BOXING.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15908, 21 August 1923, Page 5

BOXING.

NORTH AND SOUTH CONTESTS

(Press Association.)

DUNEDIN, Aug. 21

In reply to Mr. Campbell, the President of the Otago Boxing Association Messrs. Talbot (Welling-* ton), Aldridge (Napier), Heath (Hawke’s Bay) state that the attiture adopted was definitely notified from the outset and the principle subordinates by resolution of the North . Island Conference namely: — That the North and South championship contests were eliminated with the view of bringing together the best two men in each class to contest the New Zealand title. The arrangements here provided not for championship matches but a series of elimination. There was no certainty that the champions from the North would meet the champions from the South, in fact the matching was such as to leave the possibility of ultimate final for the championship jbeing contested between two men, neither of whom had been qualified for championship honours by winning the Island championship or of the champion being called upon to meet a man from his own Island whom he had previously defeated or who had even been defeated in the early stages of the Island eliminating contests. Such arrangement was obviously the object of the eliminating contests in the contests provided by the Island championships.

The* North and South Associations concerned were not prepared to sacrifice their principles for such an arrangement. The statement concluded that it is not true to say the men had been withdrawn; they are ready to compete under proper conditions. The statement made that Wellington and Hawke’s Bay imposed terms is misleading so far as it suggests they endeavoured to obtain any advantage for their competitors. The Otago Association previously allowed it to be understood that they supported ..the principle supported in the North as evidenced by their telegram.