GENERAL NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1262, 25 June 1914, Page 29

GENERAL NOTES.

The past two or three weeks have been responsible for several important moves taking place on the pugilistic chessboard; in fact, no less than three world’s boxing championships have changed hands during that brief period. To take the match nearest this country first, that between the redoubtable Jimmy Clabby and Jeff Smith; the contest in question was generally recognised as being for the middleweight championship of the world, an honour to which Clabby had the strongest claims and was in many quarters heralded as the holder of the title. As is generally known, the fight went twenty rounds, Jeff Smith gaining the decision on points and so becoming the new middleweight champion of the world, which title he has yet to defend against Eddie McGoorty. While Smith is certain to receive further challenges from Billy Murray and George Chip, this does not alter the fact that he is the present champion in the middleweight division, and will be recognised as such by the majority of boxing followers until he suffers defeat at the hands of one or other of the claimants for the title.

Most important and less expected of all was the defeat of the world’s lightweight champion, Willie Ritchie, by Charley White at Milwaukee, for it did not occur to the average fight fan that Ritchie was in serious danger of relinquishing his title. The fact of the battle only being a ten rounds one hardly entitles White to the lightweight crown, as a world’s championship battle should be decided over a twenty-rounds route, and many will refuse to accept White as world’s champion until he can defeat Ritchie in a longer contest. White completely outfought Ritchie during the ten rounds, and even had twenty rounds been stipulated the result may probably have proved the same.

The third battle in which a world’s championship was at stake was that between Johnny Conlon, the world’s bantamweight champion, and Kid Williams, of Baltimore, the fight, which was a scheduled twenty rounds one, taking place at Vernon, Colorado, on 9th inst. The contest brought about the decisive defeat of the champion, for in the third round Williams connected with a hard right uppercut to Coulon’s chin, and the champion dropped to the boards and was counted out. In the last round Williams made wild lunges without doing any damage, and in a clinch rained kidney blows on his opponent. The pair broke, and, closing again, Williams delivered the punch which won the championship for him.

The world’s bantamweight championship battle between Johnny Coulon and Kid Williams, which resulted in the former taking the count in the third round, possessed many interesting features. For nearly two years Kid Williams had sought a meeting with Coulon, but. since the pair met in Madison Square Garden on October 18, 1912, and W'illiams had the better of a ten-round bout, Coulon had not been eager to make a match, and it was only in April last that the champion finally consented to sign articles of agreement to meet Kid Williams on June 9 for the bantamweight championship of the world. Probably the fact of Kid Williams' only securing a draw with Louisiana, a Philadelphia bantam, a fortnight previous, caused Coulon to sign up with Williams for a world’s championship match. Despite Williams’ failure to do better than draw with Louisiana, the fight was one of the fastest ever seen in Philadelphia. Louisiana gave Williams the hardest fight he has ever had in the Quaker City, and in the fourth round he made a rally that fairly carried the Baltimorean off his feet. Williams had been forcing the fighting in every round, but Louisiana was Too clever for him to do any serious damage, although he kept battering away at the Quakertown lad, hitting him any old place he could land. Louisiana’s clever blocking and ducking, together with his covering, made the majority of these blows useless, but once in a while one landed and hurt a bit. In one of the rushes in the fourth round Louisiana, who had gone to his corner at the end of the third round with his mouth bleeding, met Williams as he came in and with a savage left hook cut the Kid over the eye. The blood flowed like water from it; and, seeing his advantage, Louisiana went at Williams like a

wild man and fairly rained blows on his head and body. Williams fought back as hard as he could, but he was blinded by the blood running into his eye and could not ward off the shower of punches that were being landed on him from every direction.

The time allowed —three years—for Bombardier Wells to defend his Lonsdale Belt when called upon, or return the trophy in the event of refusing to box for it, expired last month (says the “Mirror cf Life”), thus the third of the eight challenge belts presented by the Earl of Lonsdale has been won outright. Since the Bombardier first secured the belt on April 24, 1911, by defeating “Iron” Hague in six rounds, he has not been beaten for it; moreover, the second time the belt was at stake in a contest Wells stopped Packey Mahony in thirteen rounds on June 30, last year.

It transpires that rumours have been in circulation in Wellington casting doubt on the genuineness of the recent fight between Jim Hagerty and Frank O’Grady for the lightweight championship of New Zealand, in which the former proved victor on points. These rumours have come

under the notice of the Wellington Boxing Association, which staged the bout, and at a meeting held last week the matter was discussed by members. The chairman (Mr. R. W. McVilly) brought the question up. He said that he had heard a lot of talk in. connection with the matter, but could not get anything in the nature of proof. While people talked freely, they would not come forward and give the Association evidence to enable it to take the right action if half what was said was correct. Personally, he did not see the whole contest, but what little he did see was quite consistent with O’Grady’s statement that his ankle was bad. The speaker complained that when people were asked to give chapter and verse of what they alleged to be wrong, they fought shy of doing so. That was not fair to the association and the competitors. If anything that was not fair and aboveboard was done, the Association was quite entitled to ask and expect the people who knew of and probably suffered by it, to come forward and say so. He believed he had the committee with him in saying that if the

Association had proof that a “bye,” or a “schlinter,” or a “crook” was run, it would disqualify the man for life.

