BOXING

Otago Witness, Issue 3823, 21 June 1927, Page 52

BOXING

By CROSS-COUNTER.

FIXTURES.

June 24. —Harry Gunn v. Johnny Leckie; Hector Leckie v. Thomas Griffiths, it Dunedin.

July 4.—0.8. A. novice tournament, at South Dunedin.

July —. —Otago amateur championships. August 17, 18, and 19. —New Zealand amateur championships, at Invercargill.

OTAGO BOXING ASSOCIATION.

At the last meeting of the executive of the Otago Boxing Association the Match Committee brought forward a recommendation that a novice tournament be held in the South Dunedin Town Hall on July 4. It also recommended that the preliminary bouts in connection with the Otago amateur championships be decided about a week before the finals, which, it was proposed, should be held in His Majesty’s Theatre neirt month. All the recommendations were agreed to. All the preliminary arrangements in connection with the two professional contests to be decided in His Majesty's Theatre to-morrow week have been completed, and theTJtago Boxing Association can look forward to its opening tournament for the season being one of the most attractive that it has presented for a very long time. All the men engaged are training on well, and should be in their best form when they enter the ring. All of them have proved that they possess undoubted ability and that they are capable of putting up a performance that should arouse the enthusiasm of followers of the sport. The contest between Tommy Griffiths and Hector Leckie will come on before that between Johnny Leckie anjj Harry Gunn. The conditions provide for a weight of 9st. A programme such as being staged will no doubt arouse very keen interest, and the enterprise of the Otago Boxing Association in bringing such attractive performers should meet with substantial support. The professional bouts will be preceded by an amateur contest between Davies and Hughes. Mr J. Kilmartin will officiate as referee. The association has decided to conclude arrangements with Mr Albert Parker for the use of his room in Stafford street. The association’s ring will be available, so that private nights can be held at whieh decision contests will be staged and prizes given. When the alterations are completed the police will be asked to inspect and approve of the room for the holding of contests. In the event of the association’s finances warranting it. any approved teacher with a boxing school may be granted financial assistance by the governing body in the near future.

NEW WELTER-WEIGHT CHAMPION. A recent cablegram from New York stated that Joe Dundee, of Baltimore, decisively outpointed Pete Latzo in a 15round bouton Friday night for the welterweight championship of the world. Latzo, who won the championship from Micky Walker, now middleweight cham 'on, was not regarded in America as anything out of the ordinary, and his downfall at the hands of Dundee was prophesied. BRITISH CHAMPIONS. The _ following are the British boxing champions and the legal contenders for their titles:— , Heavy.—Champion, Phil Scott; contender, Jack Stanley. Cruiser.—Champion. Gipsy Daniels; contender. Frank Moody. » Middle.—Champion. Tommy Milligan; contender, Len Johnson. Welter.—Champ'on, Jack Hood; contenders, Harry Mason. Alf Mancini, and Johnny Brown (Hamilton). Light. Champion, vacant; contenders, Kid Berg and Ernie Rice. Feather.—Champion. Johnny Cuthbert; contenders, Johnny Curley and Young Johnny Brown. Bantam.—Champion. Teddy Baldock; contenders. Young Stanley and Kid Pattenden. Fly.—Champion, vacant; contenders, Alf Barber and Johnny Hill. TROWERN BEATS CHAMBERS. Reg. Trowern outpointed Billy Chambers over 15 rounds at the Leichhardt Stadium, Sydney, early in the month. Irowern won through his superiority at infighting. He peppered Chambers with snort punches to the body in the many clinches that occurred. The bout was ar from spectacular, and Chambers was not impressive. He threw punches for the most part over Trowern’s shoulder and left himself open to a vicious attack to the body. Trowern fiught a great fighf. He bluffed Chambers out of his usual style, and had him tied up from the eighth rouna onwards. Trowern rattled Chambers in the twelfth round with a right to the chin, and from this on the Australian did not seem to have a chance. The decision in Trowern’s favour was the only one possible. NEW ZEALANDERS’ SUCCESS. The news of the victories of Purdy and Trowern. in Australia is particularly pleasing to Auckland enthusiasts (says the New Zealand Herald). Purdy scored a points victory Richards, who is in line for a fight with Eddie Butcher for the welterweight title of Australia. Richards weighed in 2Jlb heavier than Purdy, but in the opinion of M'Knight. who was in the New Zealander’s corner, Richards was much nearer 10.4 than 9.12. Purdy Trowern, and M'Knight are a trio of New Zealand boxers who are likley to leave behind them a high reputation in Australian boxing circles. NOTES.

