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New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1240, 22 January 1914, Page 29

the game seriously, and his first contest was with young Joe Grimm, whom he knocked out in 10 rounds. He then bested Willie Lewis and Mike Glover, the best welterweight in America to-day. He boxed a 10round draw with Mike Gibbons, a very fine boxer. After Jimmy Clabby returned from Australia Jeff met and beat him. Clabby said afterwards to Smith’s manager m deep disgust, “Is this your amateur? Well, no more amateurs for this one. Gee! 1 can hear the bells ringing yet. He is the only man who has ever hurt me.”

Jeff Smith then went to France and met Harry Mansfield, who had just returned from Australia. Jeff put the by-bye touch on him in the sixt round. Subsequently Jeff knocked out in three rounds Jim O’Brien, the champion middleweight of Ireland, and then knocked Hogan out. Bernard, the middleweight champion of France, fought him, and the Frenchman heard the count put on him in the tenth. Subsequently Tom Leary got the full strength of the Smith cata-

pult in the tenth, and afterwards Jeff fought a 20-round draw with Papke. After that came the Carpentier fight, which Jeff Smith won if ever a man did. All the papers said so. It might be said that the only occasion in which Jeff has been beaten was when the decision was given to a heavyweight, as Carpentier weighed over 13 st in that particular battle. The young Frenchman, who received severe punishment from Jeff Smith, declared afterwards that the latter was the finest fighter he had ever met. As regards Jeff Smith’s matches in Australia, Dave Smith will probably b'.e his first opponent, as the propose 1 contest with Jimmy Clabby has been abandoned as that boxer cannot be induced to visit Australia at present. At all events Jeff Smith has already beaten Clabby, and at Thornton, Rhode Island, on February 20, " c he gained a decision over George Chip, who has twice knocked out Frank Klaus and who has since claimed the middleweight championship of the world. Klaus heat Billy Papke on a foul after Papke hr beaten Carpentier in 17 rounds. Aftthe fight with Carpentier public opinion went so much with Jeff that he was given the belt. It is a handsome bit of jewellery; wrought in gold and ivory, and it is worth £5OO, and is said to be the finest belt in the world. Eddie McGoorty, of course, will also be matched against Jeff Smith, win is very anxious to meet the man who has twice gained sensational victories over Dave Smith.

The National Sporting Club, London, are at present considering the amount of the purse, the date, and other details of the projected John-son-Langford match. It was hoped to bring the match off on April 20, but Johnson’s managers state that his broken arm (concerning which a statement was made after his fight

with Jim Johnson) will probably necessitate a postponement until Derby night. Langford is abandoning his music-hall engagements, and departing from Paris in order to take up training work for fights with Petty Officer Curran and Frank Moran. Kid McCoy will probably fight Jim Johnson at The Ring in between these Langford fixtures.

When Johnny Summers set foot in Australia over six months ago and was extended a hearty welcome as England’s champion welterweight boxer., little was it thought at the time that the sturdy Englishman was destined to relinquish that title during his present visit to the Commonwealth. In his first few engagements, Johnny Summers demonstrated to Australian ringsiders that his fistic abilities were of no mean order, and the only defeat entered up against his successful record was that at the hands of the young American Harry Stone in Brisbane. In his match in Sydney with his fellow countryman, Syd. Burns, he was called upon to defend his welterweight title, and

fulfilled expectations by defeating Burns on points at the end of twenty rounds. Summers’ skill was further evidenced in his match with the clever Australian lightweight, Hock Keys, in Auckland, whilst on his return to Sydney he at once entered into negotiations to meet his former conqueror, Harry Stone, in a return match. The result of that contest, as is generally known, saw the Englishman again beaten on points by the speedy Stone, and Johnny Summers lost further prestige as a boxer when he failed to fulfil his engagement with Pal Brown. Summers never offered a convincing explanation of his reason for disappearing a couple of days before his proposed match with Pal Brown, and went very close to having his contest with Tom McCormick, the English welter, cancelled by Mr. R. L. Baker.

