BOXING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XX, Issue 1127, 16 November 1911, Page 16

BOXING.

TIM TRACY V. BILLY HANNAN.

FORMER GIVEN VERDICT.

jA’ QUESTIONABLE DECISION.

Boxing entnusiasts rmled up at His Majesty s Theatre in great numbers on Thursday night to witness a series of bouts arranged by the Northern. Boxing Association. Keen interest was taken in the second .meeting of the crack lightweights, Tim. Tracy, of Wellington, and Billy Hannan, of West Maitland, N.S.W.,in a 15 roundscontest for a £l3O purse, and as the match went the full number of rounds the audience were afforded a good opportunity to judge of the skill and merits of the pair. When-they met in the Town Hall, Wellington, on September 22, for the championship of New Zealand, Hannan scored a knockout in the final round after one of the fairest and most exciting contests on record. Thursday night’s match, however, was not one to go into raptures about, for though the clean tactics employed by both men were a feature of the encounter, the majority of the rounds were marked by ah absence of vim on the part of the contestants; consequently excitement - among the audience seldom ran very high. Tracy appeared determined to hang off as much as possible, and had it not been for Hannan’s aggressiveness, it is doubtful whether there would have been any lively exchanges at all. Hannan was continually on the attack, and while he often experienced difficulty in landing his punches, he scored far more frequently than the Wellingtonian. In the early rounds the Australian appeared to have the contest won, h’s pronounced lead being so apparent that it seemed an impossible task for Tracy to make up the leeway. Towards the end of the contest Hannan s attack, admittedly, became somewhat erratic, but this was hardly to be wondered at since he resorted, to aggressive tactics round after round; which must have had a fatiguing effect upon him. 1 It was in the concluding ’ rounds that Tracy let himself go, and K. even then Hannan met him with a solid resistance, which makes it all the harder to understand why the Wellingtonian should have been given the. decision. _ .

Tracy Devoid of Dash. That Tracy is as great a general in ringcrait as. ever, tnere can be little doubt, but he showed a decided disinclination to exchange blows with hrs opponent except on the rarest occasions, and tnough his punches were seldom wasted, they lacked steam. Tracy made a feeble showing daring the tii-st naif dozen rounds, his work being .devoid of all dash, and had he not stirred himself over the concluding stages the contest could not have been termed other than a disappointment. Hannan displayed far greater activity than Tracy—in fact, the Wellington man was mostly occupied in safeguarding himself against the Australian s repeated attacks, which caused him to break ground on numerous occasions. The Australian’s fusillade of blows frequently caused Tracy to retreat, it not being an uncommon sight to see Hannan pursuing the Wellingtonian round the ring. In addition to the Hannan-Tracy con test, some excellent bouts came up for decision during th(e evening, and though two of them were short-lived, patrons were afforded plenty of enjoyment. The arrangements for the carnival were ably attended to l by Mr P. B. Greenhough, secretary; there being nothing to cavil at in this respect. Particulars of the bouts are as follows:—

Gilchrist (7.10) v. Conway (7.9).

The meeting of these two lads for the championship of Ellerslie, "created ' considerable interest, the pair being i very evenly matched. Tom Brown had charge of the contest, which was limit,ed to six 2mins, rounds. The first round dragged wearily, both contestants standing off a good deal.' Conway, however, used his right effectively several tides, the round ending with the points in his favour. The second round saw Gilchrist scoring with the

left to face and right to body, and at the end of the two minutes he had a points lead. In the third round Conway fought vigorously, but his swings frequently missed their mark. Gilchrist shot his? left home successfully on a number of occasions, and had a slight

advantage when they returned to corners. Round 4 opened in lively fashion, both warming up to their task. Gilchrist succeeded iu flooring Conway for eight seconds with a right swing to the side of the head. On rising Conway made good use of his left, and honours were about even when the gong went. Conway sent in a number of weighty punches at the commencement of the fifth round, but though quicker than his opponent at ing a blow his judgment was at times faulty. A good right uppercut by Gilchrist found its mark amid applause, and at the end of the round there was little or nothing between the pair. The sixth round opened with Conway using straight lefts with telling effect, breaking through Gilchrist’s difence repeatedly, but outside of the one punch he accomplished little. Gilchrist, however, varied his blows, and looked like receiving the verdict, but the referee announced, “A Draw!”

Bert. Treweek, 9.0 (Palmerston N.) v. E. O’Meara, 8.10% (Auckland).

This bout consisted of six 3min. rounds, and. was refereed by A. Plugge. The first, round was nothing short of disappointing. Tr?week principally resorted to' weighty lefts to mouth,

O’Meara being content to act on the defensive, an uppercut being the only blow of consequence that the Aucklander worked during the round. O’Meara awaited his opportunity in the second round, and sent in a sharp right uppercut, which caught Treweek on the point of the jaw, the Palmerstonian stretching out on the boards. Treweek managed to rise before the count, but was in a very groggy state, and the -referee saved him from further punishment by awarding the decision to O’Meara.