. The Napier Boxing Asociation is looking forward to putting on two 10-round contests in July. The Southland Boxing Association will hold a tournament for noviceg on June 28. i j Ferguson, the Otago and New Zealand University feather-weight champion is at present in Invercargill, where he is engaged as relieving teacher on the staff of the Southland Technical College. If he remains in Invercargill till August, he may

represent Southland at tho New Zealand championship tournament. Ono of the. members of tho Seattle Boxing Commission is a clergyman, the Rev. G V. M'Clure, pastor of a Congregational Church in the city. He was nominated by tho Mayor, and filled the place Of a member of the commission who. in retiring, announced that ho was washing his hands of bdxing until it was conducted entirely for tho -benefit of charity. Paul Demsky, the Queensland lightweight boxer, who visited' New Zealand two years ago. and who has -since been in Manila,- San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, arrived by the Makura in Wellington on Monday week, and left with the vessel for Sydney and home. The Napier Association has written to Norman Radford, the English featherweight, offering him contests in Napier with a definite contract. A reply is now due, and as Radford intends leaving Australia shortly, it is just possible-.(says Straight Left,” in the Hawke’ Biy Herald) that he may find it convenient to come to New Zealand. Radford has made a great name for himself in Australia, where he cleans them up as fast as thev can match them. Radford should do well if he comes over, as his class is right in the boom just now. For. striking tho referee of a fight at Premierland, London. E. Broadribb. the manager of one of tho contestants, ’ Tom Hood, was charged with assault, and the plaintiff was awarded damages of £l4O In evidence, Morris, tho referee, stated that at the end of the twelfth round Hood was in a bad condition, and when he went to ask hirn whether he desired to continue the fight Broadribb struck him. The de fondant denied liability. Sammy Mandell, who recently knocked out Steve Adams, of Chicago, in a contest for the light-weight championship of the world, assumed the title on the retiremen of Benny Leonard, and has successfully defended it up to the present. Tod Morgan Vic. Foley, and "Doe” Snell are each looking for an opportunity to meet Mandell It will be remembered that Adams died a few minutes after being knocked out by Mandell. S Duke Maddox and Artie Hay are likely to be two of the boys engaged at Napier m July (says “Straight Left” in the Hawkes Bay Herald), but their opponents have not yet been definitely decided XT *m e a £ e s ®, veral lo ß'cal opponents for Maddox, but the hardest part will be to find someone for Hay. There seems to be only two in Hay’s class just now— Harry Casey and Dick Loveridge. Hay th 1 ! 1 VCridKe il in r Hamilton towards the end of this month for Hay’s title, and naturally the further matching of the pair will depend largely on the result of tlie Hamilton contest. Eddie Butcher’s defeat of the middleweight champion of Australia. Hughie for^ns^ 1 ]- aS - a bad adver tisement tor Australian boxing, more especially if the triple champion Billy Grime, suffers another defeat in America (says a writer in the New Zealand Herald). Grime accounted, for Butcher by a knock-out in the fourth round, yet Butcher has proved capable of defeating Dwyer, who previously accounted for the middle-weight champion, Billy Edwards. It really means that Grime, though 9.0 is his best‘fighting limit, is second only to those of th e heavy brigade. Notwithstanding - this, an Australian writer stdl maintains that among ?b!e Sn of rir Cn f, ns . tralia has lads cap" bS of ofi’pU ° Wn aSainSt the fivht tf referen TT 3 the decision in the Mr Wn^n U T ud ’ ,n o and Tom Heeney, Mr VV. O. M Geehan, Sports editor of the New Aork Tribune, says: “If the two officials who gave the decision to Uzcudun awarded it on the ground that the Basque received more blows than the New Zealander they were absolutely justified It is my notion that they must have been working on this theory. There is no other The ve - rdlct can he justified, lhe Boxing Commission should explain carefully to all officials that the idea of to ie roee" ly ° f T odified murder is not Imt M i’r the J najorl & of punches, but to deliver them. The judges and rethn™ 8 S A OU d he schooled in this regard thoroughly, and t might not be a bad idea to repeat this theory to them bcbovsnto°UndS ‘ H is J l - ard for some of the boys to carry anything in their heads longer than three minutes” ’

