PRIZE-FIGHTING IN THE TOWN HALL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 592, 21 August 1909, Page 10

PRIZE-FIGHTING IN THE TOWN HALL.

. Sir,—The R-3V. J. J. North, with hie usual dash andpluckj' has entered, single-handed, into a knock-out contest with the- Wellington, moabers .of tho Boxing Association," or P.O. As I intend to put my ruonoy'on: the reverend gentleman, allow me to'say that 1 am strongly opposed to pugilistic or boxing exhibitions, or any sMilar prizo-fights; in tho Town Hall.' I have no objections to boxiiig, -'or prize.-fightiilg,, as long as ".it is kopt under in its proper place, ae a sporting event pure and: simple, and also confined to the class and stamp,of men who. used to patronise it in the days of '"■ King George, aiid, later: on, when Tom Sayors, and Heenan, wore in their strength: and glory. In those days'prize-fighting or boxing was not' as'it , -is to-day, a purely commercial, or nioney-niakiiig affair, or. carried on in Town Halls or theatres. ; The fighting had .'to be carried out in all sorts of out-oi-tho-way places, and its devotees we're constantly scattered by the, police or- tho authorities/ Tho champions of the..'belt.' did not .expect to make a fortune out of tho game/as they 'do now, and go swaggering around the country exhibiting themselves to all and sundry for money's sako. The most that, a , champion of.the belt in those days could hope for was to retire from the ring to the control of a public-hoiise.. To-day, the champions openly boast, that they "are , not in the, game "for, their, health, l but. to make'money." In those; ■ days, ; ': a : fortune-making : prize-fight such; (as;,- took', place in 'a lc;rgo~ building recently; in .Sydney/-; attended by- .tens of- thousands fof.' people; , including, some >womon, and under -the,eyes, and direction of tho police, was not even'dreamt of. .It was' purely a sport, and;only- those'deeplj|. interested iu it took tho trouble and risk of' attending the meeting. The object of tho . promoters is not a sporting motive in getting tho Town Hall .with-the. intention of giving a freo .exhibition of boxing skill to the: citizens, but they blow; they can scoop in far more dollars hero than- from any other liall in the city, and that is just.what the promoters are after. ''JAs far as I can remember,' the gloves woto first introduced into prize-fight-ing in Melbourne, by an ex-police detective, named Cristio,: in order te; bamboozle tha police, aiid tho fight was carried out with ■ skin gloves on the stage. . To my mind, these lown Hall and theatre prize-fighting exhibitions aro simply degrading th« old sport teethe .low,level of a money-making Punoh ,and Judy show; and also demoralising the .whole.community.—l am; etc., ■•'-, °:: '".:■• ". .■-.'/ ,1 . ; JOE. KITCHEN/ ■ :■ August 18, j 1909.;' : ' : ..1 —T : ' ;— [ ' . ■ .