BOXING

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1294, 11 February 1915, Page 28

BOXING

ENGLISH WELTERWEIGHTS MEET.

BASHAM DEFEATS SUMMERS. LONSDALE BELT HOLDER DECISIVELY BEATEN.

The recent match in London between Johnny Summers, holder or rhe Lensdale Belt, and Sergeant John Basham, for the welterweight championship of England, was of special .nterest to boxing enthusiasts in Australia and New Zealand on account of the visit paid to Australasia some eighteen months ago by Summers, who lought a number of contests in the Commonwealth and was also seen in action in the ring in Auckland and at Hamilton. In several of his contests in Australia, notably when he met Stone and Tom McCormick, Johnny Summers gave the impression that he was not the formidable opponent of old, but few thought that on his return to England he would lose his grasp of the Lonsdale Belt, which he had set his heart on winning outright, and had only to successfully defend it one one more occasion in order for the trophy to become his own property.

Describing the contest in the ‘ Mirror of Life,” the well-known boxing critic, J. Frank Bradley, says:— Sergeant John Basham decisively defeated Johnny Summers in the ninth round of a twenty rounds contest under N.S.C. rules, for the welterweight championship of England and the Lonsdale Belt, which had been twice won by Summers.

It looked very much like an early win for the holder of the belt, as in the second round he had Basham down for six seconds and in a bad way. Summers tried hard to finish h s man, but the Sergeant hung on in grim fashion and succeeded in lasting out the round. He boxed more careiuliy after this, and by excellent footwork and a nice though somewhat light left hand, more than held his own in the next round. Basham seemed to te in a bit of trouble once or twice n the third round, as he got several nasty body punches in his own corner, but he got away, and using the ring and his left hand kept Summers at a safe distance. Basham, in the fourth round, got home what appeared to be a hard right, but .t did not affect Summers in the least, and he went in to close quarter work and scored well on the body. Baxter said to me, “Basham can’t hurt Johnny. He seems to have lost his punch,” and so it seemed to me. I have seen Basham drop his opponent more than once with a punch like the one he, gave Summers, but, as I have sad, it did not seem to affect the Londoner in the least. In the fifth round both slowed down considerably and Basham boxed his man on the retreat. Summers kept hot-foot after him and seemto despise Basham’s hitting power, as he took no trouble to avoid or guard, and only stopped Basham’s left or right with his face. Summers got home several left hooks on the head, but paid not the slightest attention to his defence, with the result that Basham scored freely, though the power was with Summers and the boxing skill with Basham. In the sixth round Summers scored with a left jab and a right on the chin, Basham countering beautifully with the left, and holding his own throughout the round. Round the seventh was Basham’s, as he plied both left and right, Summers giving his head and taking all that came his way with the utmost indifference, and apparently without any damage. Basham was surprising and disappointing me by his seeming lack or loss of hitting power, and I thought it a sign of weakness, and saw, if this were so, that Summers would force his way to close quarters, sooner or later, as Basham did not seem to hit hard enough—defensively —to keep him out. Basham had many openings—in fact, Summers seemed to hold his jaw out to be hit, but only Basham’s left came out with any show of power, his right being very weak, though he scored, without hurting. During this round Johnny bored in after Basham, with the evident desire of getting to half-arm distance—a fav-

ourite place of Summers’ in a contest —but Basham kept away by beautiful footwork, assisted, slightly, but not as much as I hoped and expected to see, by his left hand. Certainly Basham had scored the greater number of points up to now, by both attack and defence, but Summers gave one the impression of being able to take all that Basham could give h'.m, and keep up his aggressive work to the end of the twentieth round. The fast footwork and defensive tactics of Basham also conveyed the impression that he was the weaker, and that sooner or later he would receive a rap or two from his powerful opponent wh ch would finish him and the contest somewhat summarily. They kept on in a neutral corner for a few seconds after the bell went, but there was no harm done, and they smiled sweetly at each other to show there was no malice.

