Champion Who Owes Life To Boxing

Southland Times, Issue 24153, 15 June 1940, Page 16

Champion Who Owes Life To Boxing

0 The Victorian lightweight g g amateur boxing champion, Nor- g == man Barnett, who was a member H 0 of Victoria’s team that won the 0 jg interstate teams’ championship at g g- the Australian Amateur Carnival = " at Brisbane owes his life to box- 0 □ ing- | g At 16 he was bedridden for g = eight months, and at one stage § 0 was given only a week to live. 0 g A Melbourne specialist then ad- g = vised him to take up boxing, and ® 8 he has never looked back. 0 g At first he took a’ mild course g g of physical training at a boys’ = B gymnasium and was there in- 0 § duced to don boxing gloves for g g a spar with a pal. He developed = B a great liking for boxing, his E I physique gradually strengthened, g g and his people were so pleased g § with his progress that they gave “ S him every encouragement to be- gj g come an amateur boxing cham- g B pion. k* 0 In 12 months Norman had de- g jg veloped so well that he entered g = a flyweight tournament. He B 0 rose to championship class 0 g quickly and developed from fly- g weight to bantamweight, to fea- 8 g therweight to lightweight. He H gj has been in competitive boxing _ == for four years, and has been a B § state champion for three of Q 0 them. §