BOXING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 71, Issue 261, 3 November 1928, Page 7

BOXING

FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP A SYNDICATE TOR SCOTT FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS Mr Wilfred Ward, who has backed Phil Scott, British heavyweight champion, throughout his fistic career, has formed a syndicate with the idea of putting up £5OOO to back Scott against any heavyweight in the world. Scott has twice beaten Heeney, on points, and it is held by his friends that he is the legitimate contender for the world’s championship, now that Tunney has retired.

CHAMPION OF WORLD CONTENDERS FOR TITLE AMERICAN SPECULATIONS Who will be the next champion? Most of the boxing writers in America at the present time are weighing up the contenders for the vacant heavyweight crown. They are unanimous that Gene Tunney is streets ahead of any of the aspirants for the title, and are also agreed that Tunney will never fight again. Jeffries, after retiring, came back again to get £20,000 and a beating from Jack Johnson, but Tunney’s case is different. He first defeated the former champion twice and then offered him a third chance, left an outclassed field, just as Jeffries did, but when Tunney said he was through, Tunney meant that he was through. Jeffries had less than £20,000 saved up when he retired. Tunney had over a million. That alone makes quite a difference.

Tex Rickard could draw only a trifle more than £125,000 with Tunney and the best contender in the field, states Grantland Rice, one of the foremost of American boxing writers. What is he to draw with a new champion who for some years won’t even be in Tunney’s class? For as long as Tunney is in condition, and fairly young, under thirty-five, the next heavyweight king will bo champion of everyone —except Tunney. And that makes quite a difference. It would be the same as if a golf star won the United States Open with Bobby Jones absent. Unless some champion beats Bobby Jones it does not count. Prospects in View. Suppose wc consider the main prospects that Tunney left behind as he started on his European jaunt with Thornton Wilder: — 1. Johnny Risko: A game, strong, willing fighter without much boxing skill and no punch to rave about. Risko can take a lot and keep on coming in. But in more than a hundred rounds against Paulino, Sharkey, Heeney, Delaney, Loughran, Stribling, etc., he never left a headache in his wake. Risko is no set-up for any man, but he. will never be the next heavyweight champion of the world with anything he has shown so far. 2. Jack Sharkey: A good boxer with speed, ring skill, and a fair punch. The best prospect of the lot—when he wants to fight. But he was knocked out by Dempsey, held to a draw by Heeney, and whipped by Risko. You can throw out his Delaney affair for several reasons. Sharkey is the champion out-to-be. But in this game they pay only on results. Sharkey is excitable, moody, and temperamental and shy of ring intelligence. He rarely uses his hep.d in a pinch. Any man who would drop his hands against Dempsey in claiming a foul, leaving himself wide open, in place of dropping to one knee, cannot be depended on to out-think any small opponent. Sharkey, in certain moods, is a dangerous customer, but he isn’t dependable at any time.

3. Tom " Heeney: A gamfc, willing fighter, who is only a fair boxer. He cannot punch, and he is a short-armed fighter with little speed. Heeney has courage and stamina, but in five fights I have not seen him turn out one interesting round. 4. Paulino Uzcudun: Another Heeney, but more colourful. Game enough and strong enough, but a sec-ond-rate performer in most of the details that make up a champion. 5. George Godfrey: Big enough and strong enough. A fair boxer who does not like to mix it.’ * as aggressive as the family cow. Did nothing particular against Sharkey, Risko, and Paulino.

6. Jack Delaney: All through and washed up. 7. Tommy Loughran: Tn many ways the best bet of the lot. Tommy can hit hard enough to dent the crust of a custard pie. But he has speed and brains and boxing skill. He gave Jack Dempsey a boxing lesson when Dempsey was training at Atlantic City for the first Tunney fight. He has beaten Risko and he could beat most of the others. If he could learn how to hit, he would be another Tunney. Tunney is not a killer, but he can hurt, and cut and jar. Loughran cannot. Loughran

keeps himself in fine condition. He could amble round most of the heavyweights and not take a punch in return. Loughran can build himself up to 183 pounds, and he might learn how to hit a little.

8. Jack Dempsey: Always dangerous for any aggressive fighter. He can still whip Heeney who will mix it—but any good boxer could jab him to death. There you have most of those left in the scramble for Tunney’s vacant throne, and outside of Dempsey there is not 300,000 dollars in any gate they could draw. The public is a glutton for punishment, but at last H has become choked up with paying out big money for a dull show. Only a Beginner. What about the others? I saw Marrincr, the Illinois University heavyweight and he is still at least two years shy, no matter what he has now. Marriner can punch, and he has good speed. But he is only a beginner in the toughest game in the world. In a year or so he should weigh 190 pounds, and he might amount to something in time, but not before 1930 or 1931. Then there is Ad Warren, Jimmy Bronson’s Carolina collegian. 'Warren is of the Mairiner type—too raw even to be thought about in the championship class for several years. Another college prospect, if he turns professional, is Al Lassman, the football captain of New York University. Lassman is 6ft 3in, weighs 215 pounds, is fast on his feet and with his hands, a good boxer, and a hard hitter. Here is a prospect if he can take it and if he can find the right training and directing. But at the moment it must be admitted that there is no real heavyweight champion in sight who is even close to the Dempsey of 1919 or the Tunney of 1928. Tunney showed how little they had when he manhandled Heeney, the man who held them even, the man they could not whip. There is not a good boxer in the lot outside of Loughran and Sharkey, and there isn’t a hard puncher in the entire crop. It is an odd collection upon whom Tex Rickard and otfcer promoters cast melancholy eyes when it comes to any matter of opening another gold mine. A series of eliminations may name Tunney’s successor in time, but no one will take it s iously unless ? new star comes along or one of the present crop manages to improve his output something like 280 per cent. There may be a champion in sight—but not for any big guarantee. And not for any 40 dollar ringside seat or 25 dollar ringside seat with all the publicity any six promoters can churn up.