BOXING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10440, 20 April 1912, Page 5

BOXING.

The correspondence read at last week's meeting of the New Zealand Council from J. M. Griffin was an expression from the one-time great boxer that his day as a, principal had passed. In referring to the causes which had led to his retirement while physically sound and well, he mentioned that he was hopeful the New Zealand Associations would not forget him. In this connection I notice that the Hawke's Bay Association has decided to write to the various associations in New Zealand soliciting donations towards a benefit fund for' Griffin. The ex-amateur Jack Read defeated Billy Elliott on points at Brisbane on March 30.

" Porky" Flynn, the American hoary-weight, gained an unexpected win over his bigger and heavier countryman at the Sydney Stadium on April 5. Twice in America Flynn had scored over Barry, and this was their third meeting. The "Sun" has the following remarks:—Fighting confidently and with a cleverness that was as pleasing as it was unexpected, Flynn had no trouble in outpointing his bulky adversary. He caught Barry in all positions, and every one of his punches carried plenty of ginger. He did not wait for the other man to be up and doing. He hardly missed an opportunity, and outfought as well as outboxed his man. In short, he was a revelation. The contest between Mehegan, Australia's light-weight champion, and Clabby, the American welter, took plaoo at the Sydney Stadium on April 3. The conditions bound Clabby down to lOst 81b at the ring side. He just made the weight. This' is what the "Sun" has to say of the contest:— Crowding his man at every possible opportunity, fighting as if opposed to a reasonable proposition, and using a smother that was almost impenetrable, Hughie Mehegan saw through twenty rounds with Jimmy Clabby, and only lost a points decision to an experienced boxer, to whom he conceded weight, height, and reach. It was a meritorious performance, and it should stand well in connection with his trip to America Every round was contested at a brisk pace. But the major portion of the time was spent in clinches. And while they were together they fought hard and cleverly. It was one of the brightest exhibitions of infighting that has been wjtnesed in Sydney, and although brought up in the school, Clabby had nothing over the Australian.

Commenting on tho M'Vea-Langford third contest, about a week away at time of publication, the Sydney "Bulletin" remarked:—Summed up, the difference between the two men is roughly this: M'Vea is 4in in height and 351b in weight ahead of Langford. Also, M'Vea is, at the present time, easily the best boxer afloat. He plays the came from the purely boxing standpoint. His 6ide-step, his ducking, fending and get-away are almost all that could be desired. Langford, on the other hand, is not a boxer. He is a natural fighter—a hardened mass of meat and bone that bores and bores, regardless of punishment, till he gets an opportunity to produce the sleepproducing wallop which, like Death, makes all men equal. In the first trouble between the two, in Paris, the fight went the full twenty rounds, and was declared a drawn battle. The section that thought Langford had won was la.rge and energetic, and it made a mighty riot in Press and tram car. When they met in Sydney on Boxing Day. 1911, many expected to see that "injustice" wiped out. But M'Vea proved bo much more scientific that referee Baker gave him tho award. This caused another howl. The third battle is eagerly awaited,- to decide whether the howl has any foundation, or is only the baseless fabric of a dream. Of course, no matter how the fight goes, it won't really throw light on past events, but merely prove which is the better man on the day. Last week I had a few words to say about tho execrable taste displayed by some boxers in assuming the names of by-gone heroes of the prize-ring. The latest issue to hand of "Fair Play," a Sydney publication, has the following comments on the practice:—ls there no end to this shameless and stupid filching of once great names by wastrel nondescripts who hang on to the skirts of the ring like fever-germs on a beauty's train. The noms d'arena adopted by Stinker Snooks, of Surry Hills. Wile Rabbo, of Woolloomooloo, and Fiddling Freak, of Footscray, are almost Invariably those that belonged to greatness. 'Tis thus..we have, a false Kid M'Ooy, a bum, Young Criffo, and so on and such like.' But the pair who masqueraded at the Gaiety on Saturday night last as Sayers and Mendoza beat the lot for damnable Impudence. If tho microbes keep on agoin' it we shall soon have Charlie Campbell billing Napoleon Bonaparte v. Blticher Wellington, Thiers _v. Von Moltke, Alexander v. Hannibal. Kitchener v. Bismarck, and so on. The" thing is a sore on the face of tho gamo, and frowsy tyros should not be allowed to box under honoured names. And, by the way, the fellow who assumed Mendoza's great name dragged it in the mire von' markedly, for he went down to the first punch, from the ono who plagiarised the immortal name of Sayers, and stayed down for the count. Shades of the Brighton bricklayer I . A recent cable stated that Bob Fitz- I simmons had publicly punched a college student named Taylor for allegedly being too attentive to Mrs Bob. Now it is stated that the trouble has culminated in an appeal to the lawcourts. Two suits nave been initiated for slander and assault. Damages to the amount of £SOOO are being claimed in each case.

