BOXING

Southland Times, Issue 20002, 16 October 1926, Page 19 (Supplement)

BOXING

(By

“Punch.”)

Wills follows Dempsey into the discard. Tournament at Tuatapere next local event. The great Wills-Dempsey controversy is now definitely settled. Ticket speculators cleaned up £3O for £6 seats at the Dempsey-Tunney contest. Billy Chambers has returned to Australia, cancelling his bout with Purdy, which was to have eventuated at Christchurch to-night. Purdy will be disappointed as the Aussie can now boast of two wins over him. Within the last month three Australian titles have changed hands. Edwards annexed the middleweight from Tommy Uren; Stan Thurbon. the bantam from Jackson; and Teddie Green, the flyweight from Kelly. After a fairly long spell from the game, Eugene Criqui, the gallant French feather, and ex-ehampion of the world of that particular division, is evidently feeling well again, for he has accepted an offer from Tex Rickard to figure in fights at New York. • Bert McCarthy, the Victorian lightweight, has been induced to visit Maoriland. His initial bout will be against Reg. Trowern at Wellington on Monday night. McCarthy is an old opponent of Billy Grime’s, and has held that dual champion to a draw on one occasion. The result of the Merv. Williams-“ Sunny Jim” Williams bout at Brisbane on September 25—not cabled to the Dominion—was a win for the negro, who proved too versatile, both in attack and defence, for the Aussie. Mooted that Merv. Williams may meet Maorilander Eddie Parker in Sydney. At the Sydney Stadium last Saturday, Billy Edwards, the latest idol of Australian ring patrons, disposed of Ivan Laffineur, who has beaten Fred Brock and Jack Cameron and knocked out Eddie Butcher, and he now plans to have a shot at the Australian heavy title held by Em. Sheppeard next Friday. Edwards, who is a middleweight, is not yet 20. Sheppeard took the title from Ern. Waddy. The Oxford and Cambridge boxers, who are touring South Africa, won the “Test match” in Johannesburg on August 21, by five events to one. The Johannesburg team won the lightweight match, and the match between the w'elter-weights was drawn. Tommy Burns, the one-time heavyweight champion, now a publican at Newcastle, England, says that a protege of his, a pit boy, named Harry Pitt, is going to be a champion one day. Burns declares him to be a second Jimmy Wilde, who also was a pit boy. Paul Demsky recently lost for the first time m America. The contest took place at Hollywood, and Demsky lost on points. His opponent was Tommy O’Brien, and reports say that the decision met with a mixed reception. How to pick the winner and settle any dispute as to which boxer scored the most blows. In 1887 a blackened glove contest took place between Barney Farley and “Soap” McAlpin, and the battle was for points only. When one or the other landed a blow, it left a black mark. The referee would then wipe it off and place a point to the man who scored. After an hour’s boxing in this tedious manner, Farley was declared winner. Georges Carpentier gave some indications ef his old-time prowess at Denver, Colorado, Recently, when he knocked out Jack Burke, •f Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the second

of what was to have been a four-rounds bout. The Frenchman, former European light heavy-weight champion, floored the challenger three times in the first round and then polished him off for the night in the second. The bout, which was refereed by Jack Dempsey, was rather a farce and the crowd hooted the battlers. Dempsey tried to make Burke fight, but he met with little sucoeas. Almost any other referee would have stopped the bout in the first round, as the Pittsburgher never had a chance. He was slaughtered from the come-out. An amazingly clear broadcast of the Dempsey-Tunney title bout at Philadelphia was heard by amateur wireless experts near London. The crowd's cheers, particularly the howls against Dempsey, the sound of blows, punctuated by the announcer’s calm, crisp descriptions, round by round, were quite distinct. Each blow was explained with comment, such as “Round four. Tunncy has won every round so far; round five, Dempsey is not showing his usual form; round six, Tunney looks like being the new champion; round eight, Tunney is just as strong and contented as when he commenced. There is a lot of clinching and running away. The match is becoming a bit boresome; round nine, Dempsey is takipg a fearful beating; round ten, they are fighting like fury.” After that the announcer’s voice was drowned in a thunderous continual noise like unparalleled atmospherics. The odds are that when next we hear of the ring deeds of “Johnny” Leckie, present amateur featherweight champion of Maoriland, it will be in connection with the professional side of the game. For some time now Rumour has been busy speculating on his intentions and last week the writer learned on good authority that the young Dunedin lad has decided to join Les Murray in the States. The decision was not unexpected. Leckie is a natural fighter, fast, hard-hitting and clever, speedy on his feet and ripping in his hands like lightning when occasion offers. At his age (twenty) he may be expected to improve wonderfully with the experience that a trip to the States promises. If he remained amateur there is little doubt that, all going well in the meantime, he would represent New at the 1928 Olympic Games, but this decision would necessitate his remaining amateur for a further two years—a restriction placed on boxers by reason of Charlis Purdy’s action in turning “pro.” Immediately after his 1924 trip to Europe. The Auckland Military Sports Association has concluded its annual boxing tournament. A commencement was made on September 27, and the bouts were continued each evening during the week, the average number of bouts each evening being about forty-five. To get through this huge programme was only possible by most efficient organisation, and splendid team work. Commenting on the tournament the New Zealand Herald says—“A night at the drill hall is enough to make old bones young again. Youth, extremely beautiful youth for the most part, is seen at its best, and the spirit of the ring and of the shouting crowd of spectator-comrades is worthy of the finest traditions of British sport. Every class of boxing, from the hard-hitting Territorials of some weight and almost mature muscular development, to the agile exhibitions of the cadet “paper-weights” is to be seen. The boys are a joy to behold. The purpose of the association is not, however, to manufacture fighters of the ring. Its aim is to promote the physical wellbeing not of the few, but of the many. And it is a work in which civilians take a prominent part. The management committee is composed mainly of civilians, and although the members are appointed only in their individual capacity, it is pleasant to find that Mr H. Frost, of Rugby football, and Mr J. Carlaw, of League football, are among the body of sportsmen who have combined to serve youth in this field.” These tournaments were inaugurated in 1922, since when steady progress has been made. The idea is worth the notice of local enthusiasts. In an article on the popularity of champions, Mr W. O. McGeehan, sports editor of the New York Herald-Tribune, writes as follows—Taken all in all, the late John L. Sullivan seems to have been the most satisfactory’ of the heavy-weight champions, and his mantle seems never to have been adjusted satisfactorily to any other set of shoulders. The secret of his lasting popularity seems to have been the fact that he followed the dictates of his own imperious impulses. He believed in himself and in his ability to lick anyone in the world. It never occurred to him that he might take in too much territory’, consequently it never occurred to those within earshot of his bellow to doubt it. One gets to speculating on such matters at this particular time because Jack Dempsey has been wearing the purple mantle and the cauliflower diadem for seven years, which is quite a long time. The notion grows that his successor is about to materialise quite shortly. There was a time when it was predicted that Dempsey would reflect the glamour that was John L. Sullivan s, but something happened to this prediction. The fact that Dempsey got himself a new nose offended many of the young men in the cauliflower institution, where old noses, however shopworn, are regarded as being good enough. Then Dempsey was not even inclined to offer anything to anybody who would stand up* against him for four rounds or even longer. The sad part of it is that Dempsey did want that popularity, and is hurt over having lost it. He had every’ reverence for the mantle of Sullivan, and he wanted to wear it gracefully, not knowing that this thing of ring popularitv is too subtle and elusive to have and to hold and be worth a great deal when it is had and held.