BOXING

Otago Witness, Issue 3897, 20 November 1928, Page 54

BOXING

By

Cross Counter.

Tommy Fairhall and Harry Casey, who will meet at Wellington on November 26, have signed to enter the ring at lOst 21b. Casey wanted lOst 41b. but Fairhall got his way. Jamito has travelled a great deal since he left New Zealand. After staying in Panama and South America, he went to the United States. According to a recent report, he was knocked out by a fourth-rate performer, and apparently his sun has set. He has very little to show for his fine career, for it was a case of “ easy come, easy go ” with him. - “ Hop ” Harry Stone is back in Australia again, and : n spite of his 40 years is still looking for contests. He has challenged Jack Carroll for the welter-weight championship, and is willing to stake £lOO on the result. Stone, who has fought in the Dominion, has had about 600 contests during his long career, and at one time was in the running for a world’s championship. Following on the declaration of “no contest ” in the bout between Charley Von Reedon and Kid Socks in Melbourne. Stadiums. Limited, handed the boxers’ shares of the gate money to the Lord Mayor’s Metropolitan Hospital fund. Billy Melton, who was badly beaten by Johnny Leekie at Greymouth, has returned to Australia. Melton was no match for Leekie, but he is an attractive pe.-'former in the ring. Three Filipinos—Kid Along, Salvino de Leon (who has been in Australia previously), and Kid Johnson—are booked for Australia. Johnson is said to be the best performer of the trio, and claims the feather-weight championship of the Orient.

Stadiums, Limited, are negotiating for a visit from Teddy Baldock, the English bantam-weight. Apparently they are desirous of obtaining opponents for Fidel la Barba. None of the Australian-born boxers appears to be good enough to extend the ex-fly-weight champion of the world, and good opponents must be obtained before Australian boxing enthusiasts will patronise the bouts. The wrestlers who have been monopolising the boxing rings in Australia for the last few months have now. declared their season closed, and most of them are returning home with big cheques. The granplers first caught the fancy of Australians in Melbourne, but their popularity spread to Sydney, Adelaide, and Brisbane, and the boxers experienced lean times.

A h rench Promoter has put up a purse of £2ooo—a record sum, it is said, for France—for a match between Izzy Schwartz, the American fly-weight, whom the New York commission recognises as the world’s champion, and Emile Pladner, the rench fly-weight champion. The contest is set down for December 3.An Italian heavy-weight, Primo CarVn 1 ?’ • i° 6ft lOin and weighs over iJst, is being given a try out on the Continent, in the expectation that he will prove good enough to take to * America a cut at the heavy-weight championship. So far he has won all his trial fights. Although Johnny Leekie won his fight with .Norman Radford so decisively—he had a big lead in points when he stopped the Englishman—his fighting was rather disappointing (says the Christchurch Sun), even when one allows for Radford’s constant holding. The contest suggested that Leekie is definitely at the stage of his career when he needs a greater variety of opponents to develop his prowess to the height which he should be capable of reaching. He still leaves himself a little too open to a quick opponent of high skill, and he. neglected opportunities for using his left. The bout indicated that he is scarcely “ripe” for matching with hard-hitting, tear-in fighters in America. Probably visits to Australia, South Africa, England, and America, in that order, would develop him better than any other itinerary. Amongst the competitors at the New South Wales amateur championship meeting was F. Fitzjohn, a son of Frank Fitzjohn, who, after winning the Australasian amateur bantam-weight championship at Sydney in 1906, turned professional two years later and had a highly successful career as a feather-weight. Fitzjohn, jun., competed in the bantam class, and reached the semi-final, in which he was outpointed by H. Green.

It is rather a distressing fact (says London Sporting Life) that not a single British boxer figures in the list of European champions issued by the International Boxing Union, which governs the sport throughout the Continent. It is true that Great Britain has boxers who have beaten several of the 1.8. U. champions, but that does- not put us on the official- map, so to speak The Boxing Board of Control will have no more to do with the 1.8. U. The British Boxing Alliance, which has set up in rivalry to the board, thinks otherwise. It has become affiliated, and in an effort to straighten out the European titles more in accord with British views it will propose to the 1.8. U. that British champions be matched with 1.8. U. champions for the titles under 1.8. U. laws. Mr Tex Rickard has issued a financial report to the stockholders of the Madison Square Garden Corporation, in which he states that the era of million-dollar boxing purses is ended. With respect to the loss over the Tunney-Heeney fight “ the directors feel that the loss was not an unmixed evil,” he said, “ inasmuch as it should result in a correction of the situation which has prevailed for the last few years wherein the boxers’ share of the receipts has mounted to a point where profits to the promoters have vanished. It should be possible to arrange for future contests on a basis that will give greater 'protection to the promoter and greater opportunity to make reasonable earnings.” From the point of view of the Christchurch Sports Club, the Leckie-R adford fight-at the Municipal Concert Hall was a huge success (says the Christchurch Star), for the hall was full, but the actual contest was rather disappointing. Leekie was fit and well and eager, and went to his man all right, but Radford appeared to be a little lacking in condition. He certainly lacked confidence, for he never attempted a serious offensive, and seemed bent upon, avoiding punishment for as long as he could, and seeing out the distance. The winner missed many opportunities of finishing the fight over the middle stages, notably in the seventh session, after Radford had stayed down for the count of nine. He came up shaky, and Leekie went for him to finish, but he was overeager, and rushed in close enough for the Englishman to grab him and cling like a limpet. Radford did not land one really stinging blow, and his showing prevented Leekie from doing his real best. Leekie was as fast as ever and whipped his punches over with plenty of sting, his right being especially effective, both to the body and the head. After the seventh round it was just a matter of waiting for the knockout. Radford slowed the fight down by clinching at every opportunity, and showed a marked disinclination to break at all, and it was only over the later stages that the referee, Mr A. Smith, separated them really effectively. The end came from a right clip to the jaw, which did not seem as severe as several which Radford had stopped during the few rounds preceding. He took a count of nine, and, following a hail of blows, the referee thought the time opportune to interfere.

WIN FOR VINCE PARKER. SYDNEY, November 13. At the Leichardt Stadium to-night the New Zealander, Vince Parker, 10.4, defeated Jaek Dillon 10.3 on points in 12 rounds. It was the best fight that hasbeen seen in this stadium for years. WIN ’FOR NORMAN GILLESPIE. SYDNEY, November 18. - The wrestling season having finished, boxing was resumed at the Stadium last night, when Norman Gillespie (9.7), the former feather-weight champion of Victoria, defeated Sid Sampson (9.9), in the tenth round. Sampson was down twice, and the bout was stopped. POOR BOUT IN MELBOURNE. MELBOURNE, November 18. At the Stadium, Don M‘Leod (12.3)) beat Tom Cubb (11.6), of Sydney. The contest was stopped in the eleventh round, after a poor exhibition. A WIN FOR “ TIGER ” PAYNE. NEW YORK, November 11. “Tiger” Payne (12.1), a contender for. the heavy-weight title, decisively defeated George Larocco (13.1) over 10 rounds.