Kilbane, the lad who recently defeated Abe Att-ell for the ft ather-weight championship, was, according to a recent cablegram, asked if he was prepared to meet Wolgast, tho light-weight champion, on July 4. He, replied that he was, provided Wolgast was given plainly to understand that, as two were required to mako a contest, tho bulk of the gate-money was not going to Wolgast. On more than one occasion I hare stated that Abe Attell, over twelve months ago, broke his collar-bone in a contest with Kilbane, believing the Kilbane to ho tho feather-weight who de-

feated Attell on February 22 last. Thia is not so. Tho Kilbane that Attell met in January, 1911, is Tommy Kilbane, and is no relation of tho featherweight who deprived Attell of the championship. A lot had been said about the inability of Carpentier to make the middle weight, though why the opinion got about it is hard to say, for he had made the welter limit when ho met Josonh, tho English ohampion at tho weight. The Sullivan party were evidently satisfied that there were good grounds for the rumours respecting tho Frenchman's poundage, and in' order that they at least should be satisfied over the matter when he entered the ring at Monto Carlo, they actually took a machine all the way from England on which to weigh Carpentier. A Chicago cable message states that tho proposed match between Johnson and Flynn has fallen through. This opinion has been formed, on account of the promoter having allegedly failed tc keep an appointment to fix the site of tho contest. According to American files which came to hand last week, the proposed match was treated with absolute indifference by sportdom, and iff as alleged, the promoter did not keep his engagement to discuss tho site, his absence very probably was due to the fact that he considered the match likely to be a dismal failure from a commercial point of view. That the two gentlemen who constitute the commission appointed under the Frawley Law to control the sport in New York State, are bent upon discharging their duties fearlessly and conscientiously has been shown by their actions on several occasions, particularly with respect to barring Johnson, and the suspension of Abe Attell. A recent cable in Australian papers makes it evident that the commission propose to go the whole hog. This, is what the cable reported:—Tho .State Athletio Commission is determined that clean boxing contests shall be the rule. It will not tolerate matches in which either man shows signs of stalling. "When this does happen the admission money will be returned to the spectators. Already the Commission holds tho receipts from forty-eight contests pending inquiry and a decision regarding them. Those who paid to witness the match, between Leach Cross and " One-Round" Hogan, which ended after one round, have been advised to hold tho, stubs of their tickets. It is believed that the Commission will order the money to be returned over that and all similar contests. It is expected that "thi?. will be made a rule to apply to all contests which are proved to hava been " faked " or otherwise unsatisfactory. Another rule which it is believed the Commission will mate is one requiring prices to be fixed so that tht cost of admission shall not vary.

