"TOMMY" BURNS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 582, 10 August 1909, Page 6

"TOMMY" BURNS.

INTERVIEWED ON THE TRAIN. HIS PERSONALITY, STILE, AND OPINIONS. AND 'A WORD ABOUT 'JOHNSON.' , >\ • - - ■■■■■ On Lis .way overland from Auckland yestorday Mr. "Tommy" Bums, ex-champion boxor of tho world, was the centre of much i i,intor6st. : Unlike other celebrities among the passengers, he did not occupy a reserved • compartment. His. party included Mr.- Taylor,' who'was acting ,as pilot/ and two welli: - '. built young fellows—"Les." O'Donnell and ■ "Pat";-o'Keefe—who act in tho capaoityi.of sparring, partners. When a Dominion reportercame across 1 the ex-dbampion up the 1 line tho man of ink and notes was . rather taken 'aback. Ho had expected to see-, a . regular.^"bruiser," perhaps a lit-tlo out j of condition.-'lnstead of that he was introduced • to a portly passenger, whose kindly t.,smile . gave tho impression that he cbtlld pain even.on a fly. Attired in . a serge suit; sweater-waistcoat, and cap; Burns betrayed • none of "tho alertness which is shown with such fino effect on- the poster boards.' rln fighting'trim, .he.iweighs;alittle I 'over.- : l2st. . ■ ' to-day- he tips ■ the beam at over 14st.. ';.'His most prominent, featuro •is the. square jaw, : but .when lie <became •' interested in the. conversation the keenness'and the sparkle of his • eyes could not. fail to attract attention. ••• .Burns carries fow reminders in the shape • of. . scars •• of the.- memorable glove contests in which-he has been , engaged. : '. 'Across his righti.eyo.iii .thi.'.mark whi6h has - followed a nasty, knock,-whilst there is the 'trace 6f ! :imotherSwouna : . : high ;on his ■: right ! . cheek. - Burns w;as --accorded a- .hearty sendoff from/Auckland, ahd.'en route'to V/elling-' ton was welcomed by-officials of various, asV . .sooiations and a-crowd at, almost- every ..station.' . There was a largo assemblage' at • Thorndon station upon , his arrival. . Will Box-Johnson or Kaufmann. ?■ JQuestioned as to his future movements, Burns said that, at the conclusion of his ' tour :■ of"-New-. Zealand, -he would return to ' .AVaverloy, Sydney, .where he had permanent- ' settled.lt;was his;:intentipn. to pay. au- -. other visit to the Dominion next year, when : '.'Mrs. Burns would accompany him. Quite i'a number-of propositions, had been made, to one.which-'heJancied most; 1 was ■: .a suggestion -that he■ should; start x an'.up-to- : ' date. gymnasium "in Sydney.; 110 would-: 'take :-y into> form, . • ." as he always .felt bettor .when he was in,con-. ■*• 'dition/.i-'Jl'do-not care ; !-ihe went- on to,say, • • "whether,! fight' agaihi.or .not.'; My wife - . says it:is.a,.matter .about-.which I must'iuso ■ : r : my own 'judgment', :. If I fight again I would f ;'v. f; > ittoi. b&; : vfor ." ; .-:-Ydu;-ilai'ow, tiio people in Sydney \ T think that I would rio t -have a chance "against '€;'. : r' Johrisoir)if. yto met. again. .1 .think {the ,;ppf posite; ; Wtiy, when ! tackled Hait/;ninety I t('lper^oent;.of;-tho^l^gle.:w^re^tickled'ovor ! it; o---.-r But* I won-. , Despite all the talk to the contrary,. I' still'say : that 'L had a' chance against ■; : . Johnson'at'Sydney, notwithstanding that my ' luck was out. I have- teen knocked down O'V' nine -times,'" and ultimately camo "-'out the • : mnner. It is no uso disguising tho fact I—l1—I expected to have to take a lot of blows.from - Johnson. - - That Johnson had two ribs : frac- , tured. during his 'go' with ino is established beyond doubt. Now, as soon as -tho ■ 'Johnson-Kaufmann fight*is Over-'l'will 'cable :: ':.-.yniy ofter to fightithe wmiler. -I am..'prepared • to.moot ;Johnson on'Vthe 'basis t.6f'£winrier take all,";!pr„ cEaufmanm on. any: terms' he; v,'.; wants.. I ; 'would sooner' -fight in ' Australia' ~ than in any other' jart of the world." ,

