BOXING

Otago Witness, Issue 3802, 25 January 1927, Page 56

BOXING

By

CROSS-COUNTER.

LES MURRAY KNOCKED OUT. Advice from San Francisco, dated December 29, states that Billy Petrolle. of Chicago, knocked out Les Murray' in the third round of a scheduled 10-round bout in Milwaukee. This reverse will probably settle all Murray’s chances of meeting Mandell for the world’s title, as there are fully 5? light-weights in America labelled ‘‘first class”- that is. championship standard—just now, and thev are all clamouring for a chance to win the laurels from the holder. This is the first time Murray has ever been knocked out, and it must have been a fearful wallop that finished the fight, for in some of his previous contests his opponents have nut all they knew into their efforts to secure a quick decision, and they have invariably failed —simply because he can take punishment as well as give it. AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP. HEAVY-WEIGHT CONTEST. The recent bout at the Sydney Stadium between George Cook and “Tiger” Payne for the heavy-weight championship of Australia was fought on the eighteenth anniversary of the Bvrns-Johnson contest, in which a white man and a negro were concerned for the heavy-weight championship of the world. History repeated itself in this respect also, as Cook is an Australian and Payne is a negro. The circumstances of the fights were peculiarly reversed, comments a writer in the Sydney Referee. In the Burns-John-son fight the black man, who was far heavier, taller, and stronger than the white man—Tommy Burns —did all the hitting and holding in clinches, whereas the white man did all the fighting at long range. In the Cook-Payne fight the white man— Cook —did all the hitting and holding in clinches. He was 251 b heavier and stronger, while the black man—Payne—was slighter, lighter, and weaker. The white man’s win was most popular, not so much on account of the good fight that he put up, but the fact that the white man has at last triumphed over the black, after a series of most disconcerting and humiliating defeats in the last few years. It is interesting to note that while the Burns-Johnson fight took place at 10.30 in the morning—in broad daylight. with no roof over them—the other match fight was fought under electric arcs, which added greatly to the theatrical atmosphere of the contest. The takings at the Burns-Johnson fight 18 years ago amounted to £26,200, whilst in the Cook-Payne fight they totalled £2356. The difference is mainly due to a great disparity in the charges of admission. HERE AND THERE. This is no weather for boxing, but that does not deter a few local enthusiasts. Tom Harris still has a class going, and some of the boys are very keen. Allen, the light-weight, who boxed a draw in Sydney wit' Charlie Purdy, will come to New Zealand if matches can be arrange i. He would particularly like to meet Trowern, and Purdy says he will meet the Sydney lai. in any centre that can produce a competent referee. Charlie Purdy, who is now taking a spell, after an astonishingly long series of fights—few New Zealand boys have packed a greater number of contests into two years than . has the elusive Aucklander—says he will meet Reg. Trowern again under any competent referee (reports the Auckland Star). Purdy has his own very decided opinion about some of the gentlemen who are entrusted with referees’ jobs in this country.- It is his opinion that some of them are far from at home when in the ring. Others go to gjeep— or near enough to sleep not to matter about terms stating their exact condition. That’s no good, says Purdy. Must have live com-

petent men. He thinks he got a raw deal the other night at Wanganui when Referee Maxwell gave the decision to Trowern. One old-timer got so worked up about the decision that he wrote to the papers about it. He said: “I have had 25 years in the ring, and have refereed as well. My card read: Purdy won 8, Trowern 5, two even: rounds 9 and 15 were Trowern’s best, while Trowern was also the aggressor; but the aggressor only gets the decision when other things are even, which they were not last night.” The two latest opponents of the Australian feather and light-weight champion boxer, Billy Grime, have been left-handers, and the slim, pale-faced lad has disposed of them both with the greatest ease and a right-hand wallop (says the Sydney Bulletin of January 5). Havilah Uren lasted into the seventh round in Melbourne a fortnight ago, at light-weight limit, while Eddie Butcher, welter-weight champion (lOst went down and out in the fourth round at Sydney Stadium on Saturday night. Grimo was 9st jib, a mere Boz over the feather limit. It was a fine feat for the pug, who can now claim a triple crown. All through his victorious career Billy, has fooled bis opponents by wagging his left hand around as if preparing to hook, and' so distracting the, other fellow’s attention from his devastating right lead. This last comes like a flash of lighting, when it will be most effective. Fooled, foiled, and flustered by Grime’s amazing shiftiness and speed, Butcher was barely a bit of exercise for the champion, till a verv heavy right to the mark put him out of action in the fourth round.

Trevor C. WignaH. the London Daily Mail boxing writer, stands up for the old-time style of boxing. He writes as follows I—Almost1 —Almost al Ithe British heavy-weights of the moment are fighting as Englishmen fought over 100 years ago. They are standing up instead of crouching, and driving in straight lefts instead of swinging round-the-corner blows. The chief heavy-weights in the United States at this moment —Tunney, Delaney, Sharkey, Monte Munn, and Persson—all of whom I have seen —are fighting just as Jem Mace and others before him, did. This is a point worthy of attention. It means that a new era—especially in heavy-weight fighting—is setting in, that the day of the crouches is over, and that the style that first made boxing an art is returning to its own.

The reported that Tiger Flowers had lost the middle-weight World’s championship to Mickey Walker on points in a 10-round contest at Chicago on December 3. One reports says: —“The decision was so stunning that it was booed.” Flowers’s manager j rotested against the decision, and the Illinois State Commission held an investigation, but, naturallv enough, refused to reverse the referee’s decision. It decided, however, that in future two judges, in addition to the referee, will decide all contests. The Commission, in its investigation, found there was no collusion or crookedness on the part of Referee Yanger: that the decision was strictly an honest one; and that Yanger rendered his verdict in accordance with the rules of boxing as promulgated by the Commission. The Commission took the spectators to task for booing, inferring that the patrons were ignorant of the rules of the sport. Yanger said his ruling was partially influenced by Flowers’s continued open-hand hitting, his declaration that he was fouled, and Walker’s aggressiveness.

The Wellington Post boxing writer says that Geoff Watchorn. “in pre-war days was amateur welter-weight champion of New Zealand, and missed the Australasian championship by a ‘whisker.’ . Watchorn first competed for the Australasian championship at Sydney in. 1909, and undoubted!v was the best man in the class on that occasion, but he did riot even get the verdict in his heat. When the decision was announced, one of the iudges—an ex-Australasian champion, by the way—expressed his astonishment at the decision of his fellow-judge, who had decided against Watchorn. Possibly the Wellington writer had this championship in mind when he wrote. But Geoff did win the title subsequently—at Auckland in 1910. He won the New Zealand championship in the class in 1909, 1910, and 1912. PURDY OUT-POINTS JANSEN. WELLINGTON, January 21. In a splendid contest at the Town Hall, before a crowded house, Chas. ' Purdy (New Zealand) defeated Raymond Jansen, the French boxer, on points. It was an exciting 15 rounds. Jansen was aggresive in the first and last rounds, evidently seeking to knock out Purdy, but the latter was too clever, his head and footwork being excellent. Purdy had a comfortable lead. BILLY EDWARDS DEFEATED. SYDNEY, January 22. At the Stadium Rov Moore, of America, defeated Billy Edwards, middle-weight champion of Australia, in 10 rounds, when the referee stopped the fight. The display by both men -vas poor. Edwards had been trained only for a few. days. Moore’s methods were crude, but he dropped his opponent three times in the last round. The crowd was 'isappointed, and frequently hooted the contestants.