BOXING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20057, 21 September 1920, Page 3

BOXING.

PLANS.

TOMMY BURNS A QOOD SPORTSMAN..

(Special bp the "Star.”) LONDON, July 23. Francois De&camps, who manages the' affairs cf Carpentier so well—at the normal rate of exchange this little matt Would be able to say that their tour of the States brought them some £60,000 —has been good enough to tell'mo the plans of Georges for the future. First a holiday at his house—“ Villia George and Georgette” it is.called—at Dieppe, then a period of training and a fight with Battling Levinsky for the world’s light-heavy-weight championship at New York about the middle of October; afterwards a new film will he made, for which Carpentier will be paid several thousand pounds. That finished, he will come back to France and wait—most probably on the Riviera—until the last day in December, to sec whether by that time Mr 0. B. Cochran has been successful in ■ gettingDempsey to come to Europe and defend his title in London. • Says Descamps;, “ When! left.the States Dempsey, through his manager, Jack Kearns, .said that he would not fight outside, of ; America under any, consideration,' and 1 do not believe that he will. It is not that the Cochran, purse is not big enough. He takes the stand—and .1 do not blame him—that since he is champion ho has the right to dictate when and where he will fight. From time to time it has been that Carpentier would not engage in a contest in America, but Georges has beQn forced into one already. That is, I have fixed him up with 'Levinsky for a. double purposefirst to show the American people exactly what manner of a fighter Georges is, and secondly to try his hand against one world’s champion, for this Levinsky is, at - least American.people.claim that he is, the best man in the light-heavy-weight class in all the countries. Should Carpentier _ fait to beat Levmfky, then there will he no fight with Dempsey—that is certain. Beaten by Levinsky there would h© only one thing for Georges to do, and that would be to_ retire from the game. But I. don’t think for a minute that ho will lose,. I. have made the match so that Georges might keep his eye in, and to give him the chance of adding to his confidence that ho can lift the world’s title. They say in America that Dempsey is a man-killer. May be that he is, but all rhe same both myself and Carpentier do not fear the consequences of, a meeting. We, of course, want tSe fight to take place in London, but if Dempsey at the end of the year is still in his present frame of mind, 1 will at once enter into a contract with an American promoter and Georges will take the ring in New York, perhaps next July, and the contest will bo on© of .fifteen rounds. Of course, 1 have not entered into any ncgotiations/withi the American people, and we intend to loyally abide by our contract with Mr Cochran, which is that, if he cannot get Dempsey’s signature by the end of the year, there is, nothing doing so far as Europe .is • concerned'. Of course, much may* happen before then, but I have a reeling that Dempsey will not leave his country. W© intend to get him into the ring somewhere. It is Carpehtier’s intention to try for the world’s title, and win or lose, then, retire. . In a year from now. Georges will, I expect, have done with the game. Then he will have something nice £IOO,OOO, and need not worry any riiore. Georges is not the man to grow old in the ring. He wants to retire when he is in his prime. Besides; he has many interests outside nguuiig. In any case, I think he may, say at the end'of another year that, having fought since he was in his teens, he might well leave the ring to' others.” 1 have asked my friend, Mr Victor Breyer; the editor of "Echo des Sports,” Paris, if there is any chance of Beckett and Carpentier having a second match. This is what he writes:—“At the moment, no, though when 1 asked Descamps the little man said, ‘ if it were possible Georges would gladly take the ring against Beckett again, out unless all our arrangements fell through it will be _ physically impossible to oblige the British champion. ¥pu see Georges has made good as a him actor and already has contracts to make two more pictures in America ou terms which are positively handsome, and, as you know, he will very shortly begin training for Levinsky. After that bput there can only be Dempsey toy Georges. A fight for tlfie world’s-championship will put the coping stone on his career. Then it will be finis. Still, in case anything happens, we have 'Beckett well in our mind. Such a match in England would be tremendously popular. We an* pleased that, Beckett beat Burns, and L thin* he is pretip certain to account" for Frank Moran when they meet in September.” (The match with Morau was postponed.) Bums has taken his defeat by Beckett like the sportsman' that he is, and has freely given the British champion every possible credit for his vie. tory. There was no fluke in Beckett’s triumph. He was simply too good and too strong lor Burns, and Tommy must realise that a mjn nearly forty must get out of, the game, which is essentially one for the young. Burns, at tne time of writing, looks none'the woise for his fight of, a week ago. fi© confessed to haying felt., sore about, the body and bruised under the heart, but except for very blackened eyes his condition a few hours after the contest was remarkably good. Burns intends to settle down in England, and although the young man Phipps, was knocked out by one Rideout, he docs not doubt that, sooner or later, ho will have a real champion. Next week I understand, he is to lie presented with a handsome gold cup by a voung Ena-’ lish sportsman, who considers that tommy is the gamest fighter he has ever met. He certainly has the heart of a lion.