THE BIG BOUT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16471, 6 July 1921, Page 7

THE BIG BOUT.

TO THE EDITOR Sir.—As an exercise boxing is one of the best that a youth can indulge in, as a sport it has elements of excellence which are not found in other branches of athletics. Boxing should l>e given every encouragement by educational authorities, because as a physical exercise it has no superior. It not only develops the muscle, but it makes for quickness of observation, therefore, compelling those who indulge in it to think and act quickly- It has, in fact, so many virtues, as an exercise, that the wonder is that there fire so many ready to call for its suppression, No sport has had such brutal handling from those associated with it. That }t has survived these assaults is testimony to its virility, and the hold it has with the people. But there is a very big gap between boxing as an exercise and such an event as took place at Jersey City on July 2. That was not an exhibition of boxing skill, but a prize fight, pure and simple, engineered by speculators to whom the first consideration was money. In sport, when the speculator comes in, sport-—as the word is understood—goes out. Boxing has been commercialised to such an extent in America for so many years, that the best efforts of well-intentioned men to elevate it to the piano which its merits deserve have mostly been defeated. Each State has its own particular laws, and all efforts to establish a National Board of Control have failed because of State jealousy, and so long as this prevails we can expect a continuance of “ contests” promoted by speculators for money-making purposes, Rickard, the promoter of the Carpentier-Dempsey affair, also promoted the deplorable meeting between Johnson and Jeffries, the latter being brought out of his retirement, athletically speaking an old man, to face an opponent in his full powers as an athlete, by the bait of a reward sufficient, if invested to keep him in comfort for the rest of his days. These promotions by speculators strike a blow at a sport which should be as carefully safeguarded as other branches of sport- They stir up a public feeling against boxing, and therefore are a menace, and being a menace they should be prohibited. Boxing should be encouraged. prize-fights should bo abolished. When we read that Dempsey imprisoned his opponent’s arms and punched him over the kidneys we re- i aiise that is not boxing. Tt savours' too much of the gladiatorial contests with th© Cestus in the Roman arena. -—I am, etc., BOXER.