A LONDON LETTER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20181, 25 June 1928, Page 11

A LONDON LETTER

NEWS FROM THE METROPOLIS, AN “APPRECIABLY' BETTER” HEENEY. ( Special “Chronicle” Service. 1 LONDON, June 19. Fred Dyer, who is at the head of a very successful school of boxing, in the Strand (writes Eugene Corri, the “Chronicle’s” boxing correspondent, can. see nothing but the perfect swain in his flyweight, Bert Kirby, and he. is quite sure that the little fellow cuuld hold his ows with Johnny 71111, in a contest for the belt, were the two to be matched for the trophy, and the championship that goes with it. All very natural, so far as Dyer is concerned, rjbut, if 1 may be allowed to pass as a judge of a boxer, I do not think that , Kirby is yet ripe for a fight with the champion. Good boy, Kirby, but to me his display aga nst Tiny Smith, of Sheffield, last Monuay night, was sot completely convincing. That he scored most points against tfie Yorkshire youth may not be doubted. He was a good and a deserved winner. But he nevertheless left much to be desired. He has a nice style. He is splcsdidly orthodox. But, in an affair with Hill, I feel that he would be without the necessary punch to win, and, even in. the matter of boxing, I doubt whether he is the equal of the Scot. Kirby requires experience. Anotnei six months, say, and the probability is that he will have takes on more of the ways of a champion. If he had beaten Smith by a knock-oct, I dare say that Mr Lionel Bettinson, who is most anxious to find an opponent for Hill, would have made an effort to get him matched with the belt-holder there and thes. At the moment the position, so far as the club is concerned, is that Kiroy will have to wait awhile for his big opportunity. Al Fresco Boxing-

Meantime, it is said that Hill ’ s about to be matched with Newsboy Brown, th© American, and that they will meet at Stamford Bridge in the early days of June. A tremendous effort is to be made to make boxing m the open a success during the summer. If all the fights contemplated are brought off, there will be no lack of attractions. The tentative programme is in every way an ambitious one. I hope the promoters ■will meet with more success than others who have ventured at Stamford Bridge and elsewhere. The last fight staged at Stamford Bridge was during the War, and was between Jimmy Wilde, then at his best, and Joe Conn. No more than a handful of people turned up to see it. And we well remember what a financial failure the contest between Joe Bloomfield and Tom Gibbons was at the Wembley Stadium. It may be that there has come about a decided change in the public taste, and that this time it will be proved there is a considerable “market” for fighting in the open. The result of the Johnny Brown and Frank Moody fight was much as I expected, and now the Pontypridd man will, 1 take it, be all eagerness for war with Gypsy Daniels. I have high hopes that Moody will go on improving. I certainly cannot see any cruiser to beat him at the moment. Not a very strong class, the light heavies, and, if Moody disposes of Daniels, I shall be quite prepared to hear that he is keen to venture against the heavies. There is this about Moo'dy. He can punch. So much was amply proved last Monday night at Edinburgh. He is in good hands, and should not want for employment. Next Tuesday, Tom Heeney will leave for New York with Mr John Mortimer, who, with his brother, Bernard, has had much to do with the rise of the New Zealander. We took a look at Heeney last week-end, when he sparred with Ernest Chandler, the old amateur champion, at the tournament for the Brighton hospitals. I am bound to say that J discovered an appreciably better Heeney. He has taken on much more speed, and, whilst I still doubt that he has a knock-out punch, I am quit© certain that he will make Gene Tunney feel that he has been in a fight. Heeney is now a 50 per cent, better fighter than he was twelve months ago. I Safe Hands. • Charlie Harvey, so wel/ known on I this side, will look after his interests in America, so that Heeney may be

sure of a fair deal. What Harvey docs not know about the American ring is not worth knowing. I first made his acquaintance ever so many years ago. He became known to mo when he looked after Jim Driscoll during his wonderful stay in the States, and he also took Owen Moran under his wing. Moran and Kid Lewis he considers to have, been th© best of all British fighters seen in America. While Heeney and Tunney are preparing for war, Jack Dempsey and his former manager, Jack Kearns, arc having a battle royal in the Law Courts. Kearns is claiming from Dempsey the better part of £200,000. That will give you a pretty shrewd idea of what Dempsey’s earnings were. Pity the two separated. They were the greatest money-making combination the ring has ever known. And I do believe that, if they had not broken away from one another, Dempsey w’ould still have been champion to-day.