BOXING

Southland Times, Issue 22499, 8 December 1934, Page 19

BOXING

According to a Wellington writer Maurice Strickland was to leave for England by the lonic yesterday, yet an Australian journal says Strickland is at present in Sydney. Here is what the Wellington scribe has to say: “Maurice Strickland is very disappointed in the various boxing associations for the manner of indifference displayed in finding him suitable heavyweight opponents; so much so, in fact, that he has resolved to leave for England by the lonic on December 7. Billy Crawford, his manager-trainer, may also make the trip on the same liner; so much the better if he should decide to accompany his protege for he is well known in English boxing circles, and, assisted by Johnny Summers, famous British welter-weight boxer of former years, he should not experience any great trouble in providing Strickland with regular opponents. It is indeed regrettable that a promising heavyweight of Strickland’s stamp should be compelled to venture abroad thus early in his career but once established in the old country he should not have cause to regret having made the move.

PROFESSIONAL TITLES

PLEA FOR “ONE MAN ONE TITLE” POLICY.

On December 6 the professional middleweight championship of New Zealand will automatically become vacant if Harry Lister, the holder, does not return to the Dominion from Australia between now and then, wrote “Olympian” in the New Zealand Sportsman a fortnight ago. Harry left New Zealand on June 7 of this year and under the rules of the N.Z.8.A., is allowed six clear months abroad before forfeiting his title. While on the subject of championships, “Olympian” says he would like to point out that the lightweight title is still vacant and, with Archie Hughes temporarily out of the game, there remain contenders in Rayner, Oxley and Johnny McKay. However, as it is very nearly six months since the firstnamed last defended his featherweight title, the writer feels that it would be fairer to champion the claims of the other two, as Rayner has a moral obligation to first defend his one hundred and twenty-six pound diadem before encroaching on the territory of the fully fledged lightweights; and the matching of Rayner in a featherweight championship battle would serve another purpose—it would serve to prove whether the champion is still capable of making the feather limit. I know I shall receive a lot of criticism for advocating the “one man one title” principle, but of the fairness of my conviction I am firmly convinced. When a boxer holds more than one title the divisions involved usually stagnate to the ultimate detriment of. the sport. Take for example the time when Artie Hay held the light-heavyweight, middleweight and welterweight championships of New Zealand. What was the position? There was a dearth of fighting in these particular weights, with the result that associations concentrated on the featherweights and lightweights. Fortunately at the present time we have only one dual champion, Ray Nicol, but with his recent departure for Australia two championships have been tied up indefinitely. It was known that Nicol intended leaving for Australia following a ridiculously easy title contest with George Singleton and those in authority should not have allowed him to depart without first compelling him to defend his title against a logical contender in Maurice Strickland. The position now is that Nicol, the dual champion, is campaigning overseas and as there is now no inducement for Strickland to stay in the Dominion, it is expected that he, too, will move on very shortly. Is all the above evidence ample to emphasize the folly of allowing a man to hold more than one title and to convince the administrators that, where possible in future, they should discourage ambitious title-holders from attempting to annex two and sometimes three championships?