BURNS BEATS LANG.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 789, 12 April 1910, Page 5

BURNS BEATS LANG.

ON POINTSCAUTIOUS FIGHT: NO FIREWORKS.! Ur Teleeraph—Press Association—OoDyrlEht (Roo. April 12, 1.30 a.m.) Sydney, April 11. : The boxing match between "Tommy" \ Bums, formerly world's champion, and the j Victorian, "Bill" Lang (champion of j Australia), for the heavy-weight .championship of the Commonwealth, resulted in a win for Bums on points, after twenty rounds had been fought. The contest was witnessed by 15,000 people. The fight was not characterised by any. hard-hitting, throughout the whole twentyrounds, the contestants contenting themselves with boxing . cautiously for a knock-out, : which never came. The'feature, was the clever evasive work of Burns, and the improved ring generalship of Lang. ■■.-■'' Burns endeavoured to finish his opponent in the third round, but no serious damage resulted. About the tenth round the Victorian appeared to weaken, and it looked as if the end was in right. However, he fought out the rounds, but Burns always held Lang well in hand. [In their first match Burns knocked Lang out in tho tisth' round, although in the second Lang ' had knocked the: world's' champion down * with' a blow which kept him on the-floor; for eight of nine'seconds.] '■*•.• *'-■■■ ; ~

BURNS ANd'IANGFORD. :,. '-~

When Bnrns was given JE6ooo—win, lose, or drawH:o meet Johnson, he . (Burns) Was champion of the world, and ' a match between him and Jack Johnson looked the biggest. thing possible in the boxing line, remarks the "Referee." : Some people considered the money an enormous , :, amount, and marvelled; at the drawing power of one party to a, contest, being rated so highly as to jostify the pay-: ment to him of a small fortune, ■• un-; trammelled by conditions of' any kind, except that he should go into the ring' arid fight.... ■ - ; ~..■-. .:. Burns is not champion of the world now, nor has i he.engaged in a match of any 6ort since, Boxing Day, 1908, yet he' has a market value to-day higher by a great deal than when he .stood on the , top-most pinnacle of the game, for Burns '. has received and accepted an offer at: .£SOOO to box Langford in Trisco on September 5 ("Labour Day") next, and the money mentioned will be paid Bnrna whether he wins or loses, or the contest is declared a draw. The proposal came from- Hester, the proprietor of the structure at Richmond, near Oakland, ■■ California, wherein ."Battling" Nelson.. and Adolph Wolgast boxed for the light-:, weight championship of tho world on .Feb- . ruary -22 last; . , The "Referee's" American letter, published on the 23rd. ult, told how. Jim Flynn had (on February 9) fought the battle of his life, and whipped Sam Langford decisively in a ten rounds' bout..'. Next .day Flynn. and' Langford were , matched to box 45 rounds on March 17.: (St. Patrick's Day) and a private cable-< gram received in Sydney since told.-that : Langford knocked Flynn ont in the ■; seventh round, breaking his, jaw. ■•:"-., Burns and Langford are a fine match i physically, and in other respects. Next) month Tommy will be 29 years of age. j In February last Langford saw his 30th 1 birthday. Burns:is ,sft. 7in. and Lang-j ford sft. 7Jin. high. Burns will ,weighs in thorough condition! about 12st. 71b., and Langford about the same, or very little less, and each has a very long reach for his height..■■>• :. ■■: ■ , What a go this bringing together of, the two greatest light-heavy-weights in j. the world should result in! Certainly] a far better battle than the world wide-,, boomed JohnsonJeffries clash,'. which is • not unlikely to:'prove- a big disappoint-1 : ment. '•■'..-■■ ' _ ■;■{. ii