EXIT MURRAY!

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 138, 17 July 1914, Page 3

EXIT MURRAY!

KNOCKED OUT BY CHIP. When Al McCoy, a middle-weight who was unknown - before outside his own district, knocked out George Chip a while ago, some over-enthusiastic writers in the United States promptly acclaimed him as world's champion, although the man he had beaten had not proved any right to that title. This led Sam O. Austin, the well-known. New York critic, to come out with the following:— - . . would-be pugilistic critics don't seem to care nowadays where they slap on a championship label. A few weeks ago, because Al McCoy, an unknown Brooklyn fighter, hung a knockout punch on George Chip's jaw in a, one-round battle, a lot of hysterical hero worshippers plastdred McCoy with the world's middle-weight championship title and hailed him as a worthy succes- i sot to Brooklyn's idol, Jack Dempsey. "A few days later Billy Murray, a Californian, defeated Leo Houck, who had outboxed George Chip, who had knocked out Frank Klaus. Murray, then boxed a twenty-round draw with Jimmy Clabby. That is about all he over did to distinguish himself, but the hero makers, eager to advance him from obscurity to fame, lauded him to the skies as the reincarnation of Stanley Ketch el. '' McCoy and Murray came together in New York City the other night in a ten-round fight, and Murray won. For seVeu rounds he gave 'the worthy successor to Dempsey' as fine a licking as man ever -got. In _doing-this he fought himself so entirely'out that, he didn't have strength enough to finish the two last rounds at the speed which he had maintained throughout the earlier rounds,-and slowed up enough to give liis opponent, who had conserved his strength by blocking and covering up, a chance to get in a few telling blows. * "On the strength of the showing made by these two men, I am frank in saying that McCoy's championship tlaims were absurd, and fortunately never received serious consideration. I don't think very much more of Murray. It was a reflection upon the ability of one of the greatest pugilists the world has ever seen, to compare him with Stanley Ketchel, and the man who conceived that brilliant thought must have had bats in his nut. When one says the Calif ornian is a rugged young fellow, as strong as a bull, willing to fight if he knew how, and game enough to take punishment, that is about a fair recapitulation of his pugilistic qualifications. He has no ability as a boxer, and has no i knowledge of the scientific elements of, the game. He shapes up wide open, and a boxer like Mike Gibbons would pick him to pieces and be away before lie could swing his flail-like arms into | position to do any damage. He has a j lot to learn before he is rated as a contender for championship honours. He is a fighter all right, but a 'second Ketchel,' never! " It may be added that Murray was really defeated by Clabby, .on points, but referee Griffin made a bad mistake and declared it a draw. And now the hysteria over McCoy and Murray should be pretty well settled, and it should be recognised that McCoy's defeat of Chip was practically a fluke. A few days ago Chip met Murray in a contest, scheduled for twenty rounds? at San Francisco, and Murray was knocked out iu the fifteeuth round.