BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 562, 17 July 1909, Page 12

BOXING.

U3x Mebodbt.)

"."'■'iX./.':, : '< FIXTURES. :-:.: : -y:''y.\ : '. Jnly:':'22 and -28,—Now-Zealand Amateur .'••■ Championships fDunodin) ,' t ' v - July-28.,. Traoy .v. Bob Turner (Hastings). July. 29.—W.8.A. Tourney, Clark ?. Cookie (Town: Hail)., ;.;,:■:• ,;; August 28.—Tracy ,vi.' Unholz (Town -Hall^..

What'purported to be, a contest for the middleweight professional' 'championship <-ot New Zealand was boxed : at Christehurch last week between J. Smith' (ex-amateur champion 'of > New Zealand in this class) and.Jim , Griffin; the-well-known ex-middleweight Aus-. tralian; champion. i'Any. pretontion the affair, has- to be classed as a 'championship 'fixture is ; absurd,' as is ; shown by Griffin's -weight,: list. ; 9lbi,(the middleweight limit being list, 41b.),' and stepaehould he;,tiken by tliosdjih control to prevent : such ; casual ..disturbances, being foisted on to ail unsuspecting public , under false < protencea'.- As was only top parent from the instant the matoh was madejj the contest was hopelessly one-eidod, Smith being merely a chopping .block ffirhis htilf-. stone heavier and immeasurably more esporienced opponent. The , "Press" .reporter de-* scribes fteaffray! as.under;in:his.-usual picturesque, "style I, !— : ■",;-■.■■.■' '•■■ •': :/ ■■', ■':'{''. :• Griffiii.. was 'accorded a. rousing,: welcome, upon his. : reappearance, in Chrietchurch after an.absenpe of fivo years. As frequently,liap-: pons in such circumstances Smith entered.the. ring with an obvious, lack of confidence oc-, casioned by chastened reflection 'upon'; his adversary's late record of achieyeniqute. Griffin , : showed himself a ; finished;practitioner in all departments of 'the scienoe, while' : Smith: brought to bear upon his task a: highly commendaUo degree of sturdy determination. The discussion,was limited to fifteen: rounds, but at, tie dawning,of the second it was obvious that' Griffin was carrying by far_too many guns.: In the first the latter decided that it was .more blessod. to give: than to re-, ceive, and by the exercise of fine, clean hitting, .well ; assorted- aa: to .weight'and destination, he had : his ; opponent . drawing liberally, upon-then numerous, rules governing defence. l The- second round brought- Griffin a little. furth-er. : out of his shell,'-while in. the third he found: comfortable homes for a' well-grown upper-cut tod a couple of swinging, rights. While, he'assumed- so unmistakable' an'.'attitude of '/confident aggression. Griffin declined to accept even'the gentlost caresses which- Smith sought to thrust upon him.";■; Griffin :puslfed his advantage in the • fonrth'round, and in the fifth his ; former zephyrs assumed the dimensions of a hurricane of, scientifically-placed ■ blows beneath whoso influence Smith waß lulled; to / elumber , and well and: truly couhted .out. •■'- The issue was at no time in doubt, as Griffin wa« incomparably the bettor boxer and tho hardor hitter. ■ " " ! "'-;-' ; "' :--;" '•"!•" .'. Of the Wellington Boxing Association to import' "Boer" Unholz. for Tracy's benefit has -been , well ■■ received ( in'i town; asit has long been felt where .boxing. enthusiasts most do congregate that it was lrign time that ';Tim" was givfcn a chance to; appear upon his native heath. It has also :beon the opinion in the same'*quarter that boxing hiatters have advanced. locally' to that stago when the introduction of boxers: of stiindingiri tho fistic world is b6th desirable arid necessary, and as the■ proposed match meot-s requirements' uiidei''both these heads, it also , meets with the-approval of the'"man in the', street.":. W.hcther' or not the South African will prove too Solid' and vigorous for Trfifcy is of course a question that the men will settle when they m«et in August, but tho match should at least ensure a bumper hoilse to reward.the association for. itson-tor-priSe. ; - ; -l .■' • ;":;.■ -.- ':• ' ' :\.- ''.-'■ '■■'. '' ' ; :-' '. .'.Joe Grinimi the .so-called Americanised Italian boxer, H-liOseehiof'claim to fame is that he lids never been knocked out, and who came'out to last year,, has'paid tho price demanded by Nature for his many batterings;' Grimm, has stood up to the world's best, regardless of weight, hnd though; generally' considered, a freak; and a joke, has always made good his claim, and his proved himself absolutely impervious to a "knock-out" , blow. He is down; and out now, howuver, aiid has been Committed to the' Olaromont Lunatic Asylum' (Perth) ; as being of Unsound mind.. . , ■■:■'-.,-"'. : -.-- : . Recently in this cdlumii was given sonto re-' mfti'ks on tho Johnson-Joffries .wrangle, Written by J. Corbctt." The ox-champion isagani Ln print on the same subject, and Says that Jeffries would whip Johnson whenever a meeting took plnce. "Johiisoli,"' said .Corbettj "may stand still with other fighters,- but when ho sqcs big Jeff coming he'll.run so fast that he'll burrt his shoes..: He ho can ki>Gb away until he gets Jeff \rihdcd,-. and probably counts oil''Jeff-being out Of ditioli, but Jeff is all right'.''. He has cut,out. drilikond cigarettes, has beeii doing a lot of quiit work, and lias boon taking care oMiinl6<>lf. With a couple of months' tlaiiiing he'll bo iis toiifeh .is ever." , "How, many rounds will Jeffries take to -knock' put Johnson?.". "Well, that wil] depend on how long it takes Jeff to catch him. It may be a, round or it may , bo twenty, but, iii my opinion, Johnson is'the; biggest lemoii on earth, iand Jeff will give him a big iquocao in a hurry. Uo may

