BOXING

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18208, 15 July 1927, Page 6

BOXING

NOTES AND COMMENTS BY

"CESTUS."

The death of Roy Overend at-Napier brings up the question of insuring pro‘essional fighters against accident. The cost of insurance would not be heav\* item, and insurance would do away with an appeal which usually 'alls upon the charitably inclined individual, in other words the good sportsman. That individual commonly known as a "sport,” I venture to say, does, not figure largely in subscription lists of the kind. It may be advanced that the matter is one f ’or each local association to deal with. Possiblj* that is the case, but a sounder arrangement would be to set aside a percentage of the council’s revenue to orovide for accident insurance. Associations pay a stiff tax to the council for the privilege of promoting professional fights, and as the allocation of the revenue—outside working expenses —rests entirely with themselves, on ■'onsideration of the question of insurance they may agree that a compulsory scheme is much more desirable than an indefinite proposal. The promotion of professional fights, as I have frequently pointed out, is a business proposition, and to be successful must be approached from that angle, and one angle is the protection of the fighter in the event of his meeting with an accident.

So long as New Zealand associations put up £IOO and £l5O purses they will have also to fix pretty stiff prices of admission to cover expenses. A survey of the list of professionals at present available led me to remark recently that none of them was worth a copper more than £SO, and a sign of the times is the increasing number of tenround bouts that are being promoted. This system, if worked on sound business lines, means that the promoting body will give its patrons much better value for their money than used to be the case, and at no more expense than had to be faced ttnder the bad old system. Purses and admission prices have got to come down if associations expect to keep financially sound. In these days of financial stress patrons

cannot pay the big tariff they made no bones about in the hectic days following the war. Even then they got poor value for their money, except in a few odd cases. Nowadays, as the promoting bodies have a limited field for selection and a poorer class of competitor, all the more reason for the double change—reduced purses and reduced prices of admission. In connection with prices and value received, I came across the following remarks by Grantland Rice, America's foremost sports writer, who evidently has a very poor opinion of the fight dishes served up in New York:—“The first fan is still on the spoor of one or two thrills, with practically no success whatsoever. Nearly every one of the big melodramas starting last fall were j a flop. They have been about as exj citing as weeding the lawn. Shows I costing ten, fifteen and twenty dollars have been worth about thirty-five cents, cash. Either most of those around can’t fight or they won’t fight,; and you are entitled to your own guess. With so much cash scattered around for any sort of performance, most of the tribe have been unwilling to risk hurting a hand by landing heavily on some rival. They have been unwilling to open up and take a

chance, figuring the cost of. defeat if the gamble fails. There have been few -boxing shows worth one dollar for the best seat in the house. It seems to be about time that some one was opening up a can of action.” « Perhaps the most important business done at the annual meeting of, the New Zealand Amateur Boxing Union was the transference of the headquarters from Christchurch to Dunedin. The transfer was made at the request of the Christchurch delegates. K tz zz Sir Charles Statham, who has shown great interest in the amateur side of the sport, and who is a staunch supporter of amateurism having its own controlling body, has been appointed patron of the New Zealand Amateur Boxing Union. The president, Mr J. Scott, of the Dunedin Combined Sports Club, has been, and still is, an enthusiastic worker in the interests of amateurism. He is one of the prominent figures in the separation movement.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon R. F. Bollard, having definitely. ; -efused recognition of amateur boxing lubs, the next move by the union will •robably be a petition to Parliament, 'here is not unanimity in the union s to the advisableness of that course • f action, a section favouring the legal • 'Sting of Mr Bollard’s decision. The cw council, however, will decide the ourse to be adopted, and whatever ir jay be Canterbury and Otago will act gether. The Minister’s decision, beg what was anticipated, caused no •rrprise and provoked no discussion the annual meeting of the union. :•? The Napier Association has arranged <o ten-round bcuts for July 20, the ontestants being Casey and Hay, and faddox and Griffiths. » tz Nelson M’Knight, the Hamilton wei-r-weight, back in the Dominion after . short stay in Australia, during which ■e had five fights, winning three, losng one and drawing one, expects to ave for America in September. Beore doing so he is anxious to meet lay for the welter-weight championship. The contest between M’Cleary and Pettifer, at Oamaru «on July 7, was lot of long duration. It was all over in two minutes. At the end of the second round M’Cleary, according to report, knocked out his opponent after the gong had gone, and was promptly disqualified. M’Cleary announced from the ring that he had not heard the gong. His statement appears to be quite reasonable, as there seems to be evidence that the gong was an unsatisfactory article for the use to which it was applied. Possibly it may have been ail that was required when used for calling to meals hungry and keen-eared paying guests, but quite the reverse as regards power of tone when utilised for a fight. :: Another interesting letter just received is from Bert Brown, formerly of Palmerston North, who has travelled considerably in Canada and the United States since leaving his homeland, } states “ Flush Left ” in the “ Manaj watu Standard.” Up to the time of j writing Bert had had fifteen fistic en- | counters, winning twelve of them. At I New York he lost to Bruce Flowers, i who is in line to meet Tod Morgan for ‘ the world's light-weight championship. 1 At the time Bert was suffering from i a back injury received during a workj out with a heavy-weight in a New i York gymnasium. At the time of writing Bert was enjoying a motor } tour of Ontario previous to crossing i to Vancouver, where he intends ful- ! filling professional engagements. He hopes to return to New Zealand priot i to seeking European honours.

