BOXING.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 5, 29 July 1908, Page 15

BOXING.

The Burns—Squires Fight. LONDON, June 19. The return match between the redoubtable nigger - dodger “Tommy” Bums and Mr William Squires, of Australia, provided a much better contest than the cognoscenti expected. There were rumours in the air regarding the meeting of these two fighters in Paris last Saturday night, which it is not advisable to repeat. Some people are so suspicious. Really it was nothing wonderful—for these arc most spacious days for pugilists—to find French sportsmen putting up a purse of £2500 ( 62,500 francs, to be exact), for a “Championship of the World” fight, even if one of the men to be engaged therein had whipped the other in “a spar and one punch,” so to speak, less than a year ago, and the chances seemed again in favour of a very brief bout indeed. As it turned out, the Frenchmen got a great deal better value for money than the Irish “sports” did, who put up the big purse for the. Burns v. Roche match, or the unfortunates who put up the money for the Burns and Palmer farce.

Whatever may be said of the Paris match, it was certainly a very genuine contest, and with a little luck Squires might easily have turned the tables on the Canadian champion. He gave Burns the hardest fight he has had since he left the States, and towards the close of the fifth round seemed to have taken the Canadian’s measure. Burns being by no means strong on his pins when “time” put a temporary end to hostilities. W'hcn the pair faced for the initial round it was seen that the Australian had an advantage in height, and he looked all over the bigger man. Burns was first to score with a right on the stomach, and he followed this up with a hard left dig over the heart. Squires grunted, but jumped in with a left to the mouth, but the blow was not disconcerting, and Burns paid it back a little later with a smash that must have made Squires’ teeth ache. The round finished with a lot of manoeuvring, during which Squires got home one or two swings on Burns’ head, and a very defty upper-cut. Bums opened the next bout in very aggressive fashion, but it was to find Squires quite at home, and ready to pay back all that came his way. In a mix-up, Burns got his right full on the Australian’s nasal organ, and Squires sat down suddenly, only, however, to rebound to his feet and send in a heavy blow on Burns’ face, which made Tommy’s head rock.

Excitement was at fever pitch, when the men faced for the third round. Burns went after Squires, but didn’t seem able to find him, until, after a lot of aimless sparring and dodging. Tommy managed to bring the left well home on Squires’ mouth. The Australian resented this liberty, and took the opportunity of thumping Burns hard on the head with the right. Smart foot work rather than telling fist work characterised the balance of the round, but just on time Bums slipped in a nasty heart punch. Squires opened the next seance with a left hand nose-ender, to which Burns replied with a stab on the mouth. William then got home two or three swings on Buras- neaa and neck, but the Canadian got his own back with a righthanded pile-driver, which took Squires just above the belt, and made him grunt hard. It was a nasty hit, and must have made Squires long for “time,” but he stuck to his work gamely, and had the satisfaction of getting home heavily on Tommy’s neck ere the call to corners came. Thus far the Australian had l>ecn holding his end up in very creditable fashion, and there were no long odds on Buras on offer, and the fifth round saw Squires’ star decidedly in the ascendant. Buras seemed a trifle worried, and not over-strong. He tried to got a little rest by sparring, but Squires was not indulging his enemy, and attacking strongly, got home sundry hooks and

swings, which did Burns a lot of da» age. He was, however, clever enough to avoid Squires’ desperate efforts t* corner him, and put on the finishing touches. During the interval Burns recovered in marvellous fashion, and, with Squires all the worse for his exertions in the fifth round, the Canadian had the opportunity of playing the game more in his own fashion. He took the initiative, and cleverly jabbed Squires in the mouth time after time. There didn’t appear to be a great deal of power behind the blows, but they took a lot out of the recipient, who seemed unable cither to stop them or to reply in any effectual fashion. The round was all Tommy’s, and Squires was by no means in good shape when he went to his corner. Be came up gamely for the next bout, and attacked Burns with “vim,” but a couple of heavy upper-cuts and some vicious body punches left him very weak, and to the end of the round Burns was master man. The eighth and final round opened in brisk fashion, and Burns, leaving himself open, nearly paid the penalty, the Australian just shaving the point with a vicious left. In turn, Squires left a fine opening, and Burns put in a fullbodied heart punch, which made the Australian shake like a leaf, and follow-ed it up with a short hook to the chin. Squires dropped to his knees, as if shot, and then fell face down to the floor, to he counted out. It was a fine fight, and the best man won. but Squires proved himself a very tough nut, nnd much cleverer than his bout with Jim Roche suggested him to be. Evidently he is improving, and he may yet justify his Australian friends* old faith in his pugilistic powers, and give us another Australian world’s champion. |