BOXING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, 21 November 1912, Page 17

BOXING.

Since Hughie Mehegan’s arrival in England interest has been revived in thft doings of the lightweight class at Home, and the Australian’s defeat of Mat Wells has started the ball rolling so far as English boxing is concerned. Though Mehegan defeated Wells on a foul the consensus of the opinion was to the effect that the Australian champion was outpointing the - Englishman, and would in any case have secured the decision had the fight travelled the full number of rounds. The contest was not regarded- as for the lightweight championship of England, so that Mat Wells did not relinquish his hold on the title.

Following his contest with Mehegan, Mat Wells was matched against Freddie Welsh at the National SportingClub, the contest being for the English lightweight championship, the Lord Lonsdale belt, and a purse of £950. The fight aroused the keenest interest throughout Great Britain, as? it was generally contended that the winner would possess an excellent chance of annexing the world’s lightweight championship. Twenty willing rounds were fought, at the conclusion of which the decision was given on points to Freddie Welsh, who thus becomes the new lightweight champion of England. Mat Wells’ reverse coming on top of his defeat by Mehegan clearly proves that he is not the power he was formerly in the boxing arena, and at present there appears little likelihood of him regaining the title, as Mehegan’s claims have first to receive consideration.

Freddie Welsh now that he has regained the lightweight championship of England from Matt Wells is to be given a chance of attaining his life’s ambition, for he has received a challenge from Ad Wolgast, the world’s champion, who intends visiting London in January. Provided Woldoes not lose his title as “King of the lightweights” in the meantime — as at present his position is threatened by Joe Mandot and Willie Ritchie —Freddie Welsh will have the distinction of contesting the world’s lightweight championship, a task in -which cannot be overlooked before support of every Englishman.

There is, however, another obstacle which cannot be overlooked before Welsh’s chances of annexing the world’s championship can be seriously considered. Welsh has yet to meet the Australian, Hughie Mehegan, a cable from London this week conveying the news that Mr G. MacDonald has deposited with “Sporting Life” £lOOO as the first instalment of a purse of £1,500 for a match of 20 rounds on December 11 uetween

Welsh and Mehegan. Judging by the victories scored by both Welsh and Mehegan over Mat Wells, the meeting of the former pair is certain to and the Englishman will nave to result in a splendidly contested battle, prove the Australian’s master before his path lies clear to measure skill and ringcraft with the Michigan fighter, Ad Wolgast. In fact, the conditions of the Mehegan-Welsh battle give the winner the right to meet Wolgast in January for the lightweight championship of the world; so that Great Britain will thus have a representative in any case to battle for lightweight supremacy against the crack American pugilist..

Sam McVea, the negro pugilist, was responsible for the statement at Goulburn (N.S.W.) the other day that boxing owing to a faulty referee system is on the down grade in Australia. The same may be said of the coloured pugilist himself, as Langford

has conclusively proved that he is •his master at the fistic game. Past experience points to Sam McVea fearing his smaller opponent, although the margin between them in their five ring engagements agairst one another has in each instance been comparatively small. With Johnson out of the way, Langford is justly recognised as the world’s best present . day fighter, but nevertheless his displays in Australia have not shown him up as a remarkable exponent. In fact, the “White Hopes” have a much better opportunity of putting a crimp in the stocky Bostonian’s plans, and by so doing regain much of the boxing prestige the White Race lost when Johnson blossomed out as a world’s champion, than would be the case if the latter negro had still to be reckoned with. Johnson is undoubtedly a much superior boxer to the Bostonian, and aspiring white heavyweights can enter the ring against Langford with a much greater degree of confidence than they could ever expect to possess in an encounter against a clever ring general such as Jack Johnson.

The stai’ in New Zealand boxingcircles at present is undoubtedly the Timaru featherweight, Jimmy Hagerty, whose portrait is reproduced on this page. Hagerty has demonstrated his superiority in the featherweight class in the Dominion in so pronounced a manner that lately he has been forced to seek matches against the leading lightweights, and has acquitted himself - with distinction against his heavier rivals. So

highly are his services assessed in New Zealand that the Wellington Boxing Association have matched-him against* the Australian veteran lightweight Hock Keys, who will meet the Timaru man at the Wellington Town Flail on December 11. Hock Keys is- a pastmaster at the boxing game, and in all of his latest battles against the crack lightweights of Australia he has given evidence that he still retains his form in a surprising manner. On Saturday last Keys met Herb, McCoy, the resident lightweight champion of Australia, in Sydney and after twenty rounds lost the decision on points. The veteran’s showing against a ooxer of McCoy’s calibre is convincing proof of Key’s fighting powers, and the Wellington Association are to be commended for their enterprise in securing the veteran’s services for New Zealand.

Jimmy Hagerty may appear to seme fol’owers of boxing to be too ambitious in entering into a contract to meet Hock Keys, but to those who i re best acquainted with the Timaru fighter’s qualifications the match bears no semblance of one-sidedness.