Round the eighth was Basham’s, who landed with both hands very frequently, but seemed quite unable to make any or the slightest impression on his hardy adversary. Summers came on and gave his head in the most reckless fashion, whilst Basham piled up the points with left and right, straight hits and hooks, just as he pleased, but Summers was not dis-

turbed in the least, and it looked as though he thoroughly despised or had a supreme contempt, for Basham’s hitting powers. It was pretty certain that if Basham stayed the distance and Summers kept on with these tactics, the sergeant would be a good winner on points. But it also seemed certain that before the distance had been travelled Basham would have been slowed down from exertion, more than punishment, and that Summers would speedily wipe out the arrears. But there was a surpr’se in store. The ninth round opened with Summers still boxing as open “as Bell’s Life.” Basham slowly retreated —three or four paces—then stepped quickly forward, feinting with the left as he did so, and when well within distance, smashed the right hard on the ribs and instantly brought it up on the jaw, there being palpable openings for both blows, and Summers did not trouble to step back in order to avoid them, or either of them. They were both excellent examples of Basham’s stock of powerful punches, and when the second landed Baxter inclined his head to me and said, in my ear, “That’s done it!” And sure enough Summers staggered across the ring and went down, apparently beaten. He managed to get up in time, but Basham was on him like a terrier on a rat, and another right following a left feint “downstairs” put Summers down

for the count, and Basham had made good his first claim to the Lonsdale Belt. The question I asked myself after the contest was whether Basham’s ineffective hitting up to the last round was real or assumed. It is just possible that he was weak from the experience of the second round, and from the body blows that Summers gave him in the subsequent rounds. It is also possible that he boxed, after the second round, with a certain amount of nervousness and a great amount of respect for the hitting power of his opponent, and being determined not to take chances, thought more of defence than of attack, with the result that his blows were “snatchy,” drawn back, in the hurry for defence or retreat, before they had landed flush on the object aimed at. But if this were so, one is forced to the conclusion that he could or might have finished the contest earlier —though it may be that he had not fully recovered his confidence until the ninth round —or he may have thought that Summers was only “laying traps” for him by presenting his head to be hit. But after thinking the matter over, I am firmly of the opinion that .his apparent lack of hitting power was

assumed for the purpose of lulling Summers into a false sense of security. It was deep and clever ringcraft—and its success proved that. In my opinion Basham was content to keep out of danger —to see that Summers did not catch him again as he did in the second round. And whilst carefully watching the dangerous hits of Summers, he could, by his skill, succeed in scoring with left and right—not hurting, but adding up points, and at the same time “killing two birds with one stone,” viz., keeping himself out of danger and causing Summers to believe that he had no hitting power. As the contempt or indifference of Summers grew as the contest proceeded so also did the confidence of Basham increase, and resting for seven or eight rounds —that is to say, not wasting his strength by making and missing heavy blows —he had conserved h : s hitting power, and when the time was ripe for its use—when Summers -was lulled into absolute security and belief in the impotence of the Sergeant’s punch—then, and not till then, did Basham give us a taste of his quality. I noticed that it was not a right lead which Basham got home with on the ribs —the first of the two punches which put Summers down. There is no doubt that Basham could have got home with a right lead —that is to say, without any preliminary feint —had he so minded.

But how was he to know that? Leading with the right is not-science. If Basham had let go his right at the body in a lead off, he must have given his head, and Summers might, and probably would, have foiled and' punished the attempt. Really it was a right lead —paradoxical as I may appear, in saying so —but Basham had prepared the way. He had been using his left chiefly all through the contest, and had he tried a right lead without any preliminary feint or other movement, Summers would at once have seen that he meant business, as, in nine cases out of ten, a man who leads off with the right (I mean a man who knows the game and not a novice) is getting desperate, and in all provability and in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, a right lead by such a man is a “forlorn hope”—sometimes it comes off —but more frequently it is a horrible failure. It proved that Basham was out for no “forlorn hope” business, and that he had his wits about him. I watched every move, and I was close to the ring, so I could see perfectly. I saw Basham retreat for a second —two or three half-steps back —drawing Summers on. I expected Basham to again go on with his left jabs and footwork

—milling on the retreat —and so evidently did Summers. He fooled both of us! It didn’t matter about me—or how many he fooled outside the ropes —but it mattered a lot to both Basham and Summers. The latter came on, as usual, inviting Basham’s blows, when suddenly the Sergeant stopped, stepped forward with a pretty left feint (I thought he was going to hit, but he didn’t), Johnny’s head came carelessly forward —an inch or so—in supreme contempt of his adversary’s punching power. Swish! came Basham’s right—a right lead (though not called so when preceded by a feint with the left, which counts as a lead when it has the effect of making an opening or of getting an opponent into such a position that he is unable to punish—not to guard or stop, bear in mind! —the right-hand blow— at head or body) and it landed under Summers’ left forearm and on the ribs; it was instantaneously drawn back and when again clear of Summers’ left arm, was shot up—half hook, half upper-cut—on the jaw, with some of the power I’ve seen Basham use on former occasions. The rest I have told.

Constant le Marin, the powerfullybuilt 17st. Belgian wrestler, was wounded in the fighting on the Yser, and is now back in Paris,