BOXING AND BOXERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16574, 5 November 1921, Page 12

BOXING AND BOXERS.

WHY ENGLAND IS POOR IN CHAMPIONS. A PROMOTER’S VIEWS. (Special to the “ Star.” LONDON, September 22. .. .1 mistake not (writes Air Eugene Corn), we are going to have a very busy season at the National Sporting Club and away from it. NiJlcs, the Drench heavy-weight, very shortly will be put up against Dick Smith at the Opera House, and Major Arnold Wilson is inOI1 „ ver - v his things at the Albert Hall. He -writes to me that Lewis left New \ork on Thursday, and. so soon as bo reaches London, he will go int-o training for his third meeting with Johnny Basham, which is due on October 14. As you know, they are to bos for the middle-weight title again. But this is what interests me almost as much as the coming clash between these two men. (Lewis won in twelve rounds). Major TVilson writes: “ Probably one of the reasons why wo are weak in boxing champions is the fact that our most promising men do not get the opportunity to fight often enough; another is that when they advance a little they lie idle, waiting for big contests and big money. And, besides, they go in for long distance bouts too early and never get the experience of short distance contests, in which they must start fighting from the first gq,ng if they are to assert their superiority. American boxers have their four, six, ten and twelve rounds I no decision bouts.’ and in their expansive country they find it possible to fight as many as three times a week, and so gain actual ring experience. Beckett’s lack of judgment of distance in his contest with McCormick demonstrated the evils of laying off too long. TVe cannot, as do the Americans, give our men the practice and ring experience which are necessary, and I do not think the British public would favour ‘no decision bouts, but wo might look round for some way out. Novices’* competitions are all right in their way, hut T suggest frequent competitions for our Partly trained men, if they do not think it beneath their dignity to enter. I am prepared to .stage these competitions from time to time, starting with the heavy-weights on October 14 Tat the Albert Hall, which ia the night Basham and .Lewis meet. 1 will then select the eight most suitable, who will be drawn together and engage in matches of three three-minutes. The four winners will take part in the semi-final; the final will be of six rounds of three minutes each. This means that the final men will box twelve three-minute rounds if each goes the distances, and the winner and runner-up will receive better payment than they would get out of the fifteen and twenty round bouts they have up and down the country. TV hat is important, they will get that which they want most-—thev will acquire experience, arid by it they will come to know bow to fight/’ T am entirely with .Major Wilson. Me shall have to be content with a whole army of mediocrities until they embrace every conceivable opportunity to fight. Beckett certainly could not have done a more harmful thing than taking the long holiday lie did after his defeat by Frank Moran. Plenty of work of. a practical kind would have taken his mind from the woeful exhibition which be gave against the American. There is no doubt that a long period of inactivity caused him to be the very poor specimen he was against Boy M'Cormick. Mike Gibbons has definitely undertaken to make n trip to this country to meet the winnpy of the Basham-Lewis contest at the Hall. And he should make things hum if he is able to reproduce his American form. When T was in New York both Dempsey and Jack Kearns told me to expect them in London before the year was out. and Billy Gibson, manager of Benny Leonard, thought it highly probable that be. together with the light-weight champion, would also visit London. Now T hear that all of them are to remain at home. Leonard has too many engagements to permit him to travel. As for Dempsey and his manager, they embarked upon a picture enterprise. The champion is the principal in a serial which will take two months to moke.