THE BURNS-LANG FIGHT.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVIII, Issue 1046, 24 March 1910, Page 12

THE BURNS-LANG FIGHT.

TO BE DECIDED ON MONDAY. On Monday night next (Easter Monday) Tommy Burns meets Bill Lang at the. Sydney Stadium, in a contest for the heavyweight championship of Australasia, and as the Melbourne man is reported to have improved a great deal since he last met Burns a very close fight is anticipated. Should Lang succeed in knocking Burns out, his reputation will be firmly established, and as he possesses youth, strength and science, there is little doubt but he will make a great name for himself in the boxing world. Bill Lang, whose right name is Langfranchi, made his first public appearance in the ring at Melbourne on January 2 1905, when he boxed four rounds with Liggins. Nearly all of his big fights have taken place in Melbourne, his recent contest with Bob Fitzsimmons at the Sydney Stadium and two of the three battles he had with Bill Squires, being the only occasions on which he has fought before the Sydney public. Since his first contest at the beginning of 1905 he has been fighting regularly, and has met the best men in the game in Australia. On March 4 1906, he fought Jack Johnson at Melbourne, the negro being declared the winner in the ninth round, the fight being stopped. Since then, with the exception of his contest with Tommy Burns in September 1908, when he was beaten in six rounds, he has won every battle, Bill Squires (3 times), Jim Griffin, Peter Felix, Ed. Williams, Arthur Cripps and Bob Fitzsimmons being numbered among those he has defeated. According to latest accounts Lang has been making excellent progress in his training, and should enter the ring in the very best fettle. Burns, who had a great deal of superflous flesh to get off before settling down to vigorous training, had the misfortune of suffering nine days illhealth at a time when he can ill afford to miss his preparation, but during the past week he resumed operations, putting in some solid work. There was some talk of postponing the contest owing to Burn’s indisposition, but the Canadian would not hear of it and informed his supporters that he will step into the ring perfectly fit on Easter Monday. Bill Lang has the reputation of landing blows with lightning speed on breaking from the clinches, this no doubt being the result of Johnson’s tuition, the black scoring repeatedly in this manner during his battle with Tommy Burns. Whether Burns Will find a method of evading Lang’s hurricane rushes remains yet to be seen, and many are of opinion that the Melbourne boxer will score a knockout, the fact of Lang sending Burns down in their last encounter being the point upon which they base their calculations. However, it must not be forgotten that Burns has not yet met the man who was able to clean knock him out, his capacity for taking punishment being nothing short of remarkable, and should Lang score a knock-out his prospects of some day gaining the heavyweight camphionship of the world may be viewed in a favourable light.