BOXING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XX, Issue 1134, 4 January 1912, Page 16

BOXING.

WHEN BLACK MEETS BLACK.

FIERCE HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE.

McVEA O’UTPOLNTiS LANGFORD

Sam McVea, who is dubbed the ehampion heavyweight boxer of Europe, and who has three wins already to his credit in Australia, by outpointing Sam Langford at the Stadium, Rushcutter s Bay, on Boxing Day, brought himself closely in line for tjhe pvopfid’s championship. In face of Jack Johnson’s repeated statements that he l has definitely retired, McVea’s victory over Langford has had the effect of causing the champion to alter his decision as a cable during the week announces that a match has been arranged to take place between Johnson and McVea ■in Sydney on Easter Monday. Whether this contest will eventuate or not is merely a matter for conjecture for there appears to be a big doubt in regard to Johnson’s latest utterance that he is prepared to meet McVea in Australia at Easter-time. It is no secret that Jack Johnson is at present several stone above his actual fighting weight, which meanp that he will want at least three

months to prepare himself for a hard battle against a boxer of McVea’s calibre, as the “Parisian Idol,” as MeVea is dubbed, is not an opponent against whom Jack Johnson can afford to take any chances. Meanwhile further information regarding a

possible match between the pair will be awaited with great interest, for there appears to be a probability of . Johnson fulfilling his engagements in Australia after all. Should Johnson fail to put in an appearance in Sydney to fight Sam McVea, there is little doubt that the latter will be acclaimed the holder, especially as Tommy Burns has retired. Tn other circumstances, the title would have automatically returned to Burns, who held it until Johnson defeated him. The contest between McVea and Langford at the Stadium was scheduled for twenty rounds, and it was stipulated that 6oz gloves should be used, with a clean break, the now famous in-fighting being barred. These conditions favoured McVea, who is the cleverest boxer, but most folk believed that Langford would overcome any difficulties in the condition by reason of his abnormal reach. It was estimated that the attendance at the Stadium reached the neighbourhood of 20,000, and, although both men were comparative strangers to Sydney ring habitues — McVea had never been asked to fight in his matches in this country, while Langford had been seen oniy as a s/parrer —their reputations were of the highest. It was also recognised that the future was pregnant with great possibilities for other matches. Both boxers had met once before in Paris, when the result was declared a draw, and both were equally' dissatisfied with the verdict given by the referee, Eugene Corri. So that the present encounter was regarded as likely to. be a true test of their abilities.

When the men entered the ring it was at once seen that there was a great disparity in their weight and height. McVea was fully 4in taller than “sawn-off Sam” from Boiston p and he had a pull of over 2st in the weights. McVea gave his poundage as 14st 31b, while Langford stated that he scaled 12st 21‘b. Very little time was wasted in preliminaries, the most important of which was an announcement to the effect that Jim Barry, a white American heavyweight, who had just arrived from his native land in search of matches, challenged the winner. Barry has already met Langford five times. The Boston “Tar Baby” knocked him out three times, and two have been no decision battles. McVea and he met in Paris in 1909, when the white man lost on a foul in the 15th round. tfPoijky” Flynrf, another American heavyweight, now in Sidney, has Barry’s scalp at his girdle, but the challenger has defeated “Gunboat” Smith and many others. The great event, the contest between McVea and Langford, began at 10.10 a.m., and both men had apparently mapped out a plan, from which they departed only a little., McVea, kept his famous left going at lightning rapidity, and it was seldom out of Langford’s face in the first half of the battle. He constantly made im-

pact above the right eye, and, aided 'by a 'bump in a rally, it soon “filled,” until the 'Bostonian had but the left to see out of. Only occasionally did McVea Ibring 'his right into action, and after the seventh round it was scarcely used. It subsequently transpired that the right was damaged in that round. Langford’s policy was to ‘bore in, keep his opponent always moving, and while becoming a target for the left to connect with the body with both hands. This he succeed* 3 ' in doing, and towards the end of the contest he was even reaching Me? Vea’s face with straight lefts. After a dozen rounds, both men were perceptibly tired, and they slowed uip, showing a bit of fast work only in fierce rallies. In the last two rounds Langford was very tired, and McVea was able to pile up a large number of points, especially in the final hound, which was entirely the big man’s.

When the bell sounded a halt, Referee “Snowy” Baker pointed to McVea as the winner. His decision had a very mixed reception, those who favoured Langford being in, the ascendant. It was, however, a clean-llW-fought 'contest. McVea, save for a cut lin. was unmarked: and Langford’s onlv disfigurement/ was the swollen right eye. Neither man talked in the rins. and at. the conclusion they parted the best of friends.

