BOXING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20042, 3 September 1920, Page 3

BOXING.

BELGIANS AS BOXERS. THE OLYMPIC CONTESTS. (Special to the ‘•'Star.") LONDON, July 13. Olympic boxing does not, I suspect (writes Air Eugene Oorri) fire the public imagination, but that which will be done at Antwerp should do an immense good lor tho game in tho best as well as an international sense. For this reason, boys of ail the countries that matter will appear and fight before people who, but, a few short years ago, knew little, and probably oared less about boxing. Only some two years ago, when the Fourth Division of the Canadian Army held a tournament in Brussels, and when they induced the King of the Belgians to come to it, one of tho local papers appeared with a particularly vitriolic attack on boxing—it was beastly, savage, offensive, and a great many other things. .1 remembered ■ being in Ghent, during the exhibition when Carpentier first fought Wells. 'When Carpentier went down in. the first round from the effects of one of the greatest right-handers the bombardier ever delivered in his career, and came nearer to being out than ever before or since, nine exit of every ten people present.shouted “murder.” Yet (Jarpentier, far Irom being murdered, heat Wells, and then there were; only high jinks. But immediately following that memorable fight, the Belgian authorities decreed that public .boxing would bo barred in future. And now m Antwerp boxing is to lie not Hie least feature of the Olympic Games. Ihe fact is that Belgium has been taught by the war that unless her sons model their games alter those l which nur lads affect, they will he unable to make lasting the glorious brotherhood begotten by Armageddon. Belgium has seen what boxing.has done for France, and 1 have a belief that before very long the sport will be accepted as a necessary part of the physical education of the country. What her amateur talent is like I do not profess to G Olympic representatives nl'lii r ffl 110 Were novices, Ut that lam sure. How readily the young men of Belgium have taken to boxing we recently saw when ouc, Alfred Uynns, unheard of and uusuno, appeared at Howland Hill’s ihfstcaTc chapel in Blackfriars Hoad, now known as i'he King, and knocked out Francis Bossi, a thing no other fighter had done before. - 'then, when the National opening dub transferred their ring from Co vent. Garden to Holland Park skating rink, this Wynns was matched against our feather-weight champion. lUifce Honeyman, who, like Kossi, suffered to be knocked out. Who would have deemed that Belgium would ever supply a European champion! In 11)04 CV , €D , , SUiCO .- hc war > the idea was unthinkable. You would not call Wynns a wonder; there is not a great deal of polish or style in his ways, hat he is hke every boy of the Continent who has. taken to fighting-ho is the soul ot thorougtmcss, and ho has mastered the art -of pouching. When Wynns caused Honeyman to be counted out, 1 expressed a hope that wo would see more of this young man, and 1 am pleased to hear that he has been matched against Joe Conn. I n some respects Conn is one of the biggest disappointments 1. have encountered for very many years. When quite a hov ho could be renlly.pyoiiderfi.il, and those iho follow boxing closely will remember that when he met Jimmy Wildo (hiring the war, at Stamford Badge, it’ was agreed by many shrewd judges that the Welshman was taking on a really tremendous proposition. .But Conn, instead of fighting and boxing, adopted a purely defensive attitude—kind ot curled himself into a shell\uth tho result ihat Wildo simply bat* cred nun into defeat. Since then Conn has not done a very great deal, but I still behove that when, in the mood he is a very considerable man at ins weight. _ At any rate, it will bo most interesting to see whether he will succeed where Honeyman failed. Un Vi eduesday I had a message from laris telling me that the probability was that. Carpentier would reach there tins week-end. and that m a few days l. would have all tho nows with regard to the frenchman's future. This .much 1 now know definitely—that Can peutier will go to a delightful house he has bought at Dieppe, and that ho will rest there a while; that we must not take too seriously , the reports, so froquemly cabled to us, that ho intends to return to America in order lo light Battling Levinsky. If they do meet, all the odds wifi be that the contest null lake place in. France, but tfom inside knowledge, the probability is that tarpentier’s first big fight will be with Dempsey; also, no matter what is said to the contrary, that it will lie staged in London. Meantime. I see it stated that Dempsey is preparing for a contest with Fred Fulton. With regard to Carpentier it is a fact, that ho has made fully £20,000 as the result of Jus four in America, and that ho is now worth very little short of double that amount, irrespective of the thousands he invested in tho coalfields of Lens, which he hopes to get back one ol these line days ,