BOXING

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18804, 5 July 1929, Page 3

BOXING

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

By

“CSBTUS."

Eddie Parker surprised the big crowd at the Town Hall last night (says the Wellington “Post” of July 2). His light-heavy-weight championship was at stake in a fifteen-round boxing contest against Jim Broadfoot, who had twice previously beaten him, but he retained the title after a stirring fight. The pace was surprisingly fast for big men, and they fought as openly as light-weights Furthermore, they were willing to take risks, and frequently the spectators were on their feet as heavy punches sank home. The margin at the end was not great. Parker piled up the points in the opening rounds, but Broadfoot made up some of the leeway in the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth The final rounds were fairly even. Parker’s superiority lay in his ability to counter and his shorter punching. Broadfoot wasted a lot by wild hitting. The champion, who scaled 12st 21b, looked to be carrying a little too much condition, but he lasted well. Broadfoot, at list 111 b, stripped better, but stated before the contest that he had been hampered in his training by an attack of influenza. (The judges disagreed, and the referee’s decision went to Parker.) :: Tommy Donovan is an illustration of the saying that nothing succeeds like success. He has proved to be a good drawing card, and associations are after him to sign up for engagements. For this month he has four fights on hand—against Urquhart, at Wanganui, on July 8; against Hatton, at New Plymouth, on July 13; against “Kid” Smith, at Stratford, on July 20; and against an opponent not yet selected, at Wellington, on July 29. Tommy Griffiths and Lachie M’Donald have returned to New Zealand from Australia. Neither was any richer as a result of the trip. Griffiths had three fights, losing two, and M’Donald had two and lost both. It is agreed that financial results of fights are by no means satisfactory, Johnny Leckie’s experience being mentioned as an example. He had had four fights, and his winnings respectively were £175. £6l. £4B and £lO5. Two of the men Tommy Griffiths met in the ring while in Australia were Cocoa Jackson, feather-weight champion of Australia, and Ern Conners. He defeated Jackson, but was knocked out by Conners. On Wednesday Jackson and Conners fought for the championship at the Sydney Stadium, and. says the cable, “a good contest ended in a draw.” Charley Purdy and Wally Hancock will have a return match at the Leichhardt Stadium on July 12. When they first met, Purdy was knocked out twenty-five seconds after the gong had sounded the conclusion of the round. He was in a tight corner when the round should have terminated, being badly punished, but it is quite possible that he would have recovered during the interval had the round concluded \t its proper time. In his report of the Leckie-Sarron ight at the Sydney Stadium on June 29, Jack Elliott, the “Referee” boxing writer, says: When the referee crowned Johnnie Leckie, for quite a time the crowd—for the most part—stood and cheered. But the ovation wail; a mixture of genuine pleasure, sympathy and irony. The verdict was popular, but it was not correct. Pete Sarron, the American, won without any shadow of doubt. The pace the gallant little New Zealander set was so fast that one thought the American would crack under it; instead it was Leckie who tired -»fter the tenth round. . . . The decision only matters in the records of the men. The one thing that really matters is, "hey gave us a glorious night’s enterainment of clean, splendid fighting, reentless without bitterness, and fierce >ut friendly. 55 « Max Schmeling is not the only German boxer in America who is comnanding. True, the spotlight is on him, because he is a heavy-weight and, possibly, the next recognised holder of the world’s championship. Another German who, like Schmeling. landed in the ;reat Republic unheralded and unsung is Walter Peters, a welter-weight, who is a fast two-handed fighter, a willing battler and a hefty puncher. He accompanied Schmeling to the United States, and found great difficulty in getting engagements. Now that he has proved his worth, “ matchmakers,” says \ New York writer, “ are falling over hemselves to book him.” The Muldoon-Tunney trophy was preented, dedicated and unveiled with itting ceremony in the lobby of Maddison Square Garden, New York City, on April 17. The trophy is in bronze and marble, and will stand in the big lobby as a permanent symbol of heavyweight superiority. The statue shows a cestus-armed pugilist. On the four sides of the marble base are bronze plates inscribed with the names and championship dates of heavy-weight champions from John L. Sullivan to Gene Tunney. Before the unveiling, luncheon was served at the Madison Square Garden Club, and many prominent figures in the sporting, social, fin ancial, theatrical business and journalistic circles were present in a gathering of 300 or more. v, Every wealthy fighter and manager have numerous lawyers on their staff nowadays (says a New York writer) Jack Sharkey won’t box an important bout without his special attorney is in or near his ring corner. Jack Dempsey never makes any deal without the advice of his favourite attorney. A few years ago ordinary matchmakers drew up contracts for all kinds of bouts. Nowadays expensive lawyers earn big fees drawing up long articles of agree ment with red tape galore. When a boxer gets in Dutch with the Boxing Commission now he has an attorney on hand to plead his case. Fistic ▼nters can’t call an alleged palooka Chter “a fakir.” “a cheater.” “a bum,” ■f any such hard names these days Without having the scrapper’s lawyer threatening to sue the scribe or hi<: paper for IOO.OOOdoI or more for libel. In the old days John Law used to hound the fighters and frequently lock them up in the cooler. Now John Lawbreads his protecting wing over the

scrappers, and sees that no rude cuss smirches their lucrative reputations—meow! 52 a a Our London boxing correspondent, Mr Eugene Corri, world-famous as a referee, and an English gentleman and sportsman of the best type, is to be accorded tangible recognition of his long and honourable association with boxing and British sports as a whole The intention is to make him the bene ficiary of a public testimonial, and the first steps were taken at the National Sporting Club on May 2. Lord Tweedmouth, Mr John Douglas and other speakers paid equal tribute to the qualities of Mr Corri as a referee and sportsman, and it was announced that in addition to subscription cards issued

to the sporting public boxing tournaments will be held at various places A subscription was opened and was headed with fifty guineas by Mr 11. D M'lntosh. who promoted the BurnsJohnson fight in Sydney. Australia, he said, vied with England in its regard for Mr Corri, and in this connection he mentioned, for the first time in public, that by special request he had cabled an offer of £IOOO to Mr Corri to referee the Johnson and Burns fight—an offer which Mr Corri was un able to accept owing to important business matters.

