BOXING AND BOXERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16350, 12 February 1921, Page 10

BOXING AND BOXERS.

A COOD BOUT. POOR BIG MEN. (Special to the " Star.*”) T/ONI>ON\ December For right down good wholesome boding and fighting few recent contests Have 'been better than that in which Kid Svmonda. of Vlymoutb. ar.d MopPugh, of Abcravon, engaged on the occasion of Mr “ Peggy ’ Bettinaon’B benefit the National Sporting Club at tbe ’beginning of the week. In each of the fifteen rounds there was (writes Mr "Eugene Oorrii muoh spurkhs and the affair raptured a particularly large and distinguished houae. T was nvach impressed by both the lads: they certainly won the Honours of a truly erentftil evening. Symonds got the verdict ; on points, and lie dofferved it. but Pugh , put up such a praiseworthy show that j it would not be long odds on Symonds | beating him a second time. However, ? Symonds is one of the best boxers Ply- j irionib hasdnrncd out. and she has rear- | eu many good ones T have to confess to being rather disappointed with t}-.e • welter-weight. did not completely Tire nj: to his reputation of beiny the nearest approach t.(» Johnny Basham. Be was up against Prnnier, of France, who set us all talking some Tittle time ngo by firs most excellent effort against Ted Lewis. Tli** Frenchman is splendidly built for the game, but, like Moore, fie was very slow, ami pretty obvious tn his.ways. We were* rssofed. that he carried a heavy punch, but T saw none i of it. and we need have fit-tie fear that , France will take the European weltfr rifle, not through the- medium of* Pru- ! filer, at any rr.te- Pntil half way through the sixth round we were very | f orod by what we sav.®: tlien Moore : drove his right to the mark and Prnnier | fell all of e. been tc‘ he comited out. Tt : was quite an unexpected ending; most ;<d those who looked on must have been i rnfo that the fight would go fifteen t rounds. Had it gone that distance the I probabihiy i> that \foore would l ave j won. for when he knocked Prunier our i he was well ahead on points. If T i were Moore T should endeavour to get some devil 5 * into my fighting. Ido hope that he will no: join the ranks of tip-tappers. And now about the bout between Arthur Town-ley and Jack Curphey. and out: heavy-weights generally. These two. presumably, are thought at headquarters to be about as good as any Jwe have. Curphey certainly. But j Townley, po! /He seems to have got completely off the rail, and last Monday was miles below Lite form he showed against Victor M/J.aglen when last at Covent Garden. And that form it has to be admitted was anything but gaudy. The long and short of it was that Curphey knocked Totvpley pat in j the* second round, and the Birkenhead ! sailor cannot now be rated much, if ! anything, belter than Frank Ray; I I certainly do cot think he would* have j any chance against Goddard. 1 i thought at one time that Townley, pre- ! perly trained, would develop into a i very good and reliable mam But j against Curphey he was like most of our heavy-weights, rather scared as to what was likely to happen.. He ecu Id never have thought or seen straight, or else be would not have walked into the punches of Curphey.’ AVheu ve are to see something like an interesting contest by big men at tbe N.S.C. I really canno; say. T have almost given them up. and yet, surprising though it -must seem, weight and general bulk, except in a few instances, command most money- "Curphey T s victory over Townley should hearten him, but as things are at present the likelihood is that he will have to whistle for a match that would be something like a real test of his merits." For some, time., and perhaps *so king as they are itr the game. Bombardier Yi’olls and Beckett will rake in all the 'plums, though 1 should say at the moment V> ells would get bigger purges than Beckett,. ' W ells is training for bis figbt with Battling I.evinsky. on -January 13. at his old quarters ou the "I ha:r* =. H- ; has another great chance of Jumping j right into pr-bli- iavo i: . for though we here do not know the manner of man that Lev insky. is. a victory for Well® over any big fellow, be bis capacity groat or small, would set the people saying that he would yei beat everybody. Should he account for Lewinsky- he will probably have a rare chance Oh"" picking up a little fortune, icr T hare an idea that if Carpentier does not tacivie Moran before his try for the championship, au effort '.'ill no made to cot Moran and Well- inio the ring. "When Carpentier was in London.- Descamps assured Major "Wil-on that, providing terms wore satisfactory. Georges would ma v ; Moran, but now I learn Iron? Paris that all the chances [are that Caroenrier will not risk a | contest with the conqueror oi Beckett. The fact is that tbe Frenchman is booked up until next May. E'urly in the New Ye..*- he is to give ;• n . exhibition at ‘ Swansea and Sheffield; he h»« a London vuudrril'o cv g.- -etrtenr a something like LiC»M.)a week ; s pledged to go on a orettv comprebcnsiß'c torncn the Continent, and las con* nit ted himself to *•" a right at Mo etc Carlo." after, whieh he will only think about preparing for .Tac:c Dempsey. T hare p. notion thru* Caroentier's first real fight in London will not be.before next autumn. (The Wells-hevinskv emitted was postponed owing to the latter meeting with an accident.) .