The question was asked whether the Association had the certificate of the medical officers (Drs. Gilmer and McLean), who examined O’Grady’s leg, that he was injured, the chairman replying in the negative. Mr. D. R. Hoggard said that Dr. Gilmer had stated that the injury was a sprained foot, and it would be painful. Mr. E. A. Blundell said he did not think there was a “schlinter”; if there was, it was the cleverest he had ever known. He counselled the committee, in giving heed to rumours, to take into consideration the sources from which they emanated. Mr. J. L. Day said he saw the accident happen to O’Grady, who slipped on some water which had been spilt and afterwards covered with sawdust. The chairman remarked that it was the Association’s duty to foster clean sport; they were dependent on the confidence of the public, and it was only fair to the Association, the competitors and the public to let them know —if they suspected anything crooked and could furnish definite information —that the Association was prepared at all times

to take action. Mr. F. Gale expressed the opinion that if O'Grady had meant to lose he could have lost on a foul much more easily. Mr. C. E. Bridge suggested that the persons who made statements reflecting on the contest should be brought before the Association to give what information they possessed. After further discussion, it was resolved, on the motion of Mr. A. E. Dawson, to call evidence at a special meeting, to be held on a date to be fixed, for the purpose of conducting this inquiry, and also of hearing W. J. MacFarlane in explanation of his action in writing to a newspaper criticising the Association in reference to trophies.

France again triumphed over England last month when at Cardiff in the seventh round of a twenty-rounds battle for the bantam championship of Europe Charles Ledoux, of France, knocked out Johnny Hughes, of London. Hughes had two victories to his credit over Ledoux, and was regarded as the one British bantam capable of checking the French champion’s run of success over English boxers. But, after being knocked

down in the first round, Hughes was gradually worn out by deadly hitting, and in the end was decisively beaten. Ledoux, like Carpentier, is pugilistically a thing of joy for ever. Before the battle Johnny Hughes, with English innocence, spoke of having “the Indian Sign” on the Frenchman, but one cannot put “the Indian Sign” on men with brave hearts and stout bodies like Ledoux and Carpentier. They are fighting machines with the minds of men, and it takes fighting geniuses to defeat them. “The Indian Sign” is the fear which some beaten men have of those who have beaten them, but Ledoux has no fear. The fight was clean. There was no instance of fouling. Once Ledoux, fighting desperately for tactical purposes to keep his head on the Briton’s shoulder, was cautioned for butting; but it was no deliberate act of unfairness. At the summit of their desperation the two struggling boxers observed the rules and the spirit of the game. That is at least some consolation to English sportsmen for this latest failure against the French.

The Gisborne Boxing Association have under consideration a proposed match between Frank Ellis, the clever Wellington featherweight, at present in Australia, and Lyn. Robinson, a local boxer. The pair have met twice previously, and on each occasion there has been dissatisfaction at the verdict, so that a third meeting is much to be desired. Ellis is keen on returning to New Zealand if sufficient inducements are forthcoming, and the match with Robinson may prove the forerunner of a series of contests m this country for the clever Wellinglonian.

Willie Ritchie seems to have a good understanding of what makes for popularity. Unlike Packy McFarland, Freddie Welsh and other clever men who are light hitters, Ritchie believes in knocking out his opponent and states his views frankly without beating about the bush. “McFarland may be sincere when he says that there is nothing to be gained by scoringknockouts, and I respect his opinion, but I think otherwise myself,” says Ritchie. “People come to a boxingmatch to be excited and interested. If you have a reputation for winning only on points they soon become bored. But if you are a knocker-out they are always expecting something to happen.”

Alf. Bromwich, the clever lightweight boxer, was a visitor to Auckland last week, and will in all probability be one of the principals in the professional contest tex be decided on the second night (July 14) of the Northern Boxing Association’s tournament. J. Curley, an Auckland lightweight, is mentioned as Bromwich’s opponent, and should the match be arranged a good contest should eventuate. Bromwich’s firstrate showing on the occasion of his last fight in Auckland,, when he met Alf. Gault, created a very favourable impression, and as he is in excellent fettle at present his services are likely to be availed of by the Northern Association.

Gus Levitt, who defeated Barney Ireland in the recent middleweight contest at Christchurch, has returned to Australia, and his first match on arrival is expected to be with the winner of the Arthur Cripps-Mick King fight in Brisbane for the middleweight championship of Australia.

Freddy Kerr, the clever featherweight amateur, and once champion of New Zealand, must hold the record for bad luck amongst New Zealand boxers. Freddy is also keen on Rugby football—-he is a nippy halfback —but in the two sports he has managed to meet with far more, accidents than fall to most sportsmen. Of course, most of these accidents have been experienced in football. He has had both legs broken or otherwise injured several times, three ribs on each side broken at different times, his left arm broken twice or thrice —I think—-both hands broken on various occasions, and his collarbone broken. And there are several other injuries in his list. Now Kerr is laid up again. He, has been on the operating table at a private hospital, to have his left arm opened up from wrist to elbow, and growths and tumours removed from the bone and nerves. The doctors considered his case a most unusual one, and ascribed the growths to being due to the vast number of punches which Freddy has stopped with his left arm.