BOXING

Taranaki Daily News, 23 July 1929, Page 4

BOXING

WORLD’S BANTAM CHAMPIONSHIP.

Strange things and boxing have ever gone hand in hand (writes Eugene Corri). But really, I was not prepared for the news that the New \ York Athletic Commission had allowed Al. Brown, almost freakish Panama black, and a .Spaniard, named Gregorio, about whom we in this country know little or nothing, to be matched for the bantam championship of the world. According to present arrangements they are ,to fight in New York about the middle of next month..

Our Boxing Board of Control has sent a strongly-worded protest against such a match for the title. Which was to be expected. If any boxer in this world has established a right to contest for the bantam title, that boxer is surely Teddy Baldock, and the members of the New York Athletic Commission, if they know anything about the game, know that to be so . This Brown we have an intimate knowledge of. I agree that he is vastly clever, and that his record is a most impressive one. It is possible that at Bst Gibs he is unbeatable. But I venture to say that he has not accomplished more than the Poplar youth. As for Gregorio, well, what of him? How many know him outside his own country? What has ho actually done-? -Can it be said seriously that he is the proved equal of Baldock. Emphatically- no! THE COLOUR PROBLEM. That being the case, and assuming that. Brown is as good as he is generally considered to be, all the odds are that the negro will take the title, if the match with the Spaniard carries the championship with it. I have no “down” upon men vf colour, but, after what happened when Jack Johnsen was king of the ring, it was agreed that, in the matter of world titles, it was desirable that the colour line should be drawn. Quite apart from the question of colour, I consider that America has no right to make champions as it pleases. If Al. Brown beats the Spaniard, and is set up as the best bantam in all the countries, I, for one, will not accept him as such—not so long as Baldock can do the weight and remains unbeaten.

I hope the protest cabled to New York by the Board of Control will have the desired effect. The thing to do is for America to declare her best bantam, and then negotiations to be set on foot for him to take the ring against our champion, whether in the States or in this country, the best offer to decide the venue. The least suspicion of an attempt to freeze the Poplar boy out would be to reduce the bantam position to a farco. When it was said that Jack Kearns and Mickey Walker were not interested in a match with Len Harvey, it was not

meant that our midd? '.-weight was 1 not considered good enough to try for tha title in the keeping of Walker. I am. afraid we have misunderstood, for w* now learn that at the moment Walker has his hands full, in that he is contemplating fighting Ace Hudkins soma time next month, and this Hudkins is a particularly tough fellow. Maybe if the two meet, which is more than likely, and Walker is the winner, he will then listen to the overtures ,of the National Sporting Club, and come over for a bout, with Harvey towards the end of the year. x It is good to hear that Johnny Hill is his old physical self again; and that he is. soon to be seen ,in the ring. Very properly his opponent will be Ernie Jarvis, who, with reason, may claim that he did well enough against the Scot at the Albert Hall to earn a second fight. It has been practically arranged for Hill and Jarvis to do battle for the flyweight title in a ring pitched on the Carntyne greyhound track, Glasgow, on the 29th of June. If my memory serves me right, Hill has not fought in his own country since he became a professional. The match should draw a record gate, even for Glasgow. Packy MacFarland —I do wish the boy would sail under his right name, which is Patrick—gave an excellent show at the National Sporting Club at the beginning of Lie week, when he knocked out Johnnie Smith, the one-time amateur, of Scotland. Smith, I thought, would be the winner for two reasons. His deeper knowledge c r boxing, and the considerable advantage he enjoyed m the matter of height end reach. He began well enough by shaking the Irish lad with his long left, but, once Meh arland got the inside position, which did by means of his high spirits and p - sisJee.it.™ pretty well a the Scotsman, whose long suit is was a short right-hand punch to jaw The moment it connected I knew the end had haps never again drive horn excellent punch. It was a - pred This boy from Dublin, who in Dyer’s stable, is an say , It fellow; none gamer, I shou cannot be said that is not . clever. As a matter j ea rn I would, for instanc , les3 open than to build a defence rathei 1 to his present one. Bu no t m ismake much headway, i the taken. He P un & e too And ho knuckle part of the glove, can absorb punishment. that You will perhaps B beat Alby George Bris o g tbftt Kestral, of . bo ut thi* West Country ’ time went the full di w as & Rose won in the second rou clear winner at the fimsl.