F. Holt, 11.0 (Auckland) v. G. Watson 10.9 (Southland).

Three three-minute rounds were stipulated for this bout, with Tom Brown as referee, but the contest ended rather abruptly. The first round had only-just commenced when Holt sent Watson to the floor with a powerful right swing. The Southlander was little the worse for the blow, but in his eagerness to avail himself of the full count he rose top slowly, and not being on his feet when'the’referee shouted “Out!” the verdict was justly declared in favour of Holt. A section of the audience voiced their disapproval of the judge’s decision by loud hooting. It was unfortunate for the Southern man that he should have lost the bout through carelessness;*? but judging by Holt’s advantage during the short time the

pair were in the ring, it looked as though the Aucklander would have

won in either case

Patrick v. Leafe.

The uproar that followed the previous decision was soon forgotten when the Maori boxers, Patrick and Leafe opened hostilities in their nfatch for the championship of Parnell. Leafe, a tall. slim. Maori with a long reach, was more versed in the noble art than his solidly-built opponent, Patrick, whose methods were distinctly his own. Three round's were indulged in, the antics of Patrick being amusing in the extreme. Patrick would crouch and eyeing his opponent with a wicked gleam would suddenly rush at Leafe as if about to unwind a loop-the-loop punch, but his blows with few exceptions struck the air. Leafe punished his man a good deal in the third round and Patrick, evidently intent on winning with a knockout, made a wild spring at his little opponent much to the merriment of the audience, but there was no direction in his furious swings, and the gong sounded with leafe an undeniable winner.

TRACY-HANNAN CONTEST.

Tim Tracy (Wellington), whose weight was given as 9st 121 b, entered the ring first, and a glance at him sufficed to show that he was in splendid condition. Hannan (West Maitland, N.S.W.), who tipped the beam at 9st 12%1fi, also bore a well-trained appearance. Frank Burns was appointed referee. The first round commenced with light sparring, Hannan scoring with a good left. Very little was accomplished by either during the initial round, which ended with honours even.

In the second round Hannan brought a hard right to Tracy’s head, and continued to score more frequently than the Wellingtonian. Hannan made good use of both hands in the third round, piling up the points rapidly, but there was not much power behind his hits. Several exchanges ended in favour of the Australian, who led on point’s when they returned to corners. ' ■

Round four saw Tracy land a heavy left to face. Hannan was 'cautioned at this stage for unfair breaking. The Australian scored with a series of quick lefts and rights, and forcing Tracy up against the ropes he drove home a left upward swing just as the gong went.' The honours of this round were undoubtedly Hannan’s.

Tracy displayed excellent defence in the early part of the fifth round.

Hannan connected with a couple of left and right swings, but Tracey evened up his account with two effective ‘ jplts delivered in quick succession. Tracy was forced to retreat a good deal in this round, which, however, was not. in favour of either man. The sixth round opened with Hannan turning his attention to Tracy’s body, but with little success. Hannan was hitting rather wildly at this stage, but he managed to get in a steadying left. Tracy then worked a series of telling straight jolts, amid much applause, and finished the : round with a slight advantage. In the seventh round Hannan landed on Tracy’s cheek with a good right. Tracy followed up a blow to face with several effective I uppercuts, but a solid left by the Australian caught Tracy fairly under the chin. Tracy evaded much punishment by his clever footwork and ducking methods, while he got in some good work with a number of smart uppercuts. The round ended in Tracy’s favour. Hannan commenced the eighth round by sending in a hard left to face. Both men were boxing cleverly at this stage, and the round was fairly even. The ninth round was a poor one. Hannan ~ scored with a powerful right, while just before the gong sounded a vigorous exchange ensued, in which honours were with Hannan. ’ . The tenth round opened with both men boxing cautiously. Hannan used short right and lefts to good effect, one of which caught Tracy on the jaw. The round was a keenly-fought one, Hannan increasing his lead. On shaping up in the eleventh, round Hannan whipped in his left smartly . to cheek, while an upward swing of

the Australian’s found its mark on * Tracy’s jaw. The round ended even-

The twelfth round saw Hannan connecting more frequently than the Wellingtonian, but both men gave signs of lassitude. Hannan, in forcing the fighting, tripped and fell to the floor, Tracy’s sportsmanlike action in allowing him plenty of time to regain his feet and shape up being loudly applauded; Tracy scored with several light punches before the gong sounded. Hannan opened the thirteenth round by scoring with a heavy right on Tracy’s point. The best feature of Tracy’s work in this round was his splendid defence, but he was outboxed in the exchanges, Hannan having the best of the round. Early in the fourteenth round Tracy scored with a couple of light blows to head. A lively exchange followed in which Tracy got home a telling uppercut, and the honours of the round lay with the Wellington boxer. The final round saw Hannan varying his blows to head and body. Hannan was now swinging his left somewhat wildly, while he attempted a number of uppercuts, but without success. Tracy landed several useful blows at close quarters, and finished up by getting all over the Australian, who resorted to butting with his head in this round. At the conclusion of the round Tracy was declared the winner.

