BOXING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIX, Issue 1065, 4 August 1910, Page 11

BOXING.

THE NEW ZEALAND AMATEUR BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS. HELD AT PALMERSTON NORTH. THE OPENING NIGHT. The New Zealand amateur boxing championships were held at Palmerston North on Wednesday and Thursday last under the jurisdiction of the Manawatu Boxing Association, the Opera House on both evenings being ■well filled. AH arrangements were carried out in an expeditious manner, for which the following officials are deserving of no little praise:—Judges: Dr. Napier McLean and Mr- T. Sharplin (Ashburton). Referee: T. JFake; secretary, Mr. W. F. Hankins (who supervised the tournament and also announced the judges’ decisions); Dr. O’Brien, president of the New Zealand Boxing Association; timekeeper, Messrs. A- J- Mahon and WRandall; Mr. W. Beauchamp Platts (who acted as ten-second check). On the opening night the- results were as follows: — FIRST ROUND. Heavy-weights. —A. Pooley (Auckland) 11-6, beat W- Robertson (Christchurch), 12-10. Middle-weights. — G. Matthewson (Otago) 11.2, beat E. Geale (Mana■watu), 11.2%. L. Cade (Christ-

Axel Newton, photo.)

church) won by default from J- Kronast (Wellington). Welter-weights. — M. Ongley (Otago), 10.5, beat A. T. Griffin (Christchurch), 10.2. Light-weights—R. Simpson (Christchurch), 9-11, beat L. Ross (Auckland), 9.7- A. Farquharson (Otago), 9.3, beat J. H. Finnerty (Southland), 9.8. Feather-weights.—F- Kerr (Nelson), 8.12, beat A- Havill (Manawatu), 811 E. Watkins (Auckland), won by default from C. White (Westport). W. Shields (Manawatu), 8-10, beat E. T. Gundry (Christchurch), 8.11. JThompson (Southland) won by default from T. Moran (Wellington). Bantamweights- —B. Ellis ( Wel " lington), 8-0%, beat C. Chisnall (Christchurch), 8.2. S. Woods (Taranaki), 8-2, beat S- Dawson (Manawatu), 8.2. SECOND ROUND. Heavy-weights. —P. Rustin (Otago), 12.4, beat M. Ryan (Southland), 13.7. Middle-weights- —A. Lister (Timaru), 11.0, beat J. Dalziell (Mana Welter-weights. —G. Wat A c £ or j (Manawatu), 10.8, beat R. Alfor (Southland), 10.4. Light-weights. —Spi Thomas (Manawatu) won by default from C. White (Westport).

HOW THE COMPETITORS SHAPED.

The proceedings were well opened by a spirited three rounds between A. Havill, the local feather-weight, and T. Kerr, the Nelson representative. The Nelsonian, a nuggety lad put plenty of heart into his work and had all the best of the first round. Havill did not appear to his usual advantage till the last round, when he had the best of several exchanges- On the whole Kerr had decidedly the better of the bout, and the ringside judges coincided in that opinion.

E. Geale (Manawatu and G. Matthewson (Otago) put up an indifferent bout in the middle-weights. The Southerner’s superiority was early demonstrated, and he was able to pile up points without doing his opponent any damage. A boxer of the cool, calm order, whom nothing could perturb, he quite outclassed Geale, who seemed to be nervous. Matthewson showed some neat boxings and he was adjudged the winnerTwo game lads- —A. T. Griffin (Christchurch) and M Ongley (Otago)—served to introduce the welter-weights, and right well was this division commenced- Ongley’s stock-in-trade principally comprised an ugly left, but his defence left much to be desired. Griffin had no difficulty in penetrating it in the first round, and the Otago man sought respite by going down three times, once for nine seconds. He was obviously groggy at the end of the round, but he had plenty of pluck, and came up smiling for the next encounter. Mak-

ing a remarkable recovery, Ongley held his own in the second round, and did considerable damage with his left in the third. Griffin, however, boxed cleverly, sending his hooks with the right and left alternately. The judges were unable to separate the men, and the referee had to be called on. He decided in favour of Ongley, a result which was hailed with applause in recognition of the Otago man’s grit in sticking to his task when he had apparently little chance. B. Ellis, the Rongotea bantam, re presenting Wellington, and C- Chisnall (Christchurch) took the ring. Ellis kept pegging away at his man, who took the count three times in the second round, and was knocked to the ropes in the third encounter. C’hisnall hung too long in the clinches, and seemed to be looking for relief in this direction. He has plenty of grit, however, and in the third round showed up to advantage momentarily. The contest went easily to Ellis, who showed himself to be essentially a fighter, following up every opening and making the boxing doggedlyThe first heavy-weights —A- Pooley (Auckland) . and W. Robertson (Christchurch) —did not give a very scientific display. The Aucklander early had his opponent in difficulties, Robertson frequently going down.

