BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 604, 4 September 1909, Page 12

BOXING.

;;•■/■••.'■'"■ ; •.-■■ -ißr JiEncimr.) /Vv: :■' ■:)■■-.'. ('Charier" Griffin is stilt.a popular draw in. America by of his cyclopia methods'arid ms ability ■ to. take punishment. "At Nejv York recently, he''met' an old ■''rival"in "Battling" Hurley for the fourth. time, aud, ''after: 10' rounds of strenuous boxing, during which both contestants were l pegging away at , 'top most of the tinitvthe affair was declared a draw. : A' few days previously he defeated one "Frankie" Madden at the Bedford A.C., Brooklyn, in a teh-rquiuL'hou't. -The battle appears., to have: been vory eveii most of" tho. way; but Griffin (according to one local authority) deserved' his win because ho wns the stronger at the cn'd, and, besides, had effected"most-aaniago. ,;';'.'•"; match,-"between '-'Si.".' Kaufman...iTnnd "Jack' ! " Johnson for"tUa"heavy-weight'- cliainiPipnship of. the world, which , 'waß 'to" ijiive 'caken place on 1 August' 27, has bo*n 'declared :"oflV and some ■' unkind critics aro begiuiiiilg to say that |t was : never'!'o'n." .Kaufman is one of that new" class of boxers umler the' Qupensbery rnles which ; has sprung up in America of late—the otayer . or long-distanoo artist,,who shines-at contests; of. from 45 to ,60 rounds' duration—one of thoso'whp aro coritont to be punished until their opponents aro physically, incapablo of administering another punoh, and who then lend Nature a'little'aid in completely finishing'.the more scientific adversaries. When it was announced that Kaufman ami Johnson would only, hold tho floor for twenty rounds, it was felt-that somethings was wrong, and the latest announcement confirms that suspicion. ','.':. ,'.'"■:"' .'■;'"■'■

, When tho Intost mails left America, Johnson and Jeffries .we're still fighting with words 1 ho battle everybody is' despairing of over seejng settled with tho legitimate instruments of controversy between, boxers. When'Jeffries is not busy assuring tho public from the middle of tho stage that, during tho past: week,.'ho has travelled hnlf-a-pound on.the road from twenty stone to fishting condition at Uteen stem, and

that he will assuredly meet' Johnson within a yoar or two, he is just as busily engaged telling reporters that he will'never meet Johnson at all, as the latter is'certain to be licked when ho meets Ketcliell, and so says bjg Jim, within six rounds. It is interesting to note, too, that Jeffries still claims tho championship, though he hasn't the slightest'claim to it.. Between Jeffries and the English sporting press, which olainis that ho lost'41)0 championship by drawing out of a signed contract to meet Langford, poor Johnson must bB wondering what has become of Ins title "at all. Ono of the most enthusiastic' ;sunporters which the sport of boxing has in Wellington just no v is the Rev. Father Macdonajd,' of Ncwihwn, who is teaching (x big class of boys at tho St. Anne's Club, anil, at present, is conducting a tournament amongst thorn. .The rev-', trend gentlemani who is .-'a'regular attendant at tourilnnitnts conducted by the Wellington Boxing Association, lias tho hoarty wishes of all local enthusiasts in his self-imposed , task. Amongst the members of the Sydney Uni-' veraity' football team at present tonring tho ; Dominion are several good boxers, otio of them —Xindehiann—being -a champion fit his weight. Whilst tho team is in Christchurch representatives from-, Sydney and Otago Universities and 'Cautorbury College* will' take' part in a tournament conducted by tho Canterbury Collego Club. This will be tho .first University boxing tournament to be held in New Zealand, end tho New Zealand Bpsing - Association should certainly see that it is not the last, in England Eome of the best amateur talent comes from the Universities, and thero is no reason why it should, not be tho same here. One thing is certain,, that, if given. a foiramoiint of encouragement at tho beginning,, the University will in time , become the .greatest stronghold of amateurism in boxing. A club will shortly' be formed«at : Victoria ■ CpUege, and tho Wellington B9xing Association migntdo worse :thnn help it along with the gift of a eonple of sets 'of boxing 'gloves, at least. ' , The-news that.Clarko and Lcckie have been gji-en a return match. by the local gorernin^ ' body is welcome ncw6.' Tho last timo they met,- Clarke was ' undoubtedly," tho superior/ though'bv very little, but with the probability that Lsckio ..will improved: intlio interval, the contest should be very even, , and.' well worth witnessing. Tho Association has' not. yet fixod on the '■ amatsur preliminaries,bnt- one would .like to think, that thcro is n possibility of Shields and Porter being matched for six two-minute rounds!. On his showing against Coward, Shields would prove n very tpugluproppsition'for Porter, though 'it; is a , ! moot point ■ whether his■'superior skill would , not be more .than counterbalanced, by Porter's , greater strength and staying power. .Word has bec'n, received locally from Sydney that F. Kcrr.i who," last year, was diir best amateur under 9st., having defeated amongst others Shields and Porter,, has filled out in>a. surprising manner during his.stay in Sydney, and is now. even' more skilful than when ho last competed in Wellington. If. this is'.so, thero'is trouble ,ahead for ', Porter, Cairns, • Shields, and company, when he returns., ."''".' W. Elliott, ex-champion amateur featherweinht of Australasia and present professional feather-weight ■ champion of Now Zealand, cently got himself into bad odour with Brisbane, patrons' of-boxing.' On August 2-1, at Brisbane, ho . met ,for the third timo'Ted." Green, whom'ho had twice beaten previously. The following acco.nnt, by' the "Eeffree's" Bnsbaue correspondent, on the same night, speaks with brief but sharply-pointed eloquence ot -the nature of the', contest:—"Tho "Ted." . Green"Billy" Elliott" return contest'. ! to-night was not well patronised. They fought for the house and a .£ls side-waftcr. In the fourth tound Elliott: came in; and Green liooked him with the left, and , Elliott was down for,'eight.'. Again in. the sixth'round .Green repeated . the /fourth-' roiirid treatment twice, and On the fccond.'pc. casion, while tho count wasoh, the towel caine from EHiott's corner, i Thus ondefca: very 'unsatisfactory V contest. ,'Both! lads will -find it hard to get'other matches in Brisbane.',' ~' ■ '■Australian matches of interest, to' be decided shortly, are:—Douglas. ; v. Thorny on Scptembel •22; 'Fitzjohn'i'f. Qaffney;'and possibly Johns v. l IJnholz, ';.;■/. -'.:" ,•■;■ V- ■■: "' : Vf; v -/: :.;"■•'■