CHAMPIONSHIP OF EUROPE. Several weeks ago Georges Carpeatier and Jim Sullivan, respectively middle-weight' champions of France and England, signed articles agreeing to meet at Monte Carlo on February, 29 for a purse of £ISOO (£9OO to winner and £6OO to loser) and the middleweight championship of Europe. The following details of the brief contest are taken from English files:— Fine weather prevailed, and every seat in the vast open-air arena was occupied. French and British flags were largely used in the decorations, and the two men were well eppported by their compatriots. Carpentier entered the ring to the strains of the "Marseillaise,*' and had a rousing welcome, while th« crowd cheered lustily again when tfoo band struck up " God Save the King"" and Sullivan appeared. Both men appeared fit, Sullivan seeming to carry a trifle more weight than his opponent. The Englishman lod off, getting home on the body, and Carpentier then went in, Bcoring Trail In some smart exchanges. Carpentter fought for his man'B head, an 3 ooon left his mark on Sullivan's race. Tlie opening of the contest was-clear-ly in the Frenchman's favour. Hei fought Sullivan round the ring, ana had the best of things all the time. At the end of the round, however, he showed signs of the punishment he had received about the body. Sullivan waa marked considerably on the face. Both men came up quickly at the call of time for the second, and, as it proved, the final round. Sullivan was at first the aggressor, and got in his left on Carpentier's face, but Carpentier in return planted a right swing on Sullivan's body and his left on the jaw, knocking the Englishman out. A roar of cheering went up when Sullivan was counted out, and Carpentier was carried triumphantly round the ring. Altogether, the boxing lasted barely four minutes, and it seemed a dreadfully long way to come from London to see such a fleeting bout, which had drawn all the wealth, fashion and pleasure-seekers of the sunny South to the arena erected in front of the harbour and decorated with the flags of both nations. The end came with dramatic swiftness. Carpentier never gave his rival a minute's rest, and suddenly, seeing Sullivan's guard lowered, he put m a disturbing right on the cheek that sent the Englishman half off his balance. Before Sullivan could regain hia equilibrium Carpentier, quick to follow up the advantage thus gamed, crashed his left across the point, and his rival fell fiat on his back, his head coming a terrible thud on the floor. There was a. tremendous proportion of women, and most of them were pretty. Five thousand pounds at least was taken in gate money, and between, five and six thousand people saw the, fight. Among those present were £nnoo Hohenlohe, Prince Radziwill. Count Offenbach,' and everyone, man and woman, of note of all nations now on the Riviera.

Mr D. D. Lvell supplies some intereetinjr facts in "a little book, entitled "Nvasaland for the Hunter and Settler'" Ke tells that quite three hundred sporting parties visit British •Africa annually, so that if each party spends a minimum of £3OO that will mean a. total sum of £90,000. Most of this large sum goes into the hands of the natives. In Nyasaiand tho epor.tino- licenses are much more moderate m cost than in British East Africa. In the latter the sportsman pays £SO for shooting a very limited number of each species, and there is an extra charge of ■PIO for shooting one, elephant, and £2O for a second elephant. To shoot one triraffe there is also a special license required of £lO. Many, districts ar© closed for certain same in British .bast Africa, and to find elephants one Las to travel a long way. Elephants, however, are still numerous in tho wilder parts of Nyasaiand, and are particularly abundant in Central and Northern Anconiland. They are usually found in herds of from four or five to over a hundred. Old males often lead a solitary existence, and wander about by themselves. These animals, as a rule, have the heaviest ivory. The heaviest siriglo tusk known weighed 2351b, and vhe'longest lift s}in. Elephant shooting, in Mr Lvell's opinion, is the hardest .sport in existence, and often entails great hardships on the hunter. Lions are very common in Nyasaiand, but aro seldom seen owing to their nocturnal habits. In Central Angoniland they kill large numbers of natives annually. Tlic-y are most dangerous on dark, rainy nights, and during the rainy season, when they find game difficult to catch. Generally they follow herds of buffalo; they are very fond of zebra and eland meat, but refuse nothinc when really hungry. " Great care." says Mr Lyell, "should be taken over the first shot, for it is not dangerous, as a rule, to fire at a lion in the first instance. The danger begins when it has to be followed up in the thick grass or bush. If the first bullet is badly aimed., a lion will often tako a lot of killing." Leopards are described as extremely plentiful in all hilly and mountainous country in Nyasaiand. ''Their saw-like grunts will often be hoard at night, but they are seldom s.-en. owing to their wary and nocturnal habits," ■