REPLY TO WRESTLING CHALLENGE.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVIII, Issue 1056, 2 June 1910, Page 10

REPLY TO WRESTLING CHALLENGE.

To the Editor. Sir —Your issue of last week contains a challenge to me from Joe Gardiner for £lOO aside. Mr. Gardiner also issued a challenge to me through the “New Zealand Times,” but there he stated that I must weigh in at 9st 71b —a weight which I cannot get to. Mr. Gardiner is still in Stratford, but although he has talked a lot he has never come straight and asked for a match. It is a case of “ask and ye shall receive,” that not only applies to Mr. Gardiner but to any other wrestler wanting a match. If Mr. Gardiner is in earnest let him “ask.” It is not my intention to carry on another “paper war” with Mr. Gardiner; if there is to be a match let it be fixed at once. LOUIS S. ROBERTSON, Light and Middleweight champion of New Zealand. [lt has been pointed out in these columns before that the lightweight limit for the Alhambra wrestling tournament at Home was lOst 71b, but in order that there will be but little disparity in weight, a return match between Gardiner and Robertson, neither man to weigh over lOst should be fair to both. To ask Robertson to weigh in at 9st 71b is unreasonable, as it is well-known that he has to train down very fine to scale lOst, so by splitting the difference between 9st 71b and lOst 71b and making the regulation weight lOst, neither of them should complain, as by doing so he only shows a lack of eagerness for such a match to take place.—Ed. S.R.]