BOXING

Southland Times, Issue 20448, 28 March 1928, Page 9

BOXING

SOUTHLAND ASSOCIATION. The following is the annual report of the Southland Boxing Association for the season 1927-28 which is to be presented to the annual meeting of members in April:— In presenting the 21st annual report of the Southland Boxing Association, your committee congratulates the members on their efforts to revive the sport—efforts which have been rewarded with unqualified success, as evidenced by the interest now taken in boxing in all parts of the province. The 1927-28 season was a heavy and successful one, and the association l feels that its endeavours on behalf of the sport have been crowned with gratifying results. It is pleasing to note the regularity with which members have attended meetings of the association. The revival of boxing throughout Southland has been welcomed by all enthusiastes, and the fact that most of the contests staged by the association drew full houses shows that interest in the sport has taken a new hold on the public. Membership.—The number of members on the active list of the association now stands at 25, and the honorary membership list shows a total of 288. This is an increase of 151 on the previous year; the increase in memberships for the last two years has been 250. This signifies that the members of the committee have worked enthusiastically to build the association into a strong financial organization. Tournaments.—On June 30 in the Victoria Hall, a novice tournament was held, and attracted entries from all over Southland. On August 6 the Southland championships were held in the Municipal Theatre. The competitors represented all classes of boxing, and the satisfactory standard reached in this tournament should be highlj’ satisfactory to the association. The following competitors carried off the honours in the championships:—Bantamweight, L. Jarvis. Featherweight, G. Steele. Lightweight, “A. Jones.” Welterweight, G. McEwan. Middleweight, A Dickson. Professional Contests.—One professional contest was held in Invercargill during the season, it being between Harry Casey (Australia) and Jim Broadfoot (Auckland) for the middleweight title of New Zealand, the result being a draw. This was a fast, clever contest, and the large crowd present showed in no mean fashion their high appreciation of the endeavour of the two boxers. There has been a dearth of good matches in New Zealand during the past season, and your committee felt that rather than put mediocre contests on, more good would accrue by careful matching of the best, though this would mean a lesser number of contests. Your association is not yet in a strong enough financial position whereby it can import men from Australia,' but if the present prosperity of the association continues, it is hoped to be able to cater in this line in the future. The Sport in Country Districts.—Special mention is to be made of one particular section of the association’s activity, and that is its work in developing the sport in the country districts, which formerly had received little encouragement. In promoting tournaments at Otautau, Nightcaps, and Wianiwa, the association acted wisely, for besides drawing large and enthusiastic audiences, the contests also brought to light some very promising performers, who might have lost interest in the sport had they no other competition than that provided in their own towns.

New Zealand Championships.—The New Zealand Amateur Championships were held in the Municipal Theatre, Invercargill, under the auspices of your', association, and proved to be one of the best tournaments held in the Dominion in recent years. The bouts staged left nothing to be desired from a boxing point of view, whilst the snappiness of the fighting and the number of exciting incidents met with the warm approval of all spectators. The attendances on each of the three nights were well maintained; the last night in particular saw the theatre packed to its utmost. Your committee is to be congratulated on the manner of its arrangements; everything went with the precision of a well oiled machine, and to this is due half the success of the meeting. The feature of the tournament was the splendid refereeing of Mr Earl Stewart, of Wellington, who officiated as third man for most of the bouts, his firm handling of each contest giving him the confidence of competitors and fans alike. The Sport.—Your committee sincerely trusts that the sport will not decrease in popularity nor in quality, and that there will be a noticeable increase in the number of competitors during the 1928-29 season. It is the aim of this association to induce the youth of the province to take an interest and an active part in this healthy and manly sport. It is not necessary for men and boys to compete in our tournaments—we will be more than satisfied if they assist in the promotion of the game by taking an interest in it. We wish the association continued prosperity, and trust, that the success which has attended it during the past season will be an incentive to members to work together in an united effort to again place boxing on a high footing in Southland. Thanks.—Thanks are due to all those who assisted us at tournaments; to Inspector Bird, for his courtesy in granting permits for the holding of the contests; to Drs. G. Crawford, S. Brown, F. O. McGibbon, and W. B. Reekie for examining competitors; to the honorary auditor (Mr R. Taylor) for auditing the books of the association; to the Southland Rugby Football Union; Mr A. Tall, and the various others who helped us entertain the competitors at the N.Z. championship meeting; to all instructors of competitors; to all office bearers and honorary and active members who assisted us in carrying out the numerous and arduous duties connected with the successful launching of the several tournaments; and to the Press for the prominence and fair reports given to the sport. For the committee of the Southland Boxing Association.—President, S. A. Lindsay; secretary, J. Richardson.