MANAWATU CHAMPIONSHIPS. The M PALMERSTON N., June 15. , •.Manawatu amateur boxing championships were concluded to-night. The bouts were generally good. The following n-anffi)- 6311 b B: 7 FIy ‘ W?i f ht ’ S ' Gray ( Wa " n„anui) bantam-weight. J. Evans (Levin); light-weight. W. Gray (Wan-a 11UI ) J welter-weigh\ B. O’Keefe (PalmnrS (Bulk)° rth) lißht heav y- w ' ei sht, B. Meads .A F f Or 'lu ard C'X an ßanui) won the final wSSSiftS). 1 "' “ au,t fra ” L »”» „y a j U ?°i Kave an exhibition bout. The crowd took up a collection and handed the money to him. Mr Merton (president of the association) made a eulogistic reference to Jamito, who has fought twice in Palmerston North, each time for charit"

BILLY GKIME IN AMERICA. . NEW YORK, June IS. At Los Angeles Billy Grime, holder of three Australian titles, won on points in a ten-round bout against Pico Ramies a Mexican. ’ Ramies, although a clever and courageous boxer, was wholly unable to cope with the wearing and lunging attack of Grime, who outboxed and outsluggcd him. J. he Australian reached his opponent’s jaw almost at will, and the Mexican was a tired and much battered man when the final bell rang.

Grime took the first three rounds by a wide margin. The Mexican was apparently determined to rush Grime in the third round, and swung viciously, each blow carrying a potential knock-out, but the crowd roared *with laughter when the Australian side-stepped these, and in return sent biting lefts that damaged his opponent’s face.

Ramies was more cautious in the fourth round, in which he shook his opponent by landing several heavy body punches at close quarters. Grime returned to win the fifth, badly cutting the Mexican’s eye, and lacing him soundly throughout the session, only Ramie's great strength aud determination keeping him on his feet.

Grime during the next three rounds continued a constant battery of blows to the head and body, clearly showing his superiority. Ramies gave evidence of his great courage and skill by returning in the ninth, and trading blow for blow, making the round even. He continued his attack in the tenth, with slight superiority in that session by continuing effective body blows, but Grime'’ gained the decision, his superiority generally throughout the bout being obvious.

CONTESTS IN AUSTRALIA. SYDNEY, June 19. At tho Stadium, George Thompson knocked out Wally Walker in the seventh round. Walker was outclassed and was badly punished. 'At the Newcastle Stadium, Nelson M'Knight (10.5 i suffered his first defeat in Australia, when ho was beaten by Jimmy Pearce (10.8£). M'Knight was floored half-way through the ninth round, and the referee stopped the contest and declared Pearce the winner. M'Knight was down twice before, and was in a hopeless position. He received a heavy right to the head in the sixth round, and was down for eight seconds. This was the beginning of tho end. M'Knight never recovered, and received a terrific pastin"until the referee terminated the fight. The New Zealander was very courageous, and he earned great anplause. It was learned later Ih-it M Knight broke a small bone in his y'Snt hand a week ago and stepped into the ring under a serious disadvantage, facing an opponent like Pearce, who is regarded as tho future welter-weight champion of Australia.