got Johnson with a punch, or the negro may stay for a while. Jeff finished me with one .punch in the tenth round. When he hit me I thought my ribs wero caved in. I was sore for months. Nothing can hurt Jeff. He is like a big bull or a big bear. I am going to advise him to punch away at Johnson's body whether he covers up or not—punch right against Johnson's arms for that matter until he gets through. Johnson beat Burns by giving him on upper-cut,' because Burns is a little fellow. He could not work , that on Jeff or me, because wo are as tall as ho ifl. That's about all Johnson did in the fight. ■Iβ there any chanco of Johnson's standing him,off? Of course not. Johnson will have just as much chance as-I would have of trying to hold up our .big Statue of Liberty if it foil on me.!' Corbett added that soon, after Johnson's return, he himself had offered to fight him, but was unable , to arrangea .'match..-"Take it from me," he remarked, ."that Johnson doesn't want to fight anybody if, he can holp it. Jeff, on the other hand/ is ready to fight., Hβ was -. right in holding-, back for a while until he knew he could get in good shape. He is just tho sort of man to get Johnson in a hurry, for ho never lets you ;have a moment's rest. If I do not. get a chance at Johnson. myself, I don't want any better sport than' to sit at tho ringside and watch Jeffries v go through him." ' ." ■ ... ,'.[.:..',, '■■■,

Discussing Ketchell's chance with the black, if their fight materialises in October, Corbett has a good chance with Johnson, although ho is pretty small to fight such a big fellow. His dieadvantage is that he will have to readi up to: Johnson, and that may take the sting out of his punch. It's'all right'to hit at tne level of yrfur own' shoulder, and better still to hit down; but when.you have to reach,up it's hard work.' , KetcheU doesn't pay any • attention to dofence, and Johnson may ■ catch him a hard crack on the chin. Johnson's weight will count, too-, but still I'think Ectchell has a good chance."i: ~ ; , •' ,- . ; , <,.■'■ - : \ , ; An American , sporting writer' published the following recently :—The action of Jack, Jolinson in refusing to meet Langford ' in London, after having signed articles to that effect, is not going: to make hit', any friendß, either in London or America. Johheon hides 1 behind: the plea that the articles'were Bigned .by .Sam Fitzpatrick, and not by him. .This is all'rot, for at the time Fitzpatrick signed the articles he was acting :as Johnson's manager, with full authority to do so, and Johnson was in duty bound to rospeot any contracts made by his then manager. 'John-. son,must not forget that Mr. , Bettison, of the National Sporting Club, more .than ■ anyone else,- with ,tho exception;.;of course, of Sam: Fitzpatfick, made it poesible for .thei Coloured man to: meet Burns in - Aiistralia. It was Bettisdnwho gave him, a hearing,, and who 'took up his -pau.se',; and got Lord ; Lons- , dale to issue, his now famous manifesto. All these items seem to have beeh' forgotten jby Johnson, as 1 soon as success; perched Upon his However, there is always a; day: of reckoning, and' Johnson will have his. H. 6 has thrown down all those 'who .helped him in the.past, and without whom;ho could never have:been champion of the world.' Mnny people do:not know that Zick Abrams, ; of Saii'Francieco, for years helped; hiin along financially,^.and, offered toi furnish■/ 10,000. dollars to have him fight, Jeffries j then, suddenly, when'hp had>a chance.to get at the' 'top," ho'threwZick down'and tied up with Fitzpatrick. John son 'was broke./\in \ New, York, without a dollar jn the; world, ( *and; without much of a roputaion, when Fitz-: patjick took him up.' 4 At■ the' time, Bam' did not have a Rockefeller bank roll Himself; but be bad friends, arid ,gopd friends, who: advanced him several thousand!dollars,to take Johnson to Londonj and to follow Burnsoyer there. •AH the , time , Titzpalriokls friohda were furnishing financial aid. This, and this alono, made it possible for tho trip 'acros s the water, or been ;the phftrnpion. at tie present time,','No -sooner: does lie gain the chanipionship' than he turns ■his back on the men who roajly; made him, and the'one man he should'have, been: grateful to all his<;'life.v.."But." gratefalncsb ..and prize-fighting don't, :■ as- a general thing, Bcern to:rjm in: the same groove. • ;With a;few oeptiona all the fighters dp thp: eame thing as Johnson did. "and" for."• 'that' 'tnaeoh' Vwo snpuld never fblamlTa.imna^er^fbr-getting ■allrhe]c,aib,tehi|eba>nghtoisf!iind«r>'hisi.caro.'