BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 639, 16 October 1909, Page 9

BOXING.

(By Mehcdr't.)

/;,:,-;;"!:■■■ ■"-) FIXTDEE.'-'. ''/:■: ■■ November;; ; 1.-^Tfacy.: -.v.; •; Cunnings,-' I;, Opera *; : :Hbiise'.-'' *.''■■■"!.*•-:•.-.■■■ '■■''■-:■■ -,-• '''•.;-"■ .•■'• '■■ ■',•. ■ , ..'.Th'e ; e,vehts"for,tJiq l9cal\,assbciatibi?s.-'tourney been; ; varied. It was originally, intended: that;'-the'--big'.event- was to 'bo'a match-between the w;inner of the Clarkeleckfe bout and a .Sydney,.boxer to be., im--ported. This, was found impracticable; arid ian. amateur-,.tournej>was substituted. 'This.was the'order of things until the arrival ■ of iiI.M.S.. Prometheus in. port, :• Numbered among- the- crew of this vessel is one. "Bob" ;Hu'nm«jj^a«soiiupß- , tb.e." sea ; with ' pugilistic tendencies, and ; a '"■ good boxing record, which I had -beSli tdhSUfflably enhanced by,. a victory over ■' "Bob''' Turner in Auckland ilast month. Previously "he 'had; m;a'de;fhis',;£am'e known', on thisiside. by'-n^decisivpidefeat.df''A. Gault, in_ Sydhey,!.ih'the New Zealander's. first - profes-' siPhal-.battlo over there.' Hunnings styles himself ' "light-weight .champion ■' of, the . Navy," which, may or may not';ne,'but,.hc.;has so far 'impressed the'hs'sociatibn with his claims that it has. been-decided to: piatch-' him. : against , "Tim" -Tracy on November '1: for a purse':; of ' J!qo (divided . In addition to the iPrblhethehs,-' the '.Challenger ,: w.ill. also • be in iport.'on-the : night of'the; contest, and; as the niKht-befbre. is- pay. night,'.the: ','King's : Navee" will be, present in force.' Both officers ahd : men :.take;much"interest in.their, champion, and, a i c'eptiilgDnl; ,pf ;nearly;--fiye hu'ndi'ed; - bluejackets .'bo accommodated .somewhere- in .the, Opera :House.' -~-• ■'.'■'. .Two good preliminaries have'been" arranged for -the, tourney on November; 1:'"6:, Devitt, .ivho has. been an absentee from the local ring for the past reason; is to. meet George Butcher, middle-weight.champion bf'Hawkb's. Bay/while ■Morris, .of Levin,- .who .put up. such, an; attractivW;"g'o". with L. Murphy in the' Town Hall , tHis;,6easbn,'.has ..been matched:- against A.. TJiom.pson, the 'middle".champion of Marlborou'gh.''.Another bout'has yet'.to 'be.'arranged, .but,l these two curtain : raisers, and ;tbe"Tracy'Eunnjngs: clash-are-enough .to-'ensure'..that.'the programme willbe a good one; . ' ; V It. ia reported that Mr.- -W." Coffey,'has resigned, his position' as honorary/secretary of tha' Wellington ". Boxing'•;■ Association. . His successor, has not yot'beeh appointed.-bnt' "Mercury" understands-that it. is not unlikely-that a paid;secretary will fill the:officfe'-in future, in which case there should not be.'any trouble in obtaining a suitable "clerk of the works." Following■;;in thbyfodtsteps..' : bf. so many ol Nqw • Zealand's wiuhers of y.AustTalasian . championships, ';W.: H;" Weriahd,. thd;bantam.• champion,..has; gone oyer- to the" professional brigade, 'and has issueda challenge: to'.'box any Bst. ilb. man in Australasia.. '•■'■• : -j , ';;' '■■'. ■"';-■•'; /'\ : :Two,New■ Zealand.- boxcr's':in .Australia-have matchcs'.of importance'ih hand.' ;"DaVo"- : Smith is;to .'box "Jack"■ Blackmore in /Brisbane at somp/date to be arranged; shortly,.and "Billy" Elliott' and. "Sid". Sullivan• 'have 'signed .on at a.'Ost. limit tp'meetin about'a.mdnth. "Ted" il'Gihbon's name 'also appears among the list of-engagements.' He. is "to;meet Albert:'Scanlafl at \Varwick ..(Queensland) oh ;October.'2s. ~ On .October '4 : "Bob" Fitzsim'mbns 'an'd , his wife;left London,;in,company, with Mr'.f H. D. M'ihtdsn,' for ■ I .Australia, v"', -Ex-champlon ■'yimmy". Britt whs. to have-accompanied the .party-, but -there ;is:no,: hews : as to -.Whether ,'he';.'did; so' l or not. Mr.;'M*lntosh is-alsb en-defvouririg-to get '"Battling" Nelson :to -make, tho 'Australian tour, and has hopes, of persuading'the:, old-timer' "Jim" Corbett to come' but with- his monologue milsic-hall turn.' : ;.- ■'-.■; '.'l,'wo'. or'three weeks ago an'interview with Janics J; -'Jeffries was 'reprinted in this cdlumn.'in Which ; ho-:was reported to.htfve repudiate 4 on agreement" sighed on: his.behalf by.? Sam" Berger (his.manager) to. meet. Johnson; tinder certain ■ conditions; ./-.When-inter: viewed;.Jeffries, was. at Portsm'buthi■ en route for ; [Carlsbad,; and, the -'agreement'--' had - been signed;.ih'his absence; and' without/ liis!,know r ledgo'.'.---.l;he"text of'the document "is'nbw available; -and. is' appended;' 'tbisb'ow th'a't, .'apparcntl.y,,.,the''• olacfi'-; is"' siiicere' : ih' bis wish;;for a meeting.- ..The agree.qie.htv runs as fblld'ws:— .;;,'...-,•-;• .-.-,•!.:• ■..;>''- ■ j.:-.'.;-. •. - ;''Fbrm/..of'.'agreement--'.entered'.' ihtp- this eleveptlj'day of August, 1909, between Jack .Jbtipsbh,^.of• Galveston, Texas, and 'James'J. Jeffries,; of "Los' ;Augeles,' ;Califdr'nia.';"";;'"*."V: ; : I .. ;''lt!- is. '.agreed- between, these- men-; mutually 'that T.thcjv.shall;-box. a-:certain 'r.aiimber' of rounds,'the same to.be-anywhere.from .twenty to'lOO.i.i'pr.. the hcavyiweight championship 0 f the n;orld: -.. .- ', ' ■■ -■..'.■ ';-..-'...-. '■'~. •/ '."Contest to bc. ; held .before -the; club'.offering the".b'esti'ihducemoilts, .and .'.mutually.'/ .agreed upon"Tiy.!.the; cpntestants.•. ■■•"''....'■•':■'. •.J'Thb..'-aivi3ioh.-of..siicU;.'pur's'e shall, be on a basis-of either; 60, per cent.' and .10 ■ per cent, to. Winner-and- loser, respectively; m-' 75 p C r ;ccht. a.n,d 25 per cent;..or winner may: be permitted .to,, take'tile entire amount,. .The'de- ■ cisibh'in ■. this .matter 'to;rest witli James J Jeifries.'.. : .' '; ..■'■..'■'.- ■•'■■.'. '".Tub suin of 500(1 dollarseach'isto; beposted -with. Charles A;,..Cdmiskey,..of Chicago, as a pnarahtce - of. Ropd,' ; .faith;.. and /tho..fulfilment by.eabh.sidfl'.pf. fhb.'tpi'iiis of; this-agreement.'' Said; mbney:t.b.l)e;.posted''withih. 72 hours. It is further agreed 1 -that.'the 'above-named 5000 dollars 'shall..operate;-as-a'Vside- bet on the result of. the' contest.. ■'';' ■. ■ , , ; "It!is further';agieed that tho cliib will be selected mid mutually ; agreed,'-upon" GO days from- date, ;nt- which' time alt. further* details will be mutually ngrced.upor..- - ■'■■... .'"Contest to take place,,not later than six .months from .date df' selecting club and . the signing, of final articlos., •■:..',.■;.•'•; .. M'lntosh isrepprted tostill have great/ hope's of bringing, tho meeting about uuder 1 his'-'mnungement,. and/ says ..that., his. offer purse'is; the...best,'b,oriK ;fide offer made , to dale," Jeffries'-, attitude., is perplex-inK-r indeed, .and'.- has. brought/ him ; into-sopie :disfavour.;in .America.,, It -is'.suppojed. that.

