BOXING

Southland Times, Issue 20014, 30 October 1926, Page 19

BOXING

(By

“Punch.”)

With a double bill in prospect for the night of December 14 local boxing enthusiasts should get their money’s worth at the next show to be staged by the S.B.A. The fighters have not been signed as yet, but the Municipal Theatre is definitely booked for that date, the first night of the Southland A. and P. Show. For the fipst event Tommy Griffiths, of Dunedin, is willing to face G. Gunn, of Timaru, over what promises to be 15 rounds of strenuous scrapping, and has accepted the S.B.A.’s terms. Gunn has not replied, but is not expected to quibble over the monetary details of the matching. As one of the con test ante in the second bout the Invercargill public will welcome the return of that hard-hitting Queenslander, Harry Casey, who gave Salvino Jami to a battle royal and a beating when last they met in the local ring. The SE.A’s original intention was to match Casey and Jami to in a return contest, but “Jammy” refused unless offered a purse of £2OO, proof positive of Casey’s fistic ability. At present the local association is negotiating for the services of Lackie McDonald, of Dunedin, and present holder of Maoriland’s middleweight title, as Casey’s ring partner. It is hoped to make the affair a title bout as Casey has now been in the Dominion the requisite twelve months and is eligible to hold a New Zealand title.

On Saturday, November 6, the public of Tuatapere will witness the first boxingtournament to be staged in that township. The affair has been organised by the Southland Boxing Association with in valuable assistance from a band of Tuatapere supporters of the glove game, headed by Mr. J. Pont. It is to be held in Fitzgerald’s Hall and a varied programme of bouts hss been drawn up. All arrangements are being made by the S.B.A. and officials of that body are taking charge of proceedings. Three special bouts of four 3-minute rounds are on the schedule of events and six novice bouts of three 3-minute rounds complete the bill. In the special bouts the following boxers are paired:—Middleweight—A. Dickson (Tuatapere) v. A. Wilson (Invercargill) ; feather —L. Spencer (Invercargill) v. E. Bigwood (Bluff) ; light—“A Jones” (Invercargill) v. G. Barton (Bluff). Tto following will appear in the novice events: — Lightweight—Sutherland (Invercargill) v. Steele (Tuatapere) ; middle—Knowler (Tuatapere) v. Eastwood (Otautau) ; welter —McFadgen (Invercargill) v. Fowles (Otautau) ; light—Ladbrook (Invercargill) v. Ireland (Otautau) ; light—McManus (Invercargill) v. McFarlane (Invercargill) ; two Tuatapere schoolboys. Negotiations for a bout between W. Spencer of Greenhills, and A. Dickson failed, Wilson, of Invercargill, being deputed to act as substitute for Spencer. The team from Invercargill leaves the secretary’s office on Saturday afternoon by car and returns immediately after the tournament. Harry Greb, middleweight champion of the world a year ago, died last week. George Thompson, the Australian middleweight who beat “Sunny Jim” Williams at Melbourne early this year, is now heavyweight champion of the Commonwealth. Since that defeat the American fighter has “cleaned up” most of Australia’s best ring battlers, and knocked out the most recent of Australia’s champions, Billy Edwards, last week. Williams is over 30 years old, while Edwards is 21. Harry Persson, the Scandanavian heavyweight champion, who knocked out Phil Scott, the English champion, last June, has made an auspicious start in America, as, taking part in his first contest in New York, he outpointed Johnny Risko, the Austrian-born heavy-weight, who has been competing for some years among the best big men in the States. Persson had a big advantage in height and weight. We have all heard of the transfer of star professional footballers from one club to another, but it is news to learn that the system is likely to be in vogue in professional boxing, the only difference being that boxers’ managers instead of clubs will be transacting parties. According to report the manager of Jack Delaney, who recently won the light-heavy-weight championship from Paul Berlenbach, parted with him to another manager for a consideration of 5000 dollars. The people behind the Dempsey-Tunney fight really wanted the event to be decided in New York as they realised that there would be a bigger gate there than in any other place in the Union, and therefore more to cut up between those eligible to have a dip into the coin. But the differences between the members of the New York Commission forced the promoters to go elsewhere. The latter held up as long as possible and then finding there was no possibility of the differences in the ranks of the ruling authority being adjusted, agreed, quietly and without any fuss, to take the contest to another State. The boxing authorities of Pennsylvania did not worry about Tunne/s claims to be the ‘logical contender,” or anything ilke that. The only logic they understood was that, as Dempsey was heavy-weight champion of the world, and this was a genuine championship fight, there was money in it. So they just said, “Come inside!” appear even more of a veteran.

