BOXING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11805, 16 September 1916, Page 6

BOXING.

Mr F. A. Hornibrook, so well known in connection with boxing in Christchurch, left, for Aw.ipuni Camp on Monday ■ He will go uu the next hospital rhi'p fis ser,jeant-major. On Thursday ♦he members of the men's physical culture class assembled in Mr liorriibrook's rooms to bid him farewell. Speeches appreciative of Mr Hornibrnok's qualities, both socially and "s an maflruetor, were delivered by Messrs H. Gunderson and C. Brown, and Mr Hornibrook was ju'wtented with a wristlet watch, accompanied by tho best wishes of the pupils. A correspondent writes asking bow Tommy Hums became champion of the world. In reply: Whon Jeffries retired from the the championship became rnoant. Borne authorities hold that the title then reverted to tho previous holdor- —FitKsimmona ; others maintain that it was open for competition. On July 3, 1905, iVuirvin Hart and Jack Root mot at Reno, .Nevada, with Jeffries as referee. Referring to the contest tho New York " i'olioe Gazettee," recognised the world over as an authority on boxing matters, remarked : • " Rt-foiv entering the linjjc Jim Jeffries Swa ted Upon both men. stated that ho had retired for g;ood from the rine. and that the winner of this light is entitled to the name heavy-weight champion of the world.'' llart won the contest. On February 23, 19(fd, Temmy Burn 3 beat Hfirt. on points, over twenty rounds, (it Los Angeles, California, and says tiie "Police Gazette," 'wrested lrom Hart his claim Upon the Heavyweight championship. 1 ' If the title reverted to Fitzs mmons on the retirement of Jeffries then he lost it to Jack O'Brien, in thirteen rounds, at San Franc sco. on December '2O, 1905. On May 8, 1007,- at -Los Angile.l, California, Rums defeated O'Brien on points in twenty rounds. Thus whether Hert was entitled to the championship by his defeat of Root, or whether tne title reverted to Fitzsimmons. there is no denying that Burns established a clearcut right to tho honour, first by defeating Hart, and then by defeating O'Brien, who defeated Fitzsimmons. It is reported by cable thnt Darcy defeated Clabbv on points at the Sydnev Stadium on Saturday. t)avc Smith dropped down another rung of the ladder as a boxms drftw on September 6 when he was knocked out at; the Sydney Stadium in the twelfth round by the American, Art Magil. Smith was the favourite and had over half a stone tho best of ihef weights. Tne last Sydney Referee "to hand contains a double column article headed ''Buck Grouse's Confession." The story told in the article is to the effect that Grouse was induced to agree to " throw" his second contest with Dave Smith on a promise of £IOO from per r sons backing Smith. After the content the parties failed to materialise and Crouse Was left lamenting. He thereupon, on the ere of leaving for America, authorised 0 fripr.d to place the position before Mr W. F. Corbett, of the