The balance-sheet of the recent concert organised in Hastings for Lhe widow' of the late Roy Overend, shows that as a result, Mrs Overend will receive a cheque of £46 (says the. Napier “ Telegraph”). This, with the £25 donation from the New Zealand Boxing Council, and donations made by various associations will mean quite a handy sum. It is noticeable that in the whole of the returns, the only money which came to hand from Napier was the sum of 6s, the result of the sale of three tickets. This is rather a strange state of affairs, to say the least of it. The whole unfortunate business occurred in Napier, and it is reasonable to expect that the Napier Association would have made some move towards relief. The Hawke’s Bay Association (Hastings) is feeling this position rather much, and it is up to Napier to at least make an effort to follow the lead set by Hastings. It is understood that the Napier Association has opened up a subscription list, but with what success it is not yet known.

Merv. Williams, the Australian mid-dle-weight, must be the best man in his class in the commonwealth on his present forim Recently he defeated Long, the American-negro, and on Saturday .ast he secured a points decision over Mike O’Connor, an American who is known in his country as “The Fighting Irishman.” O’Connor, who is twentyfour years of age, was born in Ireland, but went to Canada when four years of age. He started out as a boxer at the age of sixteen, and during his career has taken part in about 130 contests. He visited Australia on the advice of Snowy Baker, the Stadium’s American representative.

Those rivals of about a quarter of a century ago—Jim Jeffries and Torn Sharkey—who for months past have been appearing on a circus programme in America, will visit Australia in October. They have been booked for a twenty-one weeks’ engagement by the J. C. Williamson Co., and will give box ing exhibitions and probably a monologue turn. Ed.. Smith, one of the foremost ol American sports writers, has the following reference to Billy Grime : “Grime is one of the most courageous young men we have seen in many a day, and one of the best and most dangerous fighters strutting among the little fellows in ten years. . . This little wonder-man is typical of his distinguished countrymen of three or four decades of intensive and honourable ring work in America.” Another American writer, in a letter to Jim Donald, of “Smith’s Weekly,” Sydney, has the following in praise of Grime:—Grime is the best bet on the American Market. He will take the feather title back to Australia as sure as apples grow on trees. He was not beaten by anything but a Los Angeles decision, and believe me, an outsider must win by a mile in Los Angeles to get the ‘edge.’ I know—l live here. Grim fought Doc. Snell, who outweighed him nigh on a stone, to a standstill after being knocked down four times in less than three rounds. Beaten to the deck four times in three rounds and then to come back and for the remaining seven rounds convert Doc. Snell, flushed with the sight of victory, into a hound trying to do the hundred yards in less than even time! That is precisely what the Australian did. If Sammy Mandell is all Grime has to defeat for the lightweight title, get ready for two titles, because I’ll stake my reputation on Billy outboxing and outgaming the ‘Rockford schoolboy,’ whom I once saw curl up like old Sonny (’>>.:•- man’s brown dog before the fire- on a cold Saturday night in Chicago when Garcia planted a ‘haymaker’ where Sammy sows the Gefielte fish and pickled cucumbers. Yes! Hang round the receiving end of the ether. This boy Grime is on his way to the smoke house for the most beautiful of winter pictures, the most elegant and gorgeous of landscapes as it hangs high suspended from the kitchen rafter. I have reference to that slab of pig designated ‘The Bacon.’ Tell Australia, Mr Editor.” •.* Len Johnson, the coloured middleweight, of Manchester, England, who is regarded by English writers as one of the cleverest men in his class seen in England for many years, and who achieved quite an excellent reputation in Australia, took a trip to Milan, Italy, i in May, for the purpose of meeting Leoni* Jaconacci, a coloured American i in a twelve round bout. Jaconacci, whe is also known as. Jack Walker, won on points. Possibly his Italian-sounding name was assumed as he was in Itaij’. Teddy Baldock, the English bantam, in the Chancery Division, London, on May 23, sued for an injunction against Isaac Jacobs and Harry Jacobs, boxing promoters, to restrain them from advertising or announcing that he was to take part in any boxing contest pro- ■ moted by them. Baldock, who attained his twentieth year on May 22, brought his action through his father. Defendants alleged that they had an agree- ; merit with Baldock for his services for ; the 1927-8 season. Baldock, in evidence, said the contract was not made with his full knowledge and the knowledge of his father. In the end the action was settled on the terms that the action and counter-claim be dismissed, without costs, and the contract cancelled. In the course of the hearing it came out that Baldock had received £4OO as the reward of his victory over Archie Bell. I WAS JACK THE GIANT KILLER? ; DEMPSEY’S STATUS AS A FIGHTER. > j (By GRANTLAND RICE, in "Collier's Weekly.”) “In my opinion,” remarked an oldi timer a day or two ago, “Jack Dempsey is the most overrated fighter in boxing history. He knew nothing about boxing, and he beat nothing but set-ups. What good man did he ever beat? If he tries to come back he will be knocked out by the first good man he faces, for he isn’t nearly as good as he used to be and he never was ■very good.” It is remarkable how many people have passed the same judgment upon the greatest drawing card in the history of the ring, probably in the history of sport. I recall a long argument some time ago with Jim Corbett about Dempsey’s .status in the heavy-weight fold. “Dempsey,” remarked Corbett, “is fast and strong, a fair hitter only and certainly nothing more than a fryr boxer. His '.greatest asset is ring spirit, and in this ! respect he has never liad an equal; j even John L. Sullivan at his best was not. lie has the finest ring spirit I