Jim Donald, writer of boxing notes in Smith’s Weekly, Sydney, finishes up his review of the Grime-Murton fight as follows: Grime’s swift, untiring aggressiveness, uncanny sense of anticipation, and dexterity of glove-play proved altogether too much for the Englishman. On the night, at least, Murton was fighting out of his class. Try as he would, he couldn’t focus Grime. Somehow or other the latter’s gloves seemed endowed with an elastic quality which enabled them to leap across intervening space and hit the target when it was seemingly out of range. Some of those springing hits of Grime’s were marvels of bodily activity and unerring accuracy in judgment of distance. It is no disgrace to be beaten by such a boxer as Grime was on this occasion. Murton would probably defeat any other boy his weight in Australia. The trouble is that he has exposed his hand, and referees will keep a sharp eye on him in future. As for Grime, listen to what Bob Laga, an American manager of boxers, who has handled many front-rank American scrappers, has to say about him: “Say, that boy’s not only good; he’s great. Right now I guess he’s got an even-money chance with any feather-weight in the world. He’s too small to fight top-notch lightweights, but if you ask my honest-to-goodness opinion, it’s this: He looks to me like a world’s featherweight champion.” |

STORY FROM THE RING ST DE,

135,000 ATTEND IN RAINSTORM (By Grantland Rice in the New York Tribune.) Ringside, Sesqui Stadium, Philadelphia, September 23.—Gene Tunney, the fighting marine, is the new heavyweight champio-n of the world. In the presence of 135,000 persons, who sat through a driving rainstorm in Philadelphia’s big Sesquicentennial Stadium, Gene Tunney gave Dempsey one of the worst beatings any champion ever took. He not only outpointed Dempsey in every one of the’ ten rounds, but the challenger hammered the champion’s face almost out of shape. It was like nothing human when the tenth round ended. Dempsey’s left eye was entirely closed. There was a deep opening under Dempsey’s right eye. It poured a steady stream of blood. He was bleeding at both the mouth and nose as a faucet might run a crimson stream. In addition to all that his face was knocked almost out of shape. By a queer turn of fate he was almost exactly .the same ghastly sight at Philadelphia as Jess Williard was seven years ago at Toledo. He was beaten every bit as badly although he was never knocked from his feet.

Gene Tunney fought one of the most surprising fights of his career. With a pouring rain beating down on the ring which left the footing slippery and treacherous, Tunney met Dempsey’s wild, savage rushes with stiff lefts and rights to the face. These jabs and punches, while delivered from short range, carried terrific power. They cut Dempsey’s face into a flutter of crimson ribbons. They threw him off his balance and left him dazed and bewildered. Tunney appeared extremely confident from the start and he fought with the same confidence to the end of the battle. The first shock which the record-breaking crowd of 135.000 received came in the first round. Thia

record crowd, which paid over two million to see the contest, saw a waning, fading champion before them before the new book, first chapter, had been written. They saw the old champ come on with his same old savage attack. After one or two furious rushes he blew up quickly and had to rest, and while he was taking these rests Tunney came to him and simply knocked his face lopsided. Dempsey made at least five of the terrific charges trying to end the fight in one punch, but as Tunney weathered each one of them, a wan and listless champion had to back away to recuperate. Tunney fought a great fight, but it was quite evident that when it came to a matter of pressure Dempsey had blown completely up. Even when he crowded Tunney into a comer he had none of the old steam which formerly carried him to victories in the past. In the course of the entire fight Dempsey landed only three full punches on the much more clever boxer and none of these did any damage worth speaking of. A smashing right hook to the body and a left hook to the jaw plainly shook Tunney up, but in each case he recovered so quickly that he was on top of Dempsey, jabbing him with a straight left hook to the face and hard right to the nose and jaw.