•' Kefci'M." " 1 have it on the authority of Mr Snowy Baker," writes Mr (.'orbott. " that CtWo •'.vent aboard tho [Sonoma with very littlft more than his baggage, and what ha stood up in, leaving Mr Buker tho poorer to the exTent o? .€20." The t'UJi mentioned w»is advanced by Mr Baker to enable Grouse to pottle severni accounts without which ivnUemenh lie could not hare departed. It should be mentioned that l>ave (Smith if* completely exonerated from any association with the alleged "squaring" oi' f'ronse. A Sydney "Bulletin'' correspondentsupplies the following reference to one of the host sports seen in the ring in tho (-ommomvealth -Saw a draft of recruits .vtrip the other day at Brisbane, end ihe pir-k of the bunch was the oldtime pm; Arthur Oipps. Ye; there are not many men who started bait lin;l so young or who have had more hardships. Cnpps scootod imm home vrhen he vva? thrive, and fust got a job on n fishing- *. Then he drifted around Bnr.nni>lan.i ioilinp, at meat sugar mills and in the mines at Hie lowers; thence C(« W.A. v ith a mob oi eat.tic: after thn-i-. prospecting. i; r.t Marble Liar that I iirst tumbled hiuj and Jack the Hajah. 1 hey bad i.een out eight months. c;id didn't rave •: thev .'mver ucic bac'i ayam. Ijater. Unppn was of! (lie s'fWnv.'ty to (.-tie, CHn<=d a crust at. twn;«d up in .Sydney as pue. mixed bo;deg ivith a '.l'-ok in SimUi A.tiva. had «• pub in Tendon, h'ffed his '-'.ay in America, and after mere fi<rnfs iit Sydney settled down to •.'oeoiiie a tip.w-'d. 75u1. there u no rest, on the farm these times with the noise of a hip sera]- going on over the horizon. «o (.'ripps U off to Nvhat the disturbance boks I'ko. Shirkers received a nido shock i:i London on September I. According jo a cable detective? nccotnp-iiiicd by soldisrs with fixed hityoimtsi took jjossessiou oi tv btiildinjv crowded with three thousand spectators at a boxing contest. Tito police demanded that every eligible man hliould show his papar* and explain why he wan not in khaki. lufdantiy the dndfttfru and shirkers in the crowd Attempted to ei>cjij>e. Fifty were arrested ftitriVerc taken m a procession through the Streets to the police .station amid the loud applause of wounded .soldiers i i the vicinity. The !.:<u>d showing made by Joe (ex in Ilia bout with Bill Bran nan (says the New York ' n,"| revive# the ;,torv of Je.v, Wii'ar,! refusing to go on wji.it a bout with Cox. the present champion leavnig the ring during the fifth round. Ae,cording to the^ story, tho club tamagers went to Willard's dressiag-ropia and besought hitfl to return to the ring iad finish rho bo«t. " Ydu.arS not hurt, J6sV said tho matchmaker. '• I kacw it." repHe-3' Willard, ' and it is the science of't he gatae to know enough to quit- before you are littrt." However. *ies<- t»?-d his rale of horror to nnjo!d iPtcr (in. Mc «if"'bi tv.d tbn< f? wi id .Sherif. ;.f ; ■ nj'/'i'l l ■._ .rh-> •••••* i : t •' <•<,

he rlid not get out of the ring in a hurry, his wight would bp suddenly increased by several pound* of lend. Jess 3«id lie- decided to best a hMty though orderly retreat. l/Houreux, bcary-yeight amateur champion of California, is suid to have been tal«m ui> b.v a syndicate of San Francisco s»port<*nH>n with the object of fitting bin! to complete for tho world's championship. The intention Is to *end him against the los«Or light* amongst the heavy.weights, _ and work up gradually to the champion of the class. -lack* \\'")r:h, who roferord the Johmion-Willard contest, is reported to have spoken as follows of T/Heiireux : --1 have referred some bouts in which J/Kcureux participated, and I think ii« is a very promising candidate for the r*haihtiif<vi:-hJp honours. Of course, bo needs pniishiiia be.«oro tackling \\ ill;i,rd, hut if he could got. mer a few l-rolrssionnl bouts, there's no tolling ju ;t how far he would go. I'm positive that ho can beat tvil the fellows that stand between him and Willard. He's extremely fast, for a fellow his size, hi'.s a Hp'i ndid punch, a- good bend, and a >'oir heart. I,'Hourcux h just promising now ax Jeffries, or anv of the other champions were at hi:? stage of their development. If Heureux gets , an< ' 11 match with Willard that it will be a th'ht worth seeing. Mind yon, I. don't JnV that L'lleiireux could beat Willard. or would beat him if the pair were matched. What I do say is this -ho looks better to me than any of the heavies who are now on the trail of Willard.