The judges had no doubt about the result. L. Ross (Auckland) and R. Simpson (Christchurch) held the floor for a brief interval, of which the Christchurch representative had the best. Ross was down repeatedly, and the referee eventually stopped the contest, an old ankle weakness making it impossible for the Aucklander to go on. Ross wasted a lot of time appealing to the referee, and his trouble started when on one occasion he claimed a foul and dropped his hands while doing so. W. Shields (Manawatu) and E. TGundry (Christchurch) put up one of the best performances of the evening. Perfectly matched, and of the same type of physique, their bout was characterised by some really excellent boxing. Shields undoubtedly had the best of the encounter. Using either hand with equal facility he never missed a chance. His body bloiws frequently took effect, and generally he gave a very satisfying display. His opponent was not far behind him in skill, and made things willing towards the end of the bout. The judges again disagreed, and on appeal to him the referee asked for a fourth round, at the conclusion of which he declared Shields the winner-

The meeting between J. H. Finnerty (Southland) and A. Farquharson (Otago) was rather sensational. Finnerty was the holder of the N.Z. championship in light-weights, and had an advantage of five pounds in weight over Farquharson, whose reach and height were in his favour.

The latter took things very coolly, and though the champion got in one or two blows, and several times essayed an uppercut which failed to effect its purpose, his opponent had him in difficulties- A sharp hook to the point pu; the champion down, and he was only saved by the gong. Early in the second round Farquharson repeated his performance, and the referee very properly stopped the bout, giving the decision to Farquharson. S Woods (Taranaki) and S. Dawson (Manawatu) provided an interesting display in the bantams. The local man was the more powerful of the two. and put plenty of force into his work. The Taranaki boy is a very stylish boxer, with a fine guard. On this account Dawson’s right and left swings mostly failed to connect, though he was more successful with body blows- Woods did a lot of leading, and he got the verdict. Giving away a stone and three pounds to M- Ryan (Southland), the holder of the N.Z. heavyweight championship, another game Otago man, P. Rustin, essayed to wrest the premiership from the' holder, and succeeded after a capital bout Rustin was easily the eleverer boxer. He kept a persistent right throughout, varying the monotony with an occaB left hook. After a fourth

round the referee gave the bout to Rustin.

A. Lister (Timaru) made short work of J. Dalziell (Manawatu). The former is a boxer of the rushing order, and in the first round he put in a solid right to the point that justified the referee in stopping the bout and awarding him the verdict before the gong sounded the end of the first round.

The welter champion, G. Watchorn (Manawatu), beat A. Alford (Southland) after a pleasing three rounds. Watchorn was the quicker of the two and did a lot of leading. Alford was down for eight or nine seconds during the contestNOTES ON THE BOXING-

Referring to the first evening’s sport, the “ Manawatu Evening Standard” has the following to say: — Taken on the whole the boxing was not up to championship standard. There were some good clean bouts, but in others more might have been expected from district representatives- A feature of the evening was the decisive manner in which the heavy and light-weight champions were put out by new aspirants for inter-colonial honours. The audience was a very large one, and with one exception applauded impartially throughout the evening. A slight and quite unjustifiable demonstration was made at the decision — the first of the evening—in the KerrHavill contest. The question whether the referee should view the proceedings from in-

side or outside the ring has been keenly canvassed in boxing circles. During the discussion at the conference Mr. Ongley, representing Oamaru, Mr. Greenhough for the Northern Association, and Mr. P. Smith (Manawatu) spoke strongly in favour of the referee being within the ring. Mr. Fake, the referee, remained outside the arena in deference to the opinions that have been expressed- He found that he could not see more than half the work done in the ring, and states that he would not undertake to act outside the ring again after the present championships. He undoubtedly seemed to be at a disadvanage- An incident occurred which supports his opinion that the referee’s place is with the men. In the 'contest between Ross (Auckland) and Simpson (Christchurch), Ross claimed;a foul, and dropped his hands (a foolish habit). He was immediately struck a severe blow. His appeal was disallowed. Had. the referee been inside the ring Simpson would have •been prevented from . striking until the claim had been decided. This prevented one good contest being completed. THE FINAL NIGHT. The N-Z. championships were concluded on Thursday evening, when ■the bouts were far superior to those of the opening night The results were as follows:— Bantam-weight- — Final: B. Ellis (Wellington), Bst o%lb, beat S. Woods (Taranaki), Bst 21b. Feather-weights. — Semi-final: F. Kerr (Nelson) beat E. Watkins (Auckland), W- D- Shields (Manawatu) beat J. Thompson (Southland). Final: F. Kerr (Nelson), Bst 121 b, beat W. D. Shields (Manawatu), Bst 101 b. Light-weights.—Semi-final Spi Thomas (Manawatu) beat A- Farquharson (Otago). Final: R. Simpson (Christchurch), 9st 111 b, beat Spi Thomas (Manawatu), 9st 71b-Welter-weights—Final: G. Watchom (Manawatu), lOst 81b, beat M. Ongley (Otago), lOst 81b (knock out).

