THE BOXING RING

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 859, 31 December 1929, Page 7

THE BOXING RING

NOTES FROM FAR AND MEM £>Y “LEFT COUNTER-*

Fixtures Leckie v. Sarron, Napier, January 1. Macdonald v. Thomas, Auckland, January 20. Leckie v. Grime, Wanganui, February 14. * * * An elimination tournament to find a legitimate fly-weight champion of the world is being staged in America, and in the first of the series Eugene Huat, of France, defeated Izzy Schwartz. Both Lachie Macdonald and Billy Thomas looked fit when they were introduced at Friday’s carnival, and they should make a good fight on January 20. Macdonald will be entitled to other fights if he can defeat Thomas and regain the form which he showed against Mclnnes last year. When he was defeated by Hay, Macdonald was not a patch on the man who put up such memorable fight classics last year. Heeney Wants Camera Tom Heeney is reported to be anxious to fight Primo Camera, the giant Italian. Heeney is going to London, and has cabled his English manager begging him to arrange a fight with Camera. Heeney is going to London as plaintiff in an action against a film company regarding the English picture rights of the Tunney-Heenev fight. After the case has been heard, Heeney is off to Africa on a big-game shooting expedition.

Johns a Disappointment There is no denying the cleverness of Harry Johns, Auckland and New Zealand feather-weight champion, and to anyone with knowledge of the technicalities of boxing there is no doubt that Johns does not know what constitutes correct hitting. In an article written after the Auckland championships I pointed out the prevalence of incorrect hitting, and took Johns as an example. Ultimately Johns went to Grevmouth, and won the feather championship, and also the Jamieson Belt for the most scientific boxer. Since then it has been asked why it was that, if Johns hits incorrectly, he was so successful at the championships, and was not once cautioned. There is only one answer—the referees in the South (and the judges, who are equally responsible) are as lax as those in Auckland. Ready to be convinced that Johns, after his success down South, was hitting correctly, I waited expectantly for his bout against Brentnall at the Town Hall on Friday evening, only to 1 e disc —‘Dinted. Only twice during the four rounds did Johns connect with straight punches. All the others were swings and hooks, and were delivered not with the knuckle part of the glove, but with the inner part. His gloves were closed, but the wrong part was used. In short, he was guilty of what was known as ‘‘palming.” This is an infringement. There is only one part of the glove that can be used legally, and that is the knuckle part. Johns is only one of many offenders, nine out of ten of all the amateurs being

guilty of “palming,” “heeling,” and “flicking,” while many of the professionals are likewise guiltv Sarron was guilty of palming with his left hand, although he punched correctly with his right. It is up to the referees to stop these infringements. Referees Should Wake Up! Illegalities of the ring here and the lack of control of referees are subjects which have been mentioned in these notes in the past week or two. The subject, as far as Auckland is concerned, needs carrying further. According to the Northern Boxing Association’s programme, there are two honorary referees, Messrs. R. Meale and W. Palmer. But it is always Mr. Meale and Mr. F. Burns who fill the bill. Mr. Palmer has referred in the Auckland ring in late years on only one occasion, and then he showed that he knew more about controlling a contest than any referee seen in this ring for the past few years. Unfortunately Mr. Palmer is on duty at night, and it is only by getting somebody to relieve him that he can attend a fight. This costs money, and Mr. Palmer has informed the association that he is unable to referee any bout unless the cost of the relieving man is borne by the association. This is only fair. The association can hardly expect Mr. Palmer to pay the man just for the questionable honour and glory of going along to referee at the Town Hall. If the association wants competent referees it should be prepared to pay for them. Mr. Burns and Air. Meale are both very good fellows, but they do not fill the role of referees as well as it should be filled, although, of a referee in whatever branch of sport cannot please everybody. To begin with Messrs. Meale and Burns fail to take complete control while in the ring, and the boxers, to a degree, cam* j on as they like. Occasional warnings I are issued, but it is seldom that a bout is stopped and the boxer warned j properly. Further, such illegalities as !

holding and hitting, rabbit-punching (occasionally) and kidney-punching not to mention open glove work, are allowed. This is a sorry state of affairs, and does not reflect any more credit on those who control the game than on the individual referee. Mr. Meale often falls into the trap and warns the wrong man for holding, and on Friday Mr. Burns made a bad blunder An amateur boxer missed with a swing, but managed to retain his balance and swung his arm back to land on his opponents’ face with a backhander. This was bad enough, but to make it worse, Mr. Burns laughed, instead of telling the boy of his mistake. True, it was only a small infringement, but it is from uncorrected minor infringements that more serious breaches of the rules come. If infringements, however trivial, are allowed, no good is done, while a caution might prevent a further occurrence. If warnings are of no avail disqualifications might be more effective. and if one disqualification is not enough it should be repeated until a boxer has learnned his lesson. It is time that these irregularities were stopped, so that people can go along and enjoy a proper match. The remedy is in the hands of the referees and it is long past time for them to assert themselves and show that they do really control the bouts. A Questionable Agreement A cable from Cincinnati informs us that the National Boxing Association has completed a working agreement with the British Boxing Board of Control for the mutual recognition of fines, suspensions and contracts between managers, contestants and promoters, and the regulation of world championship titles. This seems an excellent arrangement at first glance as indeed it would be if practicable. However, the National Boxing Association is only one of the many bodies controlling boxing in America (a criticism of which was made in these notes recently) and

further the British Board is having , difficult work in gaining recognition by j all interested in boxing in Great I Britain. A writer in the English paper j “Boxing” says that “It has long been I the considered opinion of all those who j have studied the conditions and the J needs of the boxing game, that the self- J styled 8.8.8. of C. has never since its i inception fulfilled any of the functions I of an acceptable and workable author- i ity,” and again “that it has no justi- 1 fication” for styling itself as such. In order to give people in this part of the world some indication of the amount of “control” the British Board wields, the following clipping is reprinted from another issue of the paper “Boxing”: “Our wonderful British Board of Control has issued the following circular j notice: —‘The British Boxing Board of Control wish to give notice to all licence holders that as certain proceed- < ings have been commenced to test the \ legality of the “Board” suspending cer- I tain licence holders from taking part in boxing contests, the “Board” deem it advisable not to exercise the right which they consider they undoubtedly ! have, pending the decision in such actions. The “Board,” however, expect all licence holders to be loyal to them and not to enter into contracts to take part in any contest with persons not holding a licence under the , “Board.” ’ ” “London Sporting Life” says:—"The j reconstituted British Boxing Board of I Control has been 10 months on trial, ! and in that time has been even less sue- j cessful than the old board in its professed attempt to control professional ' boxing in Great Britain. Instead of ‘ harmony, it has produced discord and j rebellion. It has made rules and deci- j sions which it has no power to put into j effect, and thereby made itself an object of derision.” Thus it can be seen that the umal- ' gamation is not us important as it a' \ first appears.