heavy-weight champion. It; was one-of those freak situations that, now and again turns up in ring history. There were numerous claimants for the honour,- and to settle the issue an elimination boxing tournament was staged and Goldswaiti won, beating Pat Daly, of Birmingham, at catch weights. He was matched with Summers, and the Jatter, won -by a! knock-out ■in . the ■ four* teenth round. The match with Britt was scheduled, for 20 rounds, and half the gate receipts. The first round was fairly even, but in the second the Englishman ripped into the American with -a twofisted attack that startled the latter and sent him, down gasping, for air and a coiint of seven. ; Britt recovered from his surprise and launched an attack in his best manner as soon as the third started. He parried the fight to the Briton, and won the admiration of. the 8000 spectaby his fine comeback and display of boxing skill. His stand was short-lived, however. Summers in the fourth and fifth maintained the-alvantage with offensive tactics, and Britt could do little damage.with hia famous, left jabs that had worried many a good battle iu the States. In, the eight Summers bored through Britt’s guard, and smashing rights and lefts to the body, the. Englishman had Jimmy dazed and covering up in his corner. Britt was all in when the bell for the ninth .rang. He made a gallant effort and staggered to the centre ofthe ring, only to meet a fusilade of. blows.' He fought desperately and took an awful punishment, then . suddenly the Englishman hooked a right to Britt’s jaw and the latter, fell to the floor, flat on his back. He rolled over on his face, and Was counted out, and it was some time before he was. restored to consciousness In his prime , Britt was ’ one of the cleverest and most aggresive light-weights' the American, prize ring ever produced. He missed Ins greatest chance to gain the Irght-weiglit championship when he lost to Joe Gans on a foul in 1904

When Cainpolo, a massive pillar of bone and muscle. 6ft 7in in height, recently defeated' Tom Heeney. lie boxed as well as fought, and his cleverness amazed the crowd. He revealed himself -as a. 'new terror to American heavyweights whose claims to world preeminence are; already seriotfsly challenged by both British and German boxers, An obstacle quickly came in his way, however, in the shape of Phil Scott, and the British boxer’s easy win will tend to put the giant Argentinian out of the running .while .it, will also bring Scott further into the limelight in his quest for the title. Spott went to- America with the object of meeting Max: Schmeling, the German champion, but his hopes are not likely to.be realised, as \vas pointed out recently by the Sporting Life in' the followinp paragraph:—“Phil Scott, the British hcavy-wejght champion, must, by now .have fully realised the truth in the old fable regarding the substance.and'the shadow. . Scott has been standing by,’ idle, since his arrival, in' thq States a fortnight or move Sgo, waiting, for'Mas iSclimeling to settle his dispute with the New York State Commission, nod now comes the news that the German champion has booked his passage home. Schmeling has thus ended, on his own accord his difficulties with the New York Commission, who suspended both the German and his manager, Joe Jacobs, for the former’s failure to meet Scott in their tryout ,for a world’s title match. American opinion is by no means charitable to the departing German, and it is freely stated that he is obviously afraid of running the risk of a beating by the Britisher. Schmeling has expressed his , intention of returning to the States in September, but we doubt very much if he will be allowed to land. Meanwhile, Scott, so far ha Schmeling is concerned, has liad his journey for 'nothing, 'and ho must nowlook around'for a match with the American challengers, including Tommy Loughran. who recently _ forfeited his world’s light-heavy crown in order to get a cut at ‘tha heavy-weight honours.”