Hagerty gave ample proof of his worth when he met Allan Maxwell, who is considered little inferior to the New Zealand lightweight champion, Len Porter, and there is every reason to expect Hagerty to make a first-rate showing against Keys in Wellington. sjs s': Although at the time of writing negotiations for the Hock Keys- Jim Hagerty fight are not quite definitely completed, no doubts are entertained regarding the match taking place. In the first instance the Wellington Association offered Keys a match with Hagerty for a £lO 0 purse, but this did not meet with the Australian’s approval, Keys stating that he would require either £lOO win, lose or draw, or two matches in New Zealand each for a £lOO purse. At first the Wellington Association were dubious regarding the advisability of launching out to the extent of guaranteeing Keys £lOO, but learning that the Northern Boxing Association were prepared to offer a s.milar amount for the Australian’s serxi'i the Wellington body, meanwhile communicated with Jim Hagerty, who stated that he was agreeable to meeting the Australian if guaranteed £5O win, lose or draw. The matter was then considered by the Wellington Association, who recognising that Hock Keys is in keen demand at present, acceded to the terms plus expenses asked by the Australian, and straightway cabled Keys to that effect. Key’s arrival in Wellington will be awaited with interest, and the

Town. Hall should be packed to' the doors- on the occasion of his battle with Hagerty, on-. December 11. * * * - At Blenheim last night (Wednesday), Len Porter,-New Zealand lightweight champion, was called upon to defend his title against Billy Hannan, the West Maitland (N.S.W.) boxer. The result of the contest was not known at the time of going to press. Sam McVea has almost as great a fascination for motor car speeding as Jack Johnson, and a fortnight ago he set out to lower the motor car record between Sydney and Melbourne. However, he failed in his attempt, for though making good time, the motor car broke down on reaching Seymour (Victoria). On Saturday (November 23), Jim Hagerty is to meet the well-known lightweight, Peter Cooke at Timaru. * * * ♦ “Denny” Murphy, the Wellington welterweight, and Lynn Truscott, the Australian boxer, are to meet a third time at Gisborne on November 29, when the question of supremacy will Le finally settled. It will be remembered that Truscott won the first match in Wellington, while the return contest lesulted in Murphy gaining a points’ decision in Auckland The third meeting of this evenlymatched pair should, therefore, be productive of an exciting contest. * * He V Arthur Cripps, the veteran Queensland boxer, has announced his intention of returning to the ring, and is anxious* 1 to meet the aboriginal boxer, Jerry Jerome. * * * * The heavyweight contest in Melbourne on Cup night between Bill Walsh and Bill Turner ended in a most sensational manner through. Turner striking the referee, and the latter retaliating. The referee was Ernest Fullalove, amateur middleweight and heavyweight champion of Victoria, and it was in the fifth round that the contest came to an abrupt conclusion. Turner had been cautioned repeatedly by the referee for not breaking away. However, in the fifth round, Fullalove had occasion to caution Walsh for hitting in a clinch. Turner looked angrily and called out, ■“There you are; you didn’t tell him.” At the same time he struck the referee on the neck. Without hesitation Fullalove landed a straight right on Turner’s cheek, and then pointed to Walsh as the winner.. Considerable excitement was caused, but the general sympathy was with the referee. Subsequently the lattei’ stated that he regretted exceedingly that the incident had happened, but he hit Turner solely in self-defence, for. he feared he was going to again strike him.

“The pole axe punch.” is the very latest in pugilism, and Jerry Jerome is its patentee. The blow is used by the aboriginal in combating an opponent who comes in with head down and face smothered so that a straight blow would be only waste effort. Jerry’s method is to strike downward, very much after the manner of a butcher pithing a bullock, the blows landing on the back of the neck or head. As it is almost impossible to deliver such a blow other than with the side of the hand it may properly be described as a breach of the rules. * * * * Maurice Fleming, who has been touring round New Zealand in the ship Eindstol, returned to Sydney a day or so back (says -the “Referee”). Maurice hopes to set foot in Auckland during Christmas week and find the local Boxing Association prepared to pit him against the best welter in the land. * * * Eddie McGoorty, the American middleweight, whose sensational defeat of Dave Smith, the Australian champion, was followed up by another victory over Jack Harrison, the English boxer, has created quite a stir in the United States. McGoorty is looked to to capture the middleweight championship of the world, and his supporters are strongly advocating his claims to the title. McGoorty has taken part in a great number of fights, but he never grows tired of telling of what he considers was the toughest battle of his career. This fight is described in McGoorty’s own words as follows: — “The. hardest fight of my. career was against young Mahoney at Appleton, Wisconsin, on August 26, 1909. On that memorable occasion when it

came time for the referee to say something, he looked at both of us a moment, then raised both our arms in the air. He didn’t mean that we both had won, for that couldn’t happen in any ring.. But he thought so much of that battle that he couldn’t see any other way to announce his decision so that it would be understood by the wildly shouting bunch of fans at the ringside. :

“Talk about a fight!” continued MeGoorty, “Well, that one was the limit for Eddie McGoorty, take it from me. I had a string of victories to my credit over many fellows who were considered tougher than ‘Young’ Mahoney, and so when I faced him that night in the ring I didn’t expect to run up against the game that I did. It isn’t necessary to tell all that happened in the ring that night, but when we finally, crawled through the ropes and went to our dressing rooms to ■clean up we certainly needed it. We were both cut to ribbons, and the canvas on the floor of the ring didn’t show a square inch that wasn’t covered with the gore we shed.

Bert Lowe, of Gisborne, who lost his title of New Zealand heavyr weight champion when he met Barney Ireland at Christchurch, is to meet Ireland in a return battle at Waipawa on Wednesday night next, November 27. Lowe is hopeful of turning the tables on his opponent, and anothei’ hard battle is expected.