NATIONAL SPORTING CLUB.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16471, 6 July 1921, Page 6

NATIONAL SPORTING CLUB.

LONDON’S HOME OF BOXING.

A NIGHT WITH THE CROPHEADS.

(By F. A. HOllNIBROOK). LONDON, May 17, 1921. It is safe to say that the name of the National Sporting Club is known to sporting enthusiasts throughout the whole of the British world. To Australasians it will always be memorable for the fact that thirty vears ago two of the greatest pugilists that Australia ever produced, ana the world has ever seen, Frank P. Slavin nnd Peter Jackson, fought in this club what was probably the grcateM bout with gloves ever fought in the history of the prize ling. It was, speaking from memory, for a purse of about £IOOO, and the modest title of the championship of England: it really represented the championship of the world. Fifteen years later, in the same ring, two much boomed and over-rated boxers, namely, Tommy Burns and Gunner Moir, fought for the championship of the world. Such is the irony of Fate, and yet either Jackson or Slavin could probably have whipped both of these men in the same ring on the same night. On Monday, May 9, I visited the club in company w r itl] a friend of mine who ’is a member of it, to see Ernio Rice (England) and Georges Papin (France) fight for the light-weight championship of Etirope. No doubt many colonials think, as I did, that the National Sporting Club is simply a club whe re boxing contests are staged. But it also fulfils many other social functions. There are attached to it a very fin-: restaurant, bars, billiard tables, reading nnd writing rooms, and a residential portion comprising some scores of bedrooms.

The theatre where the contests are held is disappointing in size. It bolds a little over a thousand people, including the gallery. The audience is limited to members. who are, however, entitled to the privilege of introducing a friend on payment of two guineas for his seat, and on special big nights of three guineas. But even this privilege is limited, as there is a big membership. and a huge waiting list.

My visit was certainly to me a mostinteresting experience, and there were several features which surprised me. First of all the air was thick with tobacco smoke, while betting was carried on vigorously and openly. Members called bets to their friends across the hall, and the amount and size of the bets left one breathless at times.

Here are to be found all sorts and conditions of men. My friend, who is an old member, pointed out to me many people well known in London. The very stout bald-beaded man, looking like a successful stockbroker, is a wellknown boxing writer—Mr Bennison. Close to him, in immaculate evening dress, with the air of a Cabinet Minister at least, is Mr Eugen Corri, who has refereed more big fights than any man in England. The grey-headed gentleman is Mr Douglas, father of Colonel J. W. H. Douglas, the English cricket captain, who is refereeing the main contest. Near me is a rather stout, well-preserved, fine-looking type of man. also in evening dress (they practically all wear evening dress). He is a titled man, and one of the leading Harley Street surgeons, whose name is a household word in the medical profession. A thin, well-groomed, rather liatchet-faced man is Sir Walter de Frees, M.P., husband of Vesta Tilley. Near us is a gentleman evidently of the persuasion. He, my friend informed me, fills a double roll. He is a successful dentist and a successful bookmaker as well. Near the ring on a raised chair is a gentleman with a particularly shiny tall hat, which he wears the whole time, perched rakishly at an angle of 45deg. He is thfe time-keeper : quite an interesting and important personage. The referee, you will be interested to hear, referees from outside the ring. The boxers know thnt any infringement of the rules will be met with a short shrift here. The contests Tons is ted of two professional bouts and a light-weight novice competition. The latter took place with wonderful expedition. As in the amateur championships, the gloves are tied on before the competitor entens the ring, and each competitor is only allowed one second in the ring. In the big contest the gloves are> fixed on in the ring, and competitors are allow'ed four seconds.

The first of the professional bouts was a 15-round contest at featherweight, between M’Adam, of Glasgow, and Gariner, of London. The announcer entered the ring, and requested silence. It is the rule iiere that no applause must take place during a round, and this is carried out to the letter, but the babble between the rounds is simply deafening. The announcer tells us that this is to be a 15-round fight for £IOO with a side bet of £-50 a side, at 9st. The men have had to weigh that afternoon at 4 o’clock, and their weights are: M’Adam Bst 12flb and Gariner Sst 12Jlb.

This was a splendidly contested fight. Both men had a thorough knowledge of the game, and were quick, strong, and well trained. Gariner was, if anything the quicker of the two, but the Scotchman had a wonderful defence, and hit the harder. At the end of five rounds, there was not a ha-porth of difference between them ; end yet the Jewish dentist-booky called out to some man be knew offering him £BO to £4O on M’Adam, which was accepted. Bets around me from £5 to £SO were freely offered and taken. The odds all the time were on the Scotchman. At the end of the fifteen rounds, the judges disagreed, but the referee gave the casting vote in favour of M’Adam. As a matter of fact a draw would have about represented the consensus of opinion as to the merits of the case. Then the star tnrn of the evening is introduced. Ernie Rice, son of an English father nnd an Italian mother, the light-weight champion of England, first enters the ring. A closely cropped bullet head, a swarthy skin, a very long but not prominent nose, a rugged, sturdy frame. Rice jerks his head spasmodically in recognition of the applause. Then enters the French hoy ; he is clad in a wonderful heliotrope dressing-gown. Good-looking, palefaced, and with clustering wavy hair, he stands in the middle of the ring bowing bis acknowledgments with an absolute freedom nnd_ naturalness that would make Julius Knight green with envy. He knows Rice ; they have met before in 1919, when the Frenchman won on points. The Frenchman has practically won all his fights on points; he is a boxer pure and simple, and does not possess a knock-ont blow in his repertoire. The Rice of to-dav, however. is a vastly different and improved fighter from the man of two years ago, and the odds are two nnd even three to one in favour of Rice. Tn Papin’s corner, there was an exceptionally fine-looking young fellow of about twenty-two or twenty-three I should say. standing about Oft high, beautifullv built, and wearing easily his well-cut clothes. He is introduced to the audience rq Nilles, the heavy-weight champion of France, who is to fight Bombardier Billv Wells next month in France. I shall he verv very much surprised if Wells succeeds in beating this man. In one respect Nilles promises to be a serious rival to Georges Oarp"ntipr. Personally I have nlwavs considered Oarpentier an exceptionally handsome man, but’Nilles is even better looking. .... Regarding the bout itself, it was in many"wavs a disappointment. Tt- was obvious' that unless Papin succeeded in lasting the distance, he had no chance against the human bulldog wlm kent boring in and worrying him all the

time, and after the third round you could not have got a bet even bad one offered ten to one on Rice. The affair lasted nearly ten rounds, and during that time Papin took the count no less than nineteen times! As an exhibition of gameness, it was simply wonderful : but his seconds had no right to allow a game lad to continue to receive punishment when his chances of winning were nil. Rice leaves for America next month, in quest of the light-weight championship of the world. There is no doubt about his capacity to take punishment, and also his ability to hit ; but his style is most extraordinary and unorthodox. Ho holds both forearms straight in front of him, and seems to violate every principle of whnt the text books tell us are the positions of the perfect boxer. How he will fare against a man who can box well, ami hit as hard as himself, remains to be seen.