BOXING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19842, 17 May 1927, Page 5

BOXING

A LONDON LETTER BALDOCK A BRILLIANT BANTAM DISTINGUISHED ALBERT HALL AUDIENCE (Special to “Chronicle.”) LONDON, March 31. Precisely the possibilities of Teddy Baldock (writes Eugene Corri, the “Chronicle’s” boxing correspondent) the German bantam, Friedemann, did not tell us at the great Albert Hall show last Wednesday night, for the Poplar boy won in a canter. He had the visitor stone cold in the second round with a right-handed: punch to the jaw that revealed a fighting wonder. Really this Baldock is uncanny. He gets into the ring as though to prove that a fighter can be made of ice. I am quite sure that he is a foreigner to nerves. The Prince of Wales was looking on. There were several thousand distinguished men and women around the ring. But Baldock, so idji/1 ho carry himself, might have been out for a holiday in the gymnasium. It was all in a day’s march to him. Ho spent the first roun.4 by way of •discovering exactly what Friedemann was worth. And then, like some pugilistic Sherlock Holmes, he decided that he knew all about him. Hence the punch that clinched matters in his favour. The pity was that the German was more than a pound over the bantam limit, and it must have been that he hurt himself in trying to get down to 8.6

But had ho come into the ring afi full strength, I am sure that Baldock would have won just as readily as he did. The condition of the Londoner was as near to being perfect as it could have well been. He knew that he must be the winner. 3ut what captured us all was the way that he brought about his triumph. I do wish that the man who fancies that he, is all that matters in bantams would come along, and try what he could do with this redheaded boy of the East of London. We very truly said that Jimmy Wild? was a wonder. Baldock is the nearest approach to the Welshman that I have yet seen. Baldock is an amazing—an incredible —boy. If the opportunity comes your way, do take a peep at him. I shall not fear for the chances of Baldock if La Barba comes this way. A Doubtful Point.

The Johnny Hill-Biquet fight had a most unfortunate ending. The Belgian, one of the gamest boys that ever drew on a glove, was disqualified in the eleventh round for hitting low. Not everybody thought the decision a good one. There were many good judges sitting around who would have it that Hill went out to a perfectly good blow to the stomach. It was a blow that the referee, because of the position which he took up, could alone decide whether it was god or bad. That Hill was hurt—that he himself bdlievc-d that he had been hit perfectly —wa? obvoius from his writhing. Undoubt edly he was in considerable pain.

Up to the point when he went down, he was ahead on points, and there had been immense cleverness both in his boxing and his fighting. But the warmest tribute must be paid to the Belgian. A gamer boy never got into the ring. He took punishment that would have made nine out of ten throw in his hand. Of this I am pretty well sure—Hill is the best of our flyweights. Ted Sandwina, the child of the circus —his mother is a professional strong woman—and Con O’Kelly put up a tremendous scrap—that is for heavyweights. O’Kelly most of you know. He has been fighting for ever so long. Sandwina is comparatively new to the

game. He is still short of twenty years of age, and you would think that he is very raw. He has many of the weaknesses of the beginner. But he is not so green as you might suppose. He is going to make a name for himself,'else lam much mistaken. Believe me, Con O’Kelly was no duffer on this night at the-Albert Hall. He was about at his best. A better try-out for Sandwina there could not have been, and it is all to his credit that, at the end, he was held to have, won a division of honours. A draw was a good decision.

Herse, a German, knocked out Frankie Burns, the Australian. He is a hard and uncompromising fighter, but f think that Burns would have made short work of him had he been other than a shadow of his former self. He was a better boxer than Herse What was wrong was that he could not go the pace. As for Collins, also of Australia. who was making his debut in this country, the soonest said the soonest mended. He was no match for Maloni. the Frenchman. He put up a decidedly poor show. Has He a Punch?

There was no doubt that, at the end of 15 rounds, Johnny Sullivan, the Covent Garden boy, had outpointed Tommy Mclnnes at headquarters at the beginning of the week. He was by far the cleverer boxer, but his display did not satisfy me entirely. That he is better than Alf Mancini, who on a recent occasion also heat Mclnnes. is a matter for speculation. So much may not be decided until we see the two in the ring. Sullivan’s defence is very sound. No doubt about that. I But he has got to convince me that he has the punch that a champion must have. It is on the cards that he will be matched ngainst .Tack Hood for the welter belt, though it will be agreed that Mancini has established quite as strong a claim to take a tilt nt the championship. At any rate, it is good to know that the way to a match for Hood has been made easier. The sooner the Birmingham young man resumes fighting the better for himself. There ever was danger in protracted inactivity.