BOXING IN ENGLAND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17016, 14 April 1923, Page 3 (Supplement)

BOXING IN ENGLAND.

A NEW CHAMPION. D (Special to “ The Star.”) 2 LONDON, February 22. Of the Todd-Lewis contest for the - middle-weight championship, Air r Eugene Oorri writes : i' Roland Todd came into his own at tho Albert Hall last week, when he - defeated Nid Lewis by a mountain of - points. There should really have been no necessity for this second contest be-

tween the pair, lor, in my judgment, 'l odd should have been declared The winner when they met. at Holland Park. 1 do not exaggerate when l say chat Todd proved himself to be one of the greatest, middle-weights wo have had tor many years. As a boxer he was in every way the superior of Lewis. There was no comparison between the. two. I did not make Lewis out to -be the winner oi a- single round. In short. Todd v» a > his master, and nogreater triumph for the skill of boxing could hive been won. There can be no excuse for Lewis on the score of physical fitness. No man could have gone through a more severe I reparation, and whatever may he. said to the contrary, he fought jiutf as well as ho has done at any time since he returned to this country from America . By each and every device he. could think of lie tried to break down the defence of the man from Doncaster, but ho simply could not do it. Most limes when lie led with tho left ho wa« sadly out o-f distance, and when he swung with his right be not infrequently beat the air. AVe looked upon what was a very strange, and nor an all-conquering Lewis. T have, seldom seen such a champion as he is so held at hay. He simplv could not do what ho intended to do■ and that is the long and the short of it. To those who had not seen. Todd before, he must have been a revelation. I seriously doubt whether we have a better boxer—stylish, with a sense of distance almost uncanny* He bad Lewis in a tangle from the start, and he won without seeming to extend himself. ft was not a. model or a pretty fight. Lewis, by his persistent clinching and hitting when holding, saw to that, and there were times when he merited a severe re prim aml for the way in which he used his head. There was absolutely no suggestion of subtlety in the ways of Lewis; he kind of advertised be found that he could dp no damage at all. Todd countered him in such a manner as to leave no doubt as to how the fight, barring an accident, would go. And for the first time since Lewis joined the ranks of champions he was cut and bruised. He has rarely had such a gruelling in all his career. And the Doncaster man—save for a red patch over the right eye. which made its appearance in the first round —was

Not only so. T believe he was in a condition to go another twenty rounds, which was very different from Lewis, for clearly be had had enough. I am. as I hope every one of iny readers believes. the very last man to gloat over the downfall of a champion, but itwould be unfair not to give every nos-* sihle praise t<- Todd. He won like a champion. On the night’s showing 1 should like to meet the man to beat him. Tf you are told that Lewis is not the fighter he wos. don’t lw*lieve it. He simply met his master in Todd, who. so f am told, intends to proceed to America, and try for the world’s title. SOLDIF/R TONES AND LLOYD. We saw Soldier Jones at headquarters on Monday when he beat Albert Lloyd on points in a fifteen-rounds affair. Ho did not give a- brilliant display, and he did not- win by anything like a big margin. T understand that be knocked his hand up as early as the second round : certainly. Jones was not the sledge-hammer lighter he was when lie first carne amongst us. 1 havq an idea, that since last- time out lie has been trying to improve his boxing knowledge; at least, lie appealed to me as a new and strange Jones on Monday- tie can do with more box - ing knowledge than he has. but it in his future engagements he tries to he clever, as distinct from being natural, ] fear that he will net do himself justice. If Jones is anything at all he i< an uncompromising and not a stylish tighter, lie has got to try to hit hard all the time, lie was very wise in not rather clowning it. ns he did some time ago at Holland Park against 'George Cook, but ho can be really t-oo serious. Snob I thought he was in his bout with Llovd. The Australian put up a good show : he did much better than he had previously done at tho Club, but agaifi he showed us that liis punching powers are of small account. And he suffers tremendously from a short reach. You cannot help liking the fellow; he has quite *. lot of style and is as game as a pebble, but he simply cannot null out anything like 0. devastating punch, and T very much doubt whether he seriously hurt Jones who is as hard as nails, once.