Decpite the fact that in-fighting was barred, Langford, before the clinch was broken, invariably managed to jolt both right and left to the body. McVea, on the other hand, macle no attempt to use such tactics. The little Boston negro is a fighter pure and simple, and like the majority of the Americans can assimilate punishment to an extraordinary degree. McVea is more of a boxer, his main weapon being the “cat’s paw” left. What he would have done had his right hand remained uninjured is a matter for conjecture. He brought it into play only when he was bustled by his opponent’s crowding tactics. In the course of an interview, McVea expressed his willingness to meet Jack Johnson for the championship of the world, and his trainer, Billy McClain, was emphatic in stating his belief that Johnson’s star would set after McVea faced him.

It is more than likely, however, that McVea and Langford will meet again.

The arrangements were excellent, the large crowd being handled with ease and discretion. Very many celebrities in political, commercial, legal and sporting circles were present, and the attendance also included several ladies.

Eever since the agitation at Home against boxing which resulted in the Johnson-Wells fight being abandoned there have been unmistakeable signs of organised efforts being made on the part of certain persons to wipe out a healthy sport which has so

long been in favour with Englishmen. The prevention of the Owen MoranJim Driscoll fight for the featherweight championship of the world on the grounds that it would be a prize fight and therefore illegal has been the cause of much alarm to promoters •of boxing contests in the Old Country, this decision having been arrived at by the Birmingham Stipendiary. It is understood that the case is to be taken to the Appeal Court. The proceedings were instituted by the Chief Constable of Birmingham, who summoned Moran and Driscoll to show cause why they should not be bound over to be of good behavious: and to keep the peace- Gerard Austin, the promoter of the contest, was also summoned for aiding and abetting the combatants. Mr. J. E. Hill, prosecuting for the police, contended that what was contemplated was a prize fight, and that the Chief Cons’able was justified in stepping in. The men were engaged for a contest of twenty three-minute rounds for (in addition to the championship) £2OO aside, a purse of £2600, and a geld belt of the value of £3OO. The winner was to receive 60 per cent., and the loser 40 per cent, of the stakes, and he calculated that the one would take £1560 and the other £lO4O.

The evidence tendered by PoliceConstable Hall during the proceedings

instituted with a view to declaring cue Mcran-Driscoll fight illegal was of the penny-dreadful type and hardly befitting a member of the force, to whom a knowledge of tne noble aft lias often proved an invaluable adjunct. Hall stated that before he joined the police force he belonged to the 21st Lancers. While he was in' the Army he was a boxer. In 1900 he won the heavyweight championship in the Cavalary Brigade at Aidershot. ]t was a common thing for combatants or their seconds, when the ■gloves were handed to them, to knock che padding into the fingers or back to the wrists. This was done as a support for their wrists, and to put the finishing touch on the knuckles. Describing the condition of men after a contest, he said they would be exhausted, their eyes would most probably be stopped up, their lips cut, bicod would be flowing from the nose and mouth, and there would be bruising on the ribs, neck and body, as the result of vicious biting.

Lord Lonsdale, who has done much tn further the interests oi boxing in Great Britain, strongly opposed the attitude taken by the police authorities in declaring the Moran-Driscoll debt illegal owing to the possibility of one of the contestants scoring a knock-out blow in the proposed match. Cross-examined with regard to the knock-out blow Lord Lonsdale said: “It is absolutely unknown to me. except in one way. I have had it three or four times, and have given it several times. It is a blow that, happens to come —that knocks you

cut- There is no particular blow that is a knock-out. I do not think it need be of particular force. It is the accidental position of the blow.” Further questions were answered by Lord Lonsdale as follow: —(1) Do you mean to say that a light blow would knock a man out? —It might. (2) More often it is a blow of considerable force? —Yes. Naturally it must be so when quick men are engaged. (3) A man goes into the ring to subdue his opponent?—l do not know what you mean by “subdue.” You might often win a boxing contest by not hitting your hardest. (4) The man who deals the knock-out blow is probably the winner? —I do not say that is not so, but it is not always the case. If a man is so incapacitated that he cannot recover in ten seconds, he is regarded as knocked out. There is a lot of humbug talked about the knockout.

