BOXING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIX, Issue 1097, 16 March 1911, Page 11

BOXING.

BILL RUDD SCORES KNOCKOUT.

DEFEATS JEROME IN SYDNEY. Bill Rudd, the New Zealand heavyweight champion, fought his first battle since landing in Australia last week, when he met Jerry Jerome, the Queensland aboriginal boxer, at the Sydney Gaiety before a bumper house. Rudd turned the scales at 11.4 while Jerome’s weight was given as 11.3. Both men were given a hearty reception on entering the ring. For the first two rounds the coloured man escaped many heavy swings. He showed cleverness peculiarly his own in back-moving Rudd’s leads, and often swung a heavy left to the mouth. His awkward style bothered Rudd a great deal. First he would shape up left hand foremost, then by a quick movement change to an entirely opposite attitude. From the third until the knock-out in the eighth round Rudd looked all over a winner, excepting in the fifth round, when Jerry, bj’ right swings on the chin, momentarily dazed the New Zealand champion, who was forced to hang on. He soon recovered, and by right and left to the ibody doubled Jerry almost in two. Rudd paid particular attention to the body, where he landed very often with heavy lefts and rights, and an occasional jolt to the side of the head with either hand. Jerry opened up the eighth round by swinging a feeble right and left to the head. Rudd jolted right and left to the face, causing Jerry to back out of a clinch, when a hard left swing caught the Queenslander on the jaw. It rattled. Jerry,, whose left swing to head was countered by a straight left from Rudd to the nose; and, following it up, he swung a right on the jaw, putting Jerry down and out. LIGHT-WEIGHT CHAMPION DEFEATED. BOUT NOT FOR TITLE Sydney papers give particulars of a ten round bout which took place in New York on the 6th inst. between Ad. Wolgast, world’s lightweight champion and “Knockout” Brown, the New York lightweight, which resulted in the latter gaining the decision over Wolgast. The bout, which was a slashing ten-rounds affair, took place before the National Sporting Club. Brown forced the fighting from the start, and was the aggressor throughout. He gave more punishment than he received, but in the clinches the champion showed superior generalship. His tactics, however, were so rough that he was loudly hissed by the packed house, as he frequently used his elbows. Neither man was in distress at any time during the bout, and no blood was drawn. In the last round Brown, was backing towards the ropes as Wolgast rushed him, and would have fallen through,, had not the spectators pushed him back into the ring. The ten rounds were fought at a furious pace. Wolgast scored in the in-fighting, and rained damaging blows on his opponent’s kidneys at every opportunity, as well as several hard punches over the heart. Brown broke away cleaner than was required, and his fair style of fighting won the applause of the crowd. He was loudly cheered when he swung his right and left hand to the face in quick succession. He also got some nasty jabs home to the jaw, and made the pace a cracker throughout, after forcing Wolgast to the ropes. The decision in favour of Brown was received with cheers. The match, of course, was not one in which the title of world’s champion v/as involved, but it plainly reveals the fact that Wolgast’s position is not by anv means as safe as was generally believed. When Wolgast some time ago disposed of Battling Nelson in so convincing a manner, and won for himself the title of wcr’d’s lightweight champion it was thought that this remarkable youth would prove equal to keeping the lightweight belt in his possession for a number of years at least, but after his defeat at the hands of “Knockout” Brown, who is credited with disposing of a large number of boxers in a short space of time, it appears as though it will not be long before a new champion is heralded in the lightweight division. A return match to decide the world’s lightweight championship is almost certain to follow between Brown and Wolgast,

and the latter will assuredly have to be at the height of his form in order to retain his laurels. PAPKE DEFEATS SMITH. BATTLE LASTS SEVEN ROUNDS. The cables announce that the return match at the Sydney Stadium on Saturday night, between Billy Papke, the American middleweight boxer, and Dave Smith, the ex-New Zealand middleweight, resulted in a victory for the former in the seventh round, the towel being thrown in from Smith’s corner to save a knock-out. Papke proved too strong for Smith all through the fight. Smith and Papke have now met on two occasions, and this return battle was arranged with a view of settling all doubts as to who was the better boxer of the pair. It is well-known to boxing enthusiasts that in their first battle, Smith gained the decision on a foul in the tenth round, Papke having struck him below the belt, though the New Zealander is said to have had a big lead in points at the time. During the period prior to their second meeting Smith met “Cyclone” Johnny Thompson, the American boxer, over whom he scored a points victory aftei' twenty willing rounds. Following this a twenty rounds battle took place between Papke and Thompson, when the “Illinois Thunderbolt” was beaten by Thompson on points after one of the finest contests ever witnessed in Sydney. The results of these two contests pointed to Smith as a likely - victor in his second match with Papke but as this contest was stated to be for the world’s middleweight championship, the American’s followers were confident that he would give a good account of himself. Papke, realising what victory meant to him on his return to the States, trained hard for the return match, and the consequence was that the contest created more excitement than any other held in Sydney this season. The result leaves Papke’s claim to the middleweight title undisputed so far as Dave Smith is concerned, but it is possible that he will be forced into a return match with Johnny Thompson on his return to America, with other battles to follow with various challengers, before the question as to the rightful holder of the championship is satisfactorily settled. The bill framed by Tommy Burns to legalise 10-round prize fights in Washington State is being well supported in .the House of Representatives. Representative Wray, by whom the measure was introduced, says that 45 members have pledged themselves to vote for the bill.