In a recent issue I reprinted from an American paper a report to the effect that Tom oliarkev had been declnreda bankrupt. The "fol.owing teigram in the New York "Sun.," places an entirely different aspect on the matter: -San Francisco, July 16.- When the newspapers the other day published about Tom Sharkey going through bankruptcy they failed to get the lftside" of the proceedings. Tom is still in business on Kearny Street, and is not suffering for any of the little necessities of life. What prompted Tom to go through bankruptcy was this: About ft year iwd a half ago, before Tom decided to leave jNcw York, he took a lease on a storeroom on lortyeighth Street, expecting to go into the saloon business. After he took the lease he found that he could not obtain the necessary permit to start a saloon cm that particular street. The lease became a white elephaut. Tom thought when he cam*? to San Francisco tho lease, would be terminated, but every month he received a bill t'or rent. Tom got out his pencil and figured that it the le-aae was not terminated, at the end of twentv-one year*—the term for which the lease wan arranged-he would hnvo poid out about 20J,00(kJol. He laid the "matter before his lawyer, aiul that tfenllomr.n, after due consideration. snggesfed bankniptcv proceedings as the best means of Tom s predicament. Now Torn is arrang'ng to sue the New Yotk proper!,y-owncr Per o0,0(k>,lol. He states that when the lease wa« entered into said owner know that a normit for another saloon on Forty-eighth Street was not to be had. A pen picture of Jack Dillon :■■~~Notorietv he shuns as he would the plague, arid fnmiliaritv on the part of strangers be resents with o eol't, steely stare and short, itimife replies caletdnted to abruptly curtail any extended conversation. Bxeept to members of his training and ■managerial staff and some of his warm personal friends in Indiana, Dillon is harder to reach socially than a Cabinet official. . Even in his ring appearances he maintains a cold, forbidding demeanour that is in sharp contrast with the attitude of a majority of boxers who court popular favour. In response to the Heartiest applause Dillon bows distantly, and whdn waiting for the bell he looks fixedly at the floor. This he varies by an occasional scowl at his prospective tictini. But the in* sta it the going brings him to the centre of the ring he at once shows great interest; in the situation, and especially in the man facing hun. 'fllis interest soon take* the form of demoniac fury expressed in a series of cyclonic attacks. The Hocsjer never loses this eager m* terest m his opponent while the latter h on his feet, and once the bell sounds the cl.-*o of tho last round Dillon retreats behind his look of scowling discontent and disappears frOm the ring. Thp Dillon smile can be compared to one thing only and that is the^ cheerless glint of a December sun on the side ot an iceberg. And there ate only two things that will bring that cold grin to the Dillon countenance. One is when he sees on opponent giving signals of impending surrender and the other is when his antagonist delivers Wowk that startle the Bearcat oUt of his customary condition of gloomy indifferenee. Freddv Welsh called on me (writ/eg tho Ban Francisco correspondent of tho Sydney "Referee"), and we had nuito a long chat on pugilism in general and the affairs of Freddie Welsh in particular He is decided in his determination to retire shortly. When he won the title, he said he would stay in the ring for two years more, and it happened that the day ho talked with mo was the second anniversary of his aseenr-ion of the light-weight throne. " I meant to retire, and 1 flm going to retire soon." said Freddie, "but it is only fair tlitit I should grvo.some 0 f theye'boys a chance to win the title. 1 nin also under obligations to make 5,01110 money for Harry Pollock, my manager, who was the man instrumental in getting me fche chance ,to become champion, and, incidentally. I am making a lot of money myself. 1 havo done extremely well since I became champion, and when I get out of tho ring f will do so just because I am sick and tired m training and boxing and boxing and training with hardly a respite, ft is my intention to establish a ' farm' somewhere near New York, where 1 call have a training school and a rest-cure place for men whoso systems need building Up. In thru way T wilt have a place that will not bo too quiet, like most country farms in inaccessible places, and I will have plenty to occupy my iriinrl and •attention."' Welsh looks well. He does not. show the effects of his long string of light?, arid it i» ?. testimonial to his cleverness that he has gone through :•«. "Tiny battles a? he has and stili carry no marks that would indicate the'n;«!.i:rc of his profession.