WORLD’S CHAMPIONSHIPS ENGLAND’S POSITION. (Special to the “Star.”) LONDON, May 5. Our correspondent, Mr Eugene Corri, writes: — The more I ponder over the venture of the National Sporting Club, which is to be launched on the night of the 16th at Olympia, the more am I convinced that it will have a far-reaching effect upon boxing having to do with the world’s championships in the immediate future. At the moment America is busy arranging her summer programme, and in contemplation of it I find that there is scarce a thought of a Britisher being fitted to contend for one of the titles. But I am going to say that, if the fights that are shortly to be staged at West Kensington realise all hopes and expectations, we shall have a decided saj' in bouts for world’s championships It is comforting to know that, in the review of the situation by a writer in the “ Chicago Tribune.” America is at the moment, at any rate, undecided whether any of the heavy-weights at present in the States are really good enough to follow Tunney. Personally, I do not believe one of them to be of outstanding ability. Whoever succeeds Tunney will be no more than a moderate fighter. I am almost inclined to the opinion, expressed by one well-known critic, that there is not one of the big fellows at present before the public fit to tie Dempsey’s shoe laces, and that, if Tunney were to come back—which he surely never will after his repeated declarations that he has done with the ring for good and all—he would clear the decks without any sort of trouble. If my understanding of the heavyweight position is correct, all the more pity it is that Phil Scott still leaves us cold. Honestly, if Scott had been blessed with a wider vision, I do believe that he would stand an evenmoney chance of winning the title. The idea that Schelming, the German, might go and do the trick is, to me. a most biting commentary upon the worth of the heavy-weights who are judged by America to be the candidates best qualified to do battle for the kingdom abdicated by Tunney. And Scott, if he has given his mind seriously to the situation, must be of that way of thinking. Yet I have not heard that Philip proposes to make a serious move by way of showing that he is the equal. if not the superior, of those in the field. But I had better leave the heavy-weight gentlemen to stew in their own juice. They are certainly big enough to take 'are of themselves. I am much intrigued by the suggestion that Micky Walker is not what he was when he so sorely battered our Tommy Milligan. For that is all the more reason why. after the IrelandHarvey bout, we should go all out to get the accepted best in the ring against the winner of the battle of the middles at Olympia. I do hope that both Harvey and Ireland appreciate the possibilities of their pending bout. If they get it fixed at the back of their heads that a convincing winner will have all the support of the N.S.C. behind him. in a claim to contend for a world’s title, they will make their contest a truly memorable one. Corbett and Cuthbert will perhaps be interested to know that it is the de-

cided opinion of the American critics that Andre Routis is no formidable feather-weight champion, and that they take it for granted that he will be well and truly beaten when he comes to defend his title. By an American, of course—a Cuban, is the prediction. Well, I am disposed to say that, if Routis is really the best of all the feathers, that class is in a parlous state. A good hard fighter Routis, but not clever. Rather obvious has he been, when I have seen him in our ring, and, if I were a betting man—which I am not—l should take even money that either Harry Corbett or Johnny Cuthbert would beat him. That Corbett is the cleverer by far I have not the least doubt, and Cuthbert also has it in him to beat the Frenchman. That, of course, is only a matter of opinion, but I should dearly like to have my opinion put to the test. Both Corbett and Cuthbert may have that idea tested, if the winner of their bout makes an exceptional show. For then it will be up to the National Sporting Club to make it worth the while of Routis to defend the title in London. The Frenchman, providing terms are after his liking, would rather fight in London, any day in the week, than take his chances on the other side. 1 do not suggest that Routis is doubtful of getting a fair deal in the States. Far from that. But I have yet to happen upon a Continental fighter who would not prefer to do his fighting in London, if he must wander from home. Every French boxer has taken his cue from Carpentier, and it is on record that Carpentier has declared that there is no country so much after the heart of a fighter as England. We have no need to excuse our blushes. If I were a fighter, I would rather fight in our ring than any other. I should say that Routis would not require to be asked twice to appear in London against either Corbett or Cuthbert. So you see what a vast deal is hanging on the different affairs at Olympia. I notice, in the American review of the championship position, that there is no reference made to Teddy Baklock or Kid Pattenden. As the Cockney would say: “We’ll learn them!” Present opinion is that Baldock, since he has given it out that he can do the bantam limit without serious trouble, is much of a wonder. I agree. If, Pattenden should beat the Poplar boy, he, too, will have proved that he is a wonder, and, whatever the result of the fight between these two, we must, insist that America’s best shall toe the line here I am for telling each and every one, of our boxers that, now the National Sporting Club has launc! ed out on a big scale, their opportunities were never greater. Britain is to be really' the Home of Boxing. We have ceased to be smug and self-satisfied. We are for doing things like we did in the years before the war, when the fighters of the world were encouraged to makl a habit of staging their battles in England. (The championship contests referred to by our correspondent were between L. Harvey and Alec Ireland (middle), J. Cuthbert and 11. Corbett (feather), and Teddy Baldock and Kid Patten den (bantam). Harvey knocked out Ireland in the seventh round; Cuthbert outpointed Corbett: and Baldock outpointed Pattenden.)