BOXING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21627, 23 April 1932, Page 8

BOXING

TO THE EDITOR. , Sib, —Writing under the nom de plumei of) “ Fair Play/’ some person has seen fit) to attack one', of the lending boxers im Otago, Bert Lowe. Croft, the boxer ib whose behalf the attack on Lowe is-made, has issued several challenges to the, latter, but when offered bouts with him in Dunedin has r refused to fight here. (He was not Jsager to fight Lowe in his home town, evidently not expecting fair play; but; as the ... result of the Lowe-M Ewan • bout showed, he would have received more than his share of fair play. , /, f‘ This week Lowe received a wire offering him a bout with Croft at Grey mouth. Acting under his trainer’s advice, and as the terms could easily be misconstrued by anyone desiring to do so, Lowe refused [to fight. His reason is obvious to anyw who knows of the attempts' to deprive him of his well-earned trip. , - . “ Fair Play ” hints that Lowe is afraid) to meet Croft, but when one realises that Lowe in 1929, reached the semi-final of the New Zealand, Welter-weight Championship when only 16 years of age and has always been fighting and ,’def eating fully-matured men, the full■ value |oi, “ Fair Play’s ” innuendoes is apparent. - It is a pity that “Fair Play” cannot live up to his high-sounding name, or, better still, come out in the open. It is to be hoped that Croft will still be anxious to'fight Lowe on his return to New. Zealand. —I am, etc., Dunedin? April 22., W. F. Lowe.

' TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—As' one who follows, the boxina game as much as anyone in' New Zealand, I would just like to enlighten ‘ Fair Play ” on the matter concerning which he writes. In the first place, Croft pub* liehed in the papers that he wanted to fight any muddle-weight in New Zealand— Lowe, for preference. He was. told he could'meet Lowe any time he liked, but he refused to meet him, except in Ashburton or Timaru, not in • Dunedin. Lowe a connections thereupon rightly refused to have any more to do /with Croft. It is surely a slur on our referees if Croft thought he would not get fair play in Dunedin, I think Lowe’s performances arc quite as good as Qroft’s. At 17 years he fought in the semi-final of the New Zealand Welter-weight Championships, ana nt 18, and again at 19 he was the winner. Not bad for a boy! I would also like to state that if he is,selected in the final for the Olympic Games he will be again fighting in the welter section,, as he is just on the weight now.—l am, etc., -.v April 22. One Who Knows;