Prior to leaving England for Australia Tom McCormick was heralded by the boxing critics as the coming welterweight champion of Great Britain, his decisive victories at Home having afforded proof that he would make a worthy opponent of Johnny Summers, whom he travelled all the way out to Australia to meet, and as he confidently hoped, relieve of the championship. That his quest has not been in vain is borne out by the result of their meeting at the Sydney Stadium on the 10th Inst., when McCormick was awarded the decision on points at the conclusion of the twenty rounds. Thus Johnny Summers has sustained no less than three defeats in Australia, and is no longer the welterweight champion of Great Britain. Summers will no doubt seek a return match with Tom McCormick with a view to the restoration of his title, tut he evidently will have a Tartar to deal with in the latest English visiting boxer, who has fully borne out all the golden opinions that

preceded his arrival in the Commonwealth. Summers is undoubtedly faced with a stiff proposition, and the only consolation of his meeting with McCormick is that he has not, as a result of his defeat, had to give up his Lonsdale Belt. This emblem oi the British boxing ring must be fought for in the arena of the National Sporting Club, London, so that a meeting between Summers and McCormick can be looked for on their return to the Old Country. Johnny Summers has won the Lonsdale Belt two years in succession, and had set his heart on again asserting his right to retain possession of the trophy throughout the present year, in the event of which he will become the owner of the belt by virtue of winning it three years in succession. The presence of Tom McCormick, however, appears likely to upset matters in this direction, for the determined conqueror of Johnny Summers will assuredly prove a hard nut to crack, and it will occasion no surprise to find McCormick holding the Lonsdale Belt before the end of the present year. ;

In view of Tom McCormick’s defeat of Johnny Summers, it is interesting to hear the story of how England’s new middleweight champion took up boxing, as told in his own words. McCormick says : — “Of course, 1 needn’t tell you that I am an Irishman, and whatever credit is coming to my birthplace belongs to Dundalk, Co. Mayo, where I was born in 1890. I joined the Manchester Regiment when I was 16 years of age, and had to put up with a lot of hard times from the older soldiers. One day a

big chap struck me and I hit him back. We stripped, and after an hour’s hard fighting I came through, 1 had a better time after that, ana was shortly afterwards drafted to India. After winning a couple of garrison competitions out there, mostly through the Knock-out road, 1 decided to go in for boxing, and managed to get drafted back to England. In about a year’s time I was sent to Mullingar, in my native land, and a month afterwards entered for a middleweight competition against 15 others, there being insufficient nomination for the light and welter classes. I won the final, after an extra round had been ordered, and was very proud of the gold medal which was given for the winner’s end. Then I went in for the Army and Navy championships at the National Sporting Club, London, but Sapper Jack O’Neil got the decision over me, although all the papers said I should have had the verdict.

“Mr. Bettinson then arranged a contest for me with Bill Mansell,” continued McCormick, “I beat him in three rounds. I was then advised to

leave the Army and turn professional, and a gentleman who was interested in me arranged several fights on my behalf. I won them all. Then he advised me to go to Mr. Alger, who owns the Cosmopolitan Gymnasium at Plymouth, and I took his advice. I have never looked back since. Mr. Alger has managed all my affairs and got me to the front, and several of my best fights have taken place at his gymnasium, which is considered second only to the National in London. I don’t require much shepherding, as my mind is on the game. 1 want the world’s welter championship as well as that of the British Empire, but if I were to shirk the hard work which a boxer must put in to fit himself for a contest, I can tell you 1 would not be on such good terms with Mr. Alger, who knows about all there is to learn in the boxing line.”

Sam Langford’s decisive defeat of Joe Jeanette in Paris on December 20 was in striking contrast to their bout several months previously in New York, when the newspapers were unanimous in giving the verdict to Jeannette. Regarding their first meeting, Ed. Hugnes makes the following significant reference to the clashing of the two negroes in a letter to Mr. W. F. Corbett, of the “Sun”: —“I saw Sam Langford and Joe Jeannette fight, and Sam was as fat as a prize pig. iou folks in Australia must have fed him liberally on

fried chicken, for his stomach hung over his belt in folds. He could not move around with any speed, so, he just planted himself in the middle of the ring like a toad loaded with shot, and let Joe dance round him. When Joe got within striking distance Sam fanned at him with both hands, missing as often as he landed. It was a sorry exhibition. Sam will have to do a lot of hard training before he will be fit to put up a hard fight, and I do not think he has much stomach for the grind of training. He was a good man in his day, but I think his day is past.”