BOXING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3414, 20 August 1919, Page 46

BOXING.

AN EXCITING CONTEST. LIVELIEST FOR TEN YEARS. LONDON/ Julv 18. A tremendous crowd witnessed, the boxing contest last night between Jimmy Wilde, of Wales, the fly-weight champion of the world, and Pal Moore, of America. The contest is regarded as the liveliest seen in London for 10 years. The crowd cheered the boxers with equal heartiness, and sang patriotio songs. Wilde's form was- superb, and his finesse in the opening round held the spectators spelL bound. The swiftness of his attack to the face and body startled his opponent. In the second, fourth, and rounds Moore delivered teriific punches to the body and head, but in the seventh Wildle recovered, arid hustled the American round the ring, lodging sharp blows to the ribs. In the later rounds he repeatedly, drove Moore to the ropes. At the end of th© ninth round Wilde did not hear the bell. Moore dropped his hands and received severe blows on the head. At the end of the sixteenth round! Wilde led substantially on points, and Moore realised that to try for a knock-out offered his only chance. He rushed in, heavily punishing Wilde on the face. Everyone marvelled at the endurance of the Welshman, who was facing a orafty and determined antagonist. Intense excitement was aroused by the attacks of both in the-nineteenth round. Wilde's blows to the head increased, and were continued in the twentieth round. ■The referee's award of a win for Wilde on points was received with a storm of cheers. Moore attributes' his defeat by Wilde largely to the fact that he forgot . that open-glove blows do not count in England. They always count in America. The match was half over before he was warned that blows with the open glove were not permitted, thus h& lost many points upon which he was relying. He is anxious to fight Wilde again at the earliest. Wilde, interviewed, admitted that he was badly stunned in the sixteenth round, but ne had fully recovered by the nineteenth. " Moore would not have beaten me if we had fought for a month then," he said. " I am ready for another match if Moore finds his own backing." OFFER TO THE WORLD'S CHAMPION. £20,000 TO FIGHT IN SYDNEY. LOS ANGELES, July 17. • Mrs Baker, wife of Mr R. L. (" Snowy") Baker, th© Australian sports promoter, to-day offered Jack Dempsey, the world's boxing champion, and Jack Kcarns, his manager, £20,000 to stage Dempsey's next fight in Sydney. Kcarr.s replied that he could not give a definite answer, as he had a similar offer from Paris, and was awaiting developments.