Mr. Eugene Corri, the well-known referee, in endeavouring to disabuse the mind of the Birmingham Stipendiary in his contention that the Mor-an-Driscoll contest would be a prize fight, stated that it was not absolutely necessary that the man who received a knock-out blow should lose the match, because he might, and very often did, recover under the ten seconds. If he saw at an early stage that one of the men was clearly out-

classed, he would stop the match at once. It was the object of the referee to stop anything approaching brutality. It would be his intention, if the match took place, to see that there was no brutality. Mr. Bruce Logan said he had received four knock-out blows in one match, but in each case he had recovered before being counted out. He did not experience any physical pain. The more skilful an opponent the less likely was the knock-out blow. It was better to box for points than for the knock-out blow. The Rev. Everard Digby, curate of St. Paul’s Coventry, stated that he had had a long practice in boxing. He knew both Driscoll and Moran. He did not think there was the least reason to anticipate a breach of the law. The Stipendiary Magistrate, however, held that the proposed fight was a prize fight, and he accordingly bound over the combatants and the promoters as required by the police.

Jack Johnson, whose skill in handling a car is little short of that he displays in the coxing arena, intends embarking in the motor trade. Judging by his previous record it is said he ought to make a hit of it.

Jack Redmond, the young GermanAmerican boxer, who some time ago badly beat Rudolph Unholz when the sturdy South African arrived in the States from Australia, has been matched to fight Battling Nelson at New Orleans during the present month. Redmond’s record, which in-

eludes a 10 rounds no-decision bout with Ad. Wolgast, the world’s lightweight champion, points to Battling Nelson receiving another beating at the hands of another of the crop of rising lightweights. * * * * What boxing enthusiasts have most to complain of nowadays is having to pay to see uneven contests between men of second and fourth rate calibre. It is far from an uncommon sight to witness an ill-matched pair engaged in an amateur bout at tournaments held in New Zealand, and wiser discretion could easily be exercised in matching amateur boxers so as to provide more evenly-fought contests. To have to pay substantially to witness uneven contests will do more to render the game unpopular than all the protests of those who see in .the ring and its devotees a menace to the nation. * • • * “Jim Flynn,” the famous American heavyweight, further proved his claim to the best white boxer at present in the game by defeating Toni Caponi in three rounds of a schedule ten-round fight at Salt Lake City (U.S.), on December 28. Toni Caponi was the first man to meet Johnson after the negro’s defeat of Tommy Burns, but the Italian boxer was easily outpointed by the giant black in the nodecision bout, which took place when Johnson landed in the States fresh from his Australian triumph. * £ * * In view of the outcry against boxing exhibitions for money in New South Wales, the Government has issued instructions that closer watch shall be kept over the contests. The rules the police have to obey are as follows: —Interfere when either of the contestants appear to be suffering from injury, or is exhausted, or otherwise appears unable to continue, or if he is obviously overmatched. Stop any fight where any of the contestants are hurt. A responsible officer ■of police must always, be present, and must be careful that the contest is strictly a boxing match, and does not develop into a prize fight or an exhibition of brutality. He should also watch the contest carefully, and act with promptitude. See that the gloves are not less than six ounces in weight each. There must not under any circumstances be any infighting, and a clean break must be insisted on. Contests must not exceed 20 rounds. See that the posts and flooring within the ring are suitably padded so that a fall will not be attended with any injury to the contestants. Contestants must be examined and certificated as fit for the contest by a medical man before entering the ring, and unless these conditions observed, the contest must not be allowed to proceed.

Another instance of a famous boxer who has trodden the downward path after quitting the roped arena is supplied in the following incident penned by a New York writer. Recently buffalo” Costello, once a great fighter, walked into the Cadillac. Things aren’t going any too fine for Costello, whose hair has turned white in a few years. A number of college students were at the bar drinking. Some old fight fan happened to drop the remark: “There’s ‘Buffalo’ Costello, the old-time fighter.” One of the students wheeled around and said: “You don’t mean to say that that is ‘Buffalo’ Costello! By George, my father has never got through talking of the wonderful 80-round battle between ‘Buffalo’ and Alex. Greggains. So that’s ‘Buffalo’ Costello, eh?” By this time Costello had got an earful. H<> could see that the youth was awe" 1 by his presence, so -he edged up to the student and Mid: “Sonny, ca"' you slip me a buck? I’m dead broke.” “Surest thing you know, Mr. Costello. My father often, talks of you—a buck? Sure, how much is a buck?” “Buffalo” took one last make-sure , at the youth, and then calmly as he hr'-’ o-’t his hand, “two dollars!” And he got it. ....

There is every, likelihood of G. N. Hill, the brilliant Auckland amateur long-distance runner, competing at the Wanganui Coledoman sports on the 22nd January (writes our Wanganui correspondent). If he visits Wanganui he will be a great draw, as everybody is anxious,to see him in action after the splendid performances he put up at Wellington last week. Ronald Opie is also coming, so that the gathering should be quite one of the most interesting yet held with such talent as this engaged.