[ his coyness is due to'a determination'to hnvo the purse so divided -that -he shall get the lion's share,. "wjn,,.draw,„or,lose;" and this demand is rightly looked upon as rapacious, seeing that,. after -,all.-. he is - only the chal/lenger, .and not' the existing'champion. In the meantinie, boxing .enthusiasts are' awaiting, with interest - tho news of ; the. result .of Johnons's meoting with Stanley Ketchcl, which, is scheduled to take . place today. Another' American'' battlo of, which so far, we have received no tidings, is the long-awaited clash - between .Ketohef and the .negro "Sam", Langford,, which was set down for September 17. .' , • , 'A'contest of some'importance was boxed'on' Wednesday; October- 6, at' the Stadium', Sydney,' between our late visitor, Rudolph Unholz, and the Australianwejter-weight champion. The. "Daily Telegraph" describes the encounter ,as follows:—"George Johns, .the .hitherto unde- ' feated welter-weight champion of Australia, suffered his first defeat at the Stadium,' Rushcuttjr i.Bay.'last night, at the glands.of Rudolph Unholz, who, was once ' regarded■ as' the lightweight; champion of the world.' The contest lasted'the full 20 round's, but/the margin of Soints by which, the American gained the vericf was unmistakable.■ .He: conceded probably a stone in .'weight to the' Australian, and still lie '.'forced" the fighting.'right."through, repeatedly'boring in"'and bewildering Johns'by that' variety and cleverness' of infighting which distinguishes the methods of the majority of 'American boxers. ' Johns Had been absent from'the. ring l tor several years,'but there were no evidence's; that he lacked.' his former brilliancy. His defeat was partly due to tho i.fact that' he'had 'had little' experience' in.Un- :. holz's methods;.but under any circumstances J-the ..American, showed sheed' and -cleverness which -■_ richly entitled ■ him to ; the verdict. Several thousand people were''present;"'"' '