WRESTLING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17871, 30 August 1932, Page 6

WRESTLING

TO-MORROW’S BOUT GOOD AMATEUR PRELIMINARIES Public interest in the professional wrestling bout between George Walker, Canadian champion and holder, of the British Empire heavyweight title, and “Wild-Cat” Wilson, ot the United States, one of the most scientific and enterprising of the recent crop of American heavyweight matmen, has grown apace during the past few days, and the box plan has proved most attractive since the Gisborne Wrestling Association announced the scale of admission charges. These charges are based on what the association Relieves will yield a fair return to, the wrestlers engaged, who contest tlie match for percentages of tho net takings. No complaints are likely , to Ipe heard regarding the charges if the match itself comes up to the high expectations formed by tho sport-loving public of Gisborne. It is agreed by all interested in the promotion of the contest that the Gisborne association has been fortunate to sign rip two sucli prominent exponents of the sport. Last, year the majority of association members were inclined to agree that there was little chance of getting the really big men of the game to come to Gisborne; though previously the town had been visited by such good wrestlers as Demetrat and Scotty McDougall, not to mention the famous Tom Alley, who was popularly beljeved to head the “school” of American grapplers operating in Nc\y Zealand. It was said at the close of last year that unless the Gisborne organisation could secure matches in which the best men available would appear, .there was little hope of keeping the sport going here; and the attractions of the metropolitan rings were so great at that, time as to almost preclude the possibility of getting the best men to the provincial centres. There is no doubt that,in getting Walker and Wilsoii to agree on a match, the association has done better than anyone expected of it, and the manner in which the public supports tomorrow’s contest should be a measure of the sporting interest aroused. There arc to be five amateur preliminary bouts, before Wilson and Walker come to grips, and several of the non-professionals have sonic experience to back their claims. A. Read has been matched with 0. Flavell, H. Badham with It. Russell, W. L. Burt with J. Solomon and A. Callahan with 0. White, while ope of the bgst of tho amateur bouts should be that between J. Pohatu, well known as a Rugby representative, and J. Kennedy, who. has been selected as the most likely opponent for the Maori. The amateurs named should note that their tickets of admission are available from Mr. G. Clayton, an officer of the Gisborne Wrestling Association.