have ever seen. In other respects 1 cannot rate him with the best who have gone before/’ Each one being entitled to his or her opinion about anything whatsoever in this free country, it is my opinion that Jack Dempsey at his best was a great heavy-weight, the most spectacular of them all, if not actually the greatest. No one who saw jack Dempsey at Toledo against Jess Willard could ever forget him as he was then—an almost perfect animal in action. Six feet in height, weighing 190 pounds, tanned by the winds and sun of the open to a purplish brown, he was as quick as a leopard, with the wallop of a grizzly. I Willard, they will tell you, was a ! big, undertrained, overgrown dub. For all that, Willard was the heavy-weight champion of the world who had never been jarred before, not even when Jack Johnson dented one of his cheek bones —and his young challenger knocked him down seven times in the first round, _to have his hand lifted as the champion, and then to be recalled after he had left the ring when nervous reaction had arrived in full force, for the gong had saved Willard in that round. Dempsey on that Toledo day was the greatest athlete that ever walked into any ring. He lacked Corbett’s boxing skill, but he had all of Corbett’s speed and far more power than Corbett ever dreamed of. If he was not a terrific hitter with either hand at his best, then the ring has known nothing but pillow fighters. He had as fine a knack of timing as pugilism has known, and tremendous arm arid pivotal po\Ver to carry this timing through. The two qualities Dempsey had which brought out 4,700,000 dollars for three contests were aggressiveness and hitting power. He had this combination well ahead of any rival champion. Jeffries. Johnson and Willard were about as aggressive as hydrants. There was no flash of the “go-and-get-’em-quick” in their bulky systems. They were willing to wait upon attrition. Gene Tunney is the same type, a cool, careful boxer, willing to take his time. Tunney is a much better boxer than Dempsey ever was, but he lacks Dempsey’s old speed, aggressiveness and punching allotment. There are always factors behind the pugilistic scenes which make it impossible to judge any man upon his record. Corbett t} r pified speed and skill in the ring; Fitzsimmons, craft and punching power; Jeffries, brawn and stamina; Johnson, cunning and defensive skill; Willard, bulk; Dempsey, action, speed and power; Tunney. coolness, judgment and standardised boxing skill. Thej* all had their share of courage, or they wouldn’t have been champions. Of the lot, Dempsey was at least the most exciting to watch; he was a far more dangerous fighter than Tunney, ! Maloney or Sharkey, because he was faster and a much better puncher with either hand. And two skilled boxers waiting to counter can be a bigger flop than two trained seals. There are still thousands who believe that Dempsey can never come back as a championship possibility. It will depend on how much of his heart he can put into his work, lie will not be thirty-two until late in June. He has never smoked nor drunk strong alcoholic mixtures. lie has never gotten far out of condition. He looked to 1 be about as good at Saratoga last | August as before the Firpo fight three j years before. Not quite—but almost. ! He was something different at Phila- I delphia, and to date only 212 alibis have been used to explain his sudden slump. If he made up his mind to cut his way to the top again with even a part of the old flame left, he would still be the most dangerous heavyweight in the field. For he is still the only heavy-weight around who has shown he can thump with both hands and make the thumping stick. But to come back he will need more; of the flame than he had at the Sesnni.