There were three occasions during the contest when Tunney landed from five to seven clean punches with both hands without taking anything in return. As the rain-soaked crowd saw Tunney pass the fifth round fairly in the lead, they began to see a new heavyweight champion of the world. JACK’S RUSHES BECOME SLOWISR. The excitement increased as the old ’champion’s rushes became slower and metre futile, and his face began to swell as if some one had painted red oranges on eithror cheek. From the fifth round on they saw Dempsey’s rushes take on a less aggressive spurt. In the last three rounds lio was peering at Tunney through a half open eye. Only those who saw hihi can raalke

what a spectacle his face was. He was as unsightly as Jess Williard at Toledo at the end of the third round. Tunney fought his way to the top after seven years wandering along the championship trail by great courage and straight sharp punching. Tunney as a boxer made Dempsey look like a third rate novice. There were times when Dempsey missed right and left hooks and swings by over two feet. There were times when he had to stand almost helpless by the ropes or in the centre of the ring and take a fusilade of punches without even the pretence of a return. There were many times when he looked as helpless and bewildered as a raw crude street corner fighter meeting the champion of the world. As Dempsey would rush Tunney, the challenger would either step cleverly away or else beat Dempsey to the punch with a left and a right delivered at either long or close range. None of these punches was hard enough to stagger Dempsey or to knock him down. Tunney showed fine generalship in mixing up his style of defence. On one occasion he would be away from Dempsey and keep backing away until he was out of reach. On the next occasion he would fake an attempt at backing away and then as Dempsey came .on he would step in and nail the old champion with a terrific right to the jaw. Dempsey, being wide open, was at the mercy of these punches. He was unable to get his head out of the way, to duck or to block. JACK BEWILDERED BY HAMMERING. For the first few rounds they did no great damage, but it was the gathering force of the slashing blows which finally almost tore Jack’s face apart and left him badly bewildered and dazed. There were momenta in the first few rounds when it seemed as if one of Dempsey’s wild rushes would drive Tunney clean out of. the ring. Once, for example, Dempsey came tearing across the ring with such ferocity that he almost catapulted Tunney over the ropes, but Gene mat thia

with amazing coolness and craft There was not one second of the fight when Tunney appeared to be upset or thrown off balance. He varied his own attack magnificently. Now and then he surprised Dempsey by leading and then following up his lead with a hail of blows, but for the greater part of the time he let Dempsey rush and attempt to lead and then beat the bewildered champion to the punch. Tunney took the best that Dempsey had to give without any sign of breaking down or leaving his feet. It might have been slightly different if Dempsey had been able to keep up his few head-long assaults, but after twenty or thirty seconds of hard rushing he tired quickly and was forced to slow down and take a lot of punishment.

In the course of this ten-round contest Tunney must have landed at least 100 clean punches, where Dempsey landed only five or six. Evep Dempsey’s old attack broke down and did almost no damage. The greatest excitement of the battle broke out in the tenth round. With the rain now driving down of black skies 135,000 people saw a new heavyweight champion advancing to the centre of the ring. There were now only three minutes between him and 3,000,000 dollars. Those who knew the Dempsey of old stiff figured the waning champion might have one killing punch left. But he was already under the black shadow of defeat. He had nothing left but a smashed and broked face as Gene Tunney, the marina, fell upon him and battered him round the ring.

'rhe new champion had earned his victory by courage, coolness, generalship and skitt. With a blinding rain coming upon him Gene Tunney stood in the centre of the ring as referee Reilly raised his right hand in token of one of the finest heavyweight victories ever known.

The fighting marine had come at to the end of the long year trail wearing the laurels which he had earned.

(Another account and some interesting sidelights on the fight will be publaUd next weekQ.