Prior to the Tracy-Hannan contest on Thursday night last a telegram was received from Arthur Kelly, of Sydney, who is at present in the South, challenging the winner.

Alf. Gault, of Auckland, will meet Billy Hannan, the clever Australian lightweight, at the Town Hall, Wellington, on November 30. As both men have recently met Tim Tracy and won their matches on a knockout, considerable interest is attached to the Gault-Hannan contest. Should Hannan secure the verdict there will be little doubt that he is the best lightweight at present in the Dominion.- Gault also announces that he will bok Arthur Kelly, the Sydney lightweight.

Dan Johnson, who was introduced at the Hannan-Tracy match at His Majesty’s Theatre, Auckland, the other night as the winner of the army and navy featherweight championship in England in 1908, challenged the winner, his weight, 9st 101 b, now classing him as a lightweight. Referring to Johnson’s claim, “Caestus” of the “Canterbury Times” makes the following interesting remarks: — I turned up the army and navy records in order to verify the statement, but I cannot find any mention of Johnson. The records show that Private H. Berry won in 1907, Corporal R. Darley in 1908 and in 1909, and Corporal Evans in 1910. Perhaps D. Johnson will furnish some explanation.

Hugh D. Mclntosh, the Australian boxing .promoter, has already ar? rangeg,; thel foliowing'cdiitests to take, plack in Brisbane t ’ Moy ba V. Lester, .Mabby y. Scanlan, Squires v. Thompjf'/son/and Kibe v Les. O’Donnell, I ' ■ ‘‘ - *' { Pat Doran, the young Melbourne heavyweight, who represented Victoria at the 1910 Australian boxing championships in' Auckland, on which i i "occasion he was beaten oh points by Albert Pooley, has not been making )■ niuch progress since joining the pro- <■’' ,‘fess.ional ranks. However, last week, h.e met Golin Bell at the Melbourne Athletic Club, and secured a victory in the tenth round, Bell being so badly punished that his seconds threw in „the. towel. nolThe heavyweight professional ch'amvpjonship of the Dominion was debided at His Majesty’s Theatre, Christchurch,. on Friday last, the contestants being J. Mitchell (bolder), of Millerton, and M-' F. Ryan, of Napier. The match proved=«= one-sided affair, and before /the end of the first round Ryan' Was sb' badly-punished, and his chances that hopeless that the re’stopped the fight and awarded ’-the decision to Mitchell. C. Herbert, -of . Oam*ar.u; has challenged the. winL ner, and the match' will " take -place ‘in Timara for the heavyweight cham;on, November'"23nd’..J eou’/ ;. •-

“Cyclone’’- Johnny - Thompson, . who swill 'arrive- in Sydney • in a week or •tso, W-ill probably . meet ’ ’Frank Klaus -in- a-’ 20-round -contest. Klaus iS' (a

claimant of the middleweight chamcpionship of the worlds and recently Lout-pointed Thompson in. a ten-round contest’. ~ Sam Langford and his manager, Joe Woodman, will arrive by the same boat as Thompson, hnd 'the /clever black will immediately go into draining:for his world’s championship battle with McVea.

A crowd numbering about 2000 witnessed the fight between the two ■ lightweights,. .Kid M‘C°y,.. of Mel-'-b.pur.ne, and Jack Read, of Sydney, at the Stadium, Sydney, on November 4. ’ It was 'a very willing go from ztfee "start, and mainly through M‘Coy*B better knowledge of the finer points ' of the game, and a straight left, which /he used very effectively, he gained the decision on points by a narrow margin at the end’ of twenty rounds.

H. Mehegan and F. Picato contested for the light-weight supremacy at the Sydney Stadium the other night, and the three or four thousand enthusiasts who attended witnessed a stirring battle. Picato appeared to be a little the heavier, but the weights of each were given as under lOst. Of the capabilities of the men it may be said at once that each boxed cleverly. Mehegan’s pluck and smothering capacity troubled the upstanding American, whose blows appeared to be the heavier; but ofttimes they merely landed half on Mehegan’s forehead and half on his glove. It was very even play till the eighteenth round, .first one and then the other gaining points, but early in the eighteenth Mehegan timed a blow for the unguarded tip of Picato’s chin, and sent him to the boards, which his head hit hard. Picato gamely attempted to rise, and rolled over on to his knees, but the rattle his spine had received would not let him lift his head off the floor, and his seconds coming in, Mehegan won on a knock-out. Referee Baker had very little to do, but would have been hard put to it to give a decision had the contest lasted twenty rounds.