"The 1 ChampionsfJlp ;V/ill Return to Me," • . -Discussing th' 6 chances of the'various as- ■ pirants for said he ,:. thought'the belt ; was likely .te change hands ;:at any.time.Johnson should have :met. Lsrig- ■ V,' ford after haying agree'd to-do so. It was '.. all very wellfor him'to claim.that.tho stake : ther he won tho championship or not. To settle HHo: 'Johnson > arid'^jiingfol-d' - should fight'for the championship:• One had . as much right to the championship as tho jy.'. : otliery'.:.but.-;; it did/ .not' matter much", for . Jeffries was now in the field, langford-had . to be reckoned with, for whoreas it took Johnson eleven.rounds to beat Flynn, Lang- ' ford beat him. in: one round.-; As Langford 8 -had nob ait . first .accepted the be . (Burns) made' .to'J fighi> him - in' Janilon'. in •' Although ;it .wis Jthbugljt that 'Kaiifmiliin had not a ghost of a cliahco against Johnson, he. ■. . would, not be surprised if he.'beat'him, for : '; ho was a had;b&ojne much .>AA'^faster.:'.v;,There:'|waS: f little';chaiic& :' s match between • Jbhiison ,and 'himself 1 Johnson 'had said that; as ho had : to chase him round he would pay him -back 'th'e same ' way. Jack O'Brien was a fine boxer for half a' .dozen,. rojindß, :but : he'could not win' , the' championship. .'The only.other.,man : wlio had a chance was Kotchell, who might beat ■;: Kaufmann and langford, but his. tactics Would be 'against 'Johnson. .Anyorfb -who did all the fighting against Johnson made a iA/ mistake; and Ketchell was that type .of boxer. If he (Burns) had let Johnson do some.of the leading, a different story .would have been the result; • Once or twice when Johnsonassumed the aggressive he. nearly fell over, himself...."l may tell you," continued ; : " ./.Burns, .''that I .feel confident that tho cham-' pionship will sooner or. later return to me.'.'

; Jeffries Can Beat Johnson. - Would Jeffries and Johnson ever' • meet? Burns shopk 'his. head. "They, are liable to. . tpg6ther,".Vyli&: said,, "but I-'won't,. believe tnatv they;.: we!'going to .fight -uiitil the . .articles are signed.;'' Most people, seom to * A ihink : that Jeffries is 4 -bock, number, but you ; jan. take 'it from .me: : that'he could get sulli-> iiently -back to.l'forin td.' .b'eat;. Johnson. ' If they, were , bitched up for. a fight, I» tell you X would .'go.broke' 'oa Jeffries.Of course, . some-people, say that I am' biased,, but, look here;'.it will be just this-way—if Johnson catches sight of, Jeffries in the ring he . will junipyout. .: It may be that 'Jcffries's eye and hand inay to some extent have lost their cunning, but Johnson will be licked for all. Jeffries is taller than Johnson,' and for build and weight he 'towers' over Johnson to the same extent Johnson 'towers' over me. ■ >.... You know Jeffries ' floes ■not clinch arid hold like Johnson ;, he fights all the.time. Why. when: Johnson fought me be" fouled a dozen times by holding and pulling my head; towards him .with lus left, and then letting me go just as quickly as he up-per-cut with his right. I .don't blame the : refers; .for ho would have had to bo on the look-out .for.'Jiim to have seen ' it. The only, dangerous blow that Johnaon "possesses is ; this right;iipper-cut. If he'were up.against Jeffries he would not be'able to get it on, for Jeffries is as big as him and would keep him busy- looking .after/himself. What is more, Jeffries is game to 'the core, and that is what -'Johnson ain't; Eleven months-before Hart was beaten 'by me!he. got a decision over Johnson. Tho fact was. lie hit'the negro in the stomach early in mill, . and Johnson ran away from him during the. rest of tlio meet." ..; .... ' Future of Boxing In Australia. "h* During the 'oourse of further . conversation the, ex'-tiliampion' stated that thti people of Australia were, in his opinion, .more intensely interested in boxing than those of any other country.'The colonial boxers were, he" continued, not . far behind; all fheywanted was more experience and more boxing. Of tho lighter boxors, ho, greatly fan-: cied Thorne and Green, "whilst O'Donnoll' was a better middle-weight than was gener-' ally'-supposed.'Trior to';lea'ving- Sydney he ' attfindecf tho' match 'between Unholz (who is, ■ to meet'Traoe.y here this month for ihe lightweight championship of New Zealand)" and: Whitelaw, a . fair' _ stamp. of . middle--weight. After winning all tho way, Un''••Kob.got the decision, on points.; Tjnholz was'.' 'a ' boxer who fought' all the tiinoj; and seldom assisted in his hits' is : the famous "loop-the-loop" hit, which was introduced by; Papke. Burns was .of opinion: 'that tie match at ; Ohristchurch between GriOin and Cripps for the middle-weight championship of New Zealand would provide art interesting ■ encounter; . When the ' pair; last mot Griffin looked a. winner up to the lnat two rounds, when Cnpps-managed; tp, •turn tho tido by means of an unexpected. ■ well-directed blow. ■ "You can take it horn irto," ho added,."the oolonies will before long produco