THE GODDARD AND LAING GLOVE FIGHT.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 182, 18 January 1894, Page 6

THE GODDARD AND LAING GLOVE FIGHT.

VICTORY FOR THE NEW ZEALANDER. For the second time during his long career as a boxer (which may now be said to be ended) Joe Goddard has tasted the bitters of defeat. He will now simply be known as the Barrier boxer instead of the Australian champion, the latter title having been wrested from him by Harry Laing of New Zealand, at the Cumberland Athletic Club on New Year’s night. In all Goddard has figured in some thirty contests, and he was never beaten until Denver Ed. Smith unexpectedly stopped his victorious career in America in March last* Goddard had previously, on American soil, beaten such good men as Joe M’Auliffe and Peter Maher, and before Smith defeated him he was talking fight to Jackson and Corbett for the world’s championship. The result of the Smith contest, however, altered Goddard’s arrangements considerably, and after he had shown some of his old fire by defeating in quick order a little known man in Willis Kennedy, he returned to Australia in search of qealth. It transpired that before the Smith match Goddard had been very ill, and this, no doubt, had a lot to do with his defeat, and was also the primary cause of his going down before Laing. In a word the robust constitution which pulled Goddard through many a match, where his science compared very unfavourably with his opponent’s is a thing of the past, and his determination to now retire from the ring is no doubt a wise one. In his training Goddard seemed to thrive all right, but when it came to the pinch his Condition altogether failed him. His stamina was quite gone. Laing on the other hand still possesses a magnificent Constitution. He is much shorter than Goddard, but is of stouter build, and far more active on his feet. He has always been regarded as a good man with the gloves, and six years ago when out of condition he gave Slavin (then at his best) an excellent fight, the issue for a few rounds being very doubtful. It was perhaps lucky for Goddard that he never met Laing before, for both men fit and well, Laing would always give Goddard a tough job to beat him. There was an immense attendance at the Cumberland Athletic Club on Monday night to witness the match, the large gymnasium being packed. No contest which has taken place in Melbourne for a very considerable time has excited half the interest. Their respective weights were announced as: —Goddard, 13.4; Laing, 13.0. Mr E. H. Nathan acted as referee. The stake was Z’S O ? the loser’s end

being /'215. It was close on nine o’clock when the men took the boards. They have vastly' different styles. Goddard takes a firm hold of the floor with his feet, standing, up very squarely, while Laing adopts the crouching attitude and is very shifty on his pins. It was at once seen that Laing intended to let his dition pull him through. He allowed Goddard to do all the leading in the early part of the contest, trusting that he would wear himself out. Laings who is a halfcaste Maori, kept well' out of reach of Goddard’s wicked swings, and showed no disposition to mix matters. Very little damage had been sustained up to the end of the third round by either man but in the fourth round Goddard apparently recognised that if he was' to win he would have to dispose of his opponent quickly. He dashed in with all his old spirit, and let right and left go viciously, but though Laing received some punishment, his cleverness helped him to evade most of Goddard’s well-meant blows. Whenever Goddard did get on to him Laing seemed to take his gruel kindly, and every now and again he would send in a hot return. Goddard kept up his rushing tactics for the fifth and sixth rounds, but without much result, and then he came to the length of his tether. His condition commenced to fail him, and Laing, seeing his opportunity, sailed in and did his part of the punishing, the seventh round being ajl in his favour. At the end of the round Goddard looked as if he had had quite enough, while Laing appeared quite fresh. During the next four rounds the contest was a onesided affair. Laing did all the leading and frequently got on to his man, while the response made by Goddard was very feeble, and he clinched at every available opportunity to avoid punishment. He was cautioned more than once for unfair tactics, as he hit his man before there was a proper breakaway. The end came in the twelth round. After being knocked all around the ring Goddard suddenly held out his hand in token of defeat, and amidst tremendous cheering Laing was declared the winner. Goddard walked to the side of the ring and gasped out that his condition had failed him, and if he had gone on Laing would certainly have knocked him out. Goddard was very much cut up after the match, and announced that he would never box again.— (The Australasian}.

The last match in connection with the Auckland Rifle Association took place at the Mount Eden Range on Saturday last. The match was for 500 rounds of Snider ammunition presented to the association by the Colonial Ammunition Company, and the conditions were: —Teams of three men, distances of 500 and 600 yards, and seven shots at each distance. Five teams entered, viz., two each from the ‘ A’ Battery and City Rifles and one from the Ponsonby Navals. The scoring at 500 yards left the first team of the ‘A’ Battery well ahead, but the second team of the City Rifles were far superior at the longer range and won by seven points from the ‘A’ Battery. The placed teams were awarded 250, 150 and 100 rounds of the ammunition competed for, and the placing was as follows:— City Rifles 2nd team: Lieut. Dormer and Privates Shepherd and" Robertson, 176; ‘A’ Battery Ist team: Gunners Head, Greenshields and Henderson, 169; and City Rifles Ist team: Private Tobin, Sergt. Rose and Corporal Cox, 167. The following crews have been selected for the annual trial fours of the City Rowing Club to be contested in the harbour on Saturday, February 3rd :— No. 1 crew: E. G. Bailey, G. Rowles, H. Baker, E. Keep. No. 2 crew : H. Bailey, F. O’Dowd, W. Graham J. Heffernan. No. 3 crew : E. R. Bailey, W. J. Lonergan, J. Hawthorn, J. Lowry. No. 4 crew : H. J. Bailey, W. H. Craig, J. Evett, T. Kelly; No. 5 crew: J. McDonald, W. H. Allen, J. Perceval, G. Watson. No. 6 crew: J. Graham, W. Nolan, A. Fernandez, J. Quinn. No. 7 crew: J. Hewson, E. Young, J. Middlemas, H. Cockroft. No. 8 crew: J. Emmerson, H. Clark, H. Martin, W Quirk. No. 9 crew : w. J. Evers, W. Haslam, A. Colboro, T. Lonergan. No. 10 crew :L. Skinner, F. Purcell, R. Leir, R. Lind. No. 11 crew: A. J. Finlayson, W. Phipps, W. Grey, W. Harrop. No. 12 crew: W. D. Cossar, H. Winthrope, T. Colson, S. Howden. No, 13 crew: H. W. Diggens, H. Barton, H. Hitchens, H. Cowan. No.. 14 crew: A. E. Smith, J. Pennalligan, H. N. Cossar, P. McMahon.