Middle-weights. — Semi-final: L. Cade (Christchurch) beat A. Lister (Timaru). Final: G. Matthewson (Otago), list 21b, beat L- Cade (Christchurch), list lib. Heavy-weights.—Final: A. Pooley (Auckland), list 61b, beat P. Rustin (Otago), 12st 41b. PARTICULARS OF THE BOUTS. The first final was between G. Ellis (Wellington) and Woods (Taranaki) in the bantam division. Woods is only a boy, and has little experience behind him. His guard was weak, and had it not been for his sportsmanlike opponent he would have been severely punished. Ellis was content to score on points, and won easily. He was given three cheers for his action- -

A good deal was expected of Rustin, of Otago, after his defeat of the heavy-weight champion, Ryan, on the previous night, but he did not show to any advantage against Pooley, the

promising Aucklander, who got all over him, and won easily. 'The light-weight final produced a hot encounter between Spi Thomas, of Manawatu (better known as “ Gnat” Williams) and Simpson, the Canterbury crack. Thomas had already beaten Farquharson, who caused a sensation by ousting Finnerty, last year’s champion. The Canterbury man met the toughest proposition he had yet encountered, and for two- rounds the fight was even. Thomas’ defence consisted of a series of duckings, which were successful so long as Simpson’s upper-cut stayed at home. In the last round the Canterbury crack repeatedly got home with swinging rights and an occasional left. There was no doubt about the decision, and Simpson’s succession to the championship was a popular one. Geoff Watchorn had no difficulty in retaining his laurels against Ongley, who put up a very plucky fight. The first round was sufficient for the Otago lad- His defence was too elementary, and he failed to stop a series of right and left excursions to his chin, which ended in a count-out. Cade (Christchurch) defeated Lister (Timaru) in the middle-weights, and then met Matthewson (Otago) in the final. He was much the smaller of the two, and had nothing to fight with except an upper-cut and peculiar lunge- Matthewson’s length of arm and science easily kept him in the lead, and the referee stopped an uneven contest in the last round, when the Otago man was piling on points at an unpleasant rate.

The final bout of the evening was for the feather-weight championship, Kerr, of Nelson, meeting Shields, the present holder. The Nelson boy had the advantage in weight, and was quite equal to his opponent. Both boys went strong from the jump, and the first round was a hot one. The fighters were very affectionate, and the referee had continuously to separate them. The end of the second round saw honours even, and the third was about the hottest of the evening. Shields ducked effectively, but got a couple of very hot cracks on the head. The judges disagreed, and the referee ordered another round. Shields rushed in immediately, and his opponent, expecting a handshake, received instead a knock down blowThis diverted all the sympathies of the audience to the plucky Nelson boy, who, with the encouragement behind him, got home repeatedly- \ The judges decided in Kerr’s favour; bnuch to the delight of the crowd- Kerr had to be carried out . of the ring, he having fought all through the fiercest contest of the evening with a badly sprained thumb. , '

THE CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS. Heavy-weight —A. Pooley (Auckland). Middle-weight — G. Matthewson (Otago). Welter —G. Watchorn (Manawatu) Light-weight— R. Simpson bury)-Feather-weight—F- Kerr (Nelson)Bantam—B- Ellis (Wellington).

At a deputation recently to the Prime Minister in respect to the prohibition of the fight pictures, (writes the Melbourne correspondent of the “Referee”), it was stated that Jack Johnson when he came to Australia to fight Tommy Burns was received with open arms by the populace, whereas Fijians, who were British subjects, were only allowed to enter the Commonwealth after £2OO as a deposit and guarantee were paid by the Methodist Mission Board. The Secretary for External Affairs, to whom the matter was referred by Mr. Fisher, states that on each occasion Johnson visited Australia a certificate of exemption from the Immigration Restriction Act was applied for and granted, on security being given by persons approved of by the Collector of Customs, Sydney, that Johnson would leave Australia before the time of the expiry of the term of exemption. Johnson was not subjected to a language test.

Tom Sharkey, the famous sailorboxer, expected Jeffries to win on July 4 last, and was anxtous to fix up a third meeting with the ex-champion. Judging by the following, which is culled from the “D'enver Post” of June 9, there is still a good fight in the 37-year-old sailor: —“Judging by experiences, Sharkey is in magnificent fettle to-day. His weight is 2121 b., and he looks better than ever. His physical development is perfect, and there is not much fat on him. He proved his ability to fight, even after a long

absence from the ring, by going to Canada a few weeks ago and beating a heavy-weight champion, named Fred Richau, in two rounds. Sharkey is now satisfied that if he put away a Canadian champion weighing 214 pounds in two rounds, he can defeat the boilermaker or the black man, Richau, the man he defeated, has cleaned up at least 20 heavies, and was considered a wonder until Sharkey turned loose a 13-inch shell and sank him.”