BOXING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16869, 5 February 1929, Page 3

BOXING

LAST WORD OF TEX ) "DEMBSEY WILL COME BACK" Though tin; schemes which Tex Richard formulated prior to his death may not materialise without his guiding hand) there is a groat deal of niter est for followers of the .sport, of boxing in the. general outlines of those' plans, by means of which the premier promoter hoped to whip up attention in the elimination bout among the heavyweights. In an article written for the woll-kiipwu publication, "The Ring," Tex Richard revealed that Jack Dempsey was to bo his trump car for 1928, and that the force which Mould movo Jack into tho ring for' bis last light would be the same as that which brought Jim Jeffries back to meet- Jack Johnson —namely, public acclaim. It was the idea of Tex Bickard that Dempsey, bred to the ring and with fighting in his blood, would bo unable to resist the ■call to conic out. as tho finalist in the heavyweight elimination series of 1929, with a great chance of winning back tho title he had lost to Tunney. Eickards' rankings are especially significant, as giving the promoter's final analysis of the game lie developed so extensively. Equally interesting is his forecast of Dempsey's plans, eveu though thoy now arc. in doubt as a result of the promoter's death. Tho promoter ranked tho former champion as the outstanding heavyweight now that Tunney had retired, and declared that Dempsey would fight once, either in August or September, as a finalist fin tho elimination tournament, that gets under way with a battle between Jack Sharkey and Young Stribling at Miami Beach, Florida, on February 27.

"Jack Dempsey will como back this year," Tex wrote. "Ono cannot think of Dempsey except in terms of greatness, and therefore in his case inactivity last year must be disregarded in. tho rating of the world's leading heavyweights, fcr ho is greater than any fighter now basking in tho limelight anfl striving for the title left, vacant by Gcno Tunnov. ""GIiNUINE CHAMPION."

, "Tho return of Dempsey will cause the public to accept the appointment of a successor to Tunney as a gcuuine champion. The fellow who can whip Dempsey v\\jll earn the recognition of the public as champion. He will win their confidence, and after all, public opinion is what will count most in deciding Tuiiney's successor. Although Dempsey .lost the verdict to Tunney at Chicago, there arc thousands of light fans throughout the world who feel that he is the uncrowned world's heavyweight champion. "Dempsey will] light only once. That one battle will be for me, and it will decide the holder of the crown. He will be one of two finalists, the other to bo selected from other contenders. Dempsey is the former champion, and as such is entitled to more consideration than Sharkey, Stribling, Paulino, Heeney, Bisko and the rest of the field. The elite of the title bout will depend on how long Dempsey needs to get in condition.

"Dempsey is coming back to givo the heavyweight class the punch it now lacks, to reinject a lot of tho old interest and Dempsey color into the situation. The public wants Dempsey to return, and he will heed public clamor, as did Jim Jeffries." LA BARBA HEADS BANTAMS.

In rating'4l6 boxers from all parts of the world in the various divisions on the basis of the ring wars of 1928, Rickard xilaced Geno Tunney, although he is retired, at the* head of tho heavyweights, named Fidel La Barba as tho outstanding bantamweight in a division that knows no generally recognised ruler, aiid gave the same recognition to Spider Pladner, of France, of the leaderless flyweights. Tho promoter gave Jimmy McLarnin the palm, among the junior welterweights in preference to Mushy Callahan, considered the champion of tho, unorthodox division, but recognised all other title-holders as the leaders of their classes during 1928. Eickard ignored tho claims of Izzy Schwartz, New York State champion, and Frankie 'Genaro, National Boxing Association title-holder, among the flyweights. Similarly Bushy Graham, New York champion, and Al Brown, N.B.A. title-holder, ranked behind La Barba.among the bantams.

. McDonald defeats mcinnes (B«i Truss AsßiciuLion. l AUCKLAND, lttsfc night. Tho micldltMveight boxing contest for a purso. of. £2OO, between Tummy,, Mcinnes, Scotland., ;mt] Laehio McDonaldi, Tiinaru, drew large crowd to the Town, Hall to-night. McDonald wou on points over the full 15 rounds. The pair had Ijiat twice previously, each having a decision on points. Mcinnes failed to show Ins usual dash up to the seventh round and McDonald scored .finely. Mcinnes forced tho pace over the last four rounds, but McDonald kept him off, despite an injury to his right hand, sustained in tho sixth round. The decision met with a mixed reception, though AleDonald wus clearly the winner. THURSDAY'S CARNIVAL AN ATTRACTIVE PROGRAMME iVo more ;ittractive programme oJ; amateur bouts haH ever been staged in Gisborne, the Boxing Association officials claim, than thai; which has been arranged for Thursday evening. The major event will be- a six-round clash between .lack Leslie, of Auckland, featherweight champion of .New Zealand, and .1. Pr.auklui, of'Gisborne, who has conic to the froui of late as ii two-handed tighter with more, tlmn a modicum of science to back up his »-peed and strength. Another bout -which promises well is fhut between T. Mullins, of Auckland, and M. 'Brown, of Poverty Bay, in the heavyweight, class. .Mullens recently outfought Davies, of Wairott, to whom he conceded a great deal in poundage and reach, but he will Had Blown, the Maori heavy, a more difficult man to tackle.

Altogether, the association has assembled a. programme of contests that should be worth travelling a distance to see, and the first carnival of the year promises to be the best for a long

time. The programme as if stands is as under: — E.- Stevens v. M. Caliagnun, three rounds. , : "Bud" Wahauui (Tokomaru Bay) ;v. C. Pistor, four rounds. • Jim Wright v. W. Pitcher, special six rounds (2-iniuute). Gus ' Pitzniaurice v. G. Mackay .(Hastings), four rounds. Tod Morgan (Wellington), world's welter champion, v. Charlie Knox (Wellington), four rouuds. Exhibition spar. T. •Fitzgerald (Tolaga. Bay) v. 11. Gregory (Whatatutu), four rounds. Tamati. (Hangaroa) v. A. Aneell, four rounds.' , W. Hall v. G. Dunn, four rounds. Jack Leslie (N.Z. feather champion) v. Joe Franklin,, special six 3-mimitc rounds. "Watty" Kobertson v. P. Gordon (Napier), four rounds. Terry Mullins (Auckland lightweight champion) v. Mahunga Bijown (P.B. heavy champion), four rouuds.