BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 811, 7 May 1910, Page 10

BOXING.

(Br MrncuitT.)

THE RECENT TRAGIC EVENT. Tho tragic end of "Tommy" M'Carthy in the ring at San Francisco on Saturday last, and its bearing upon public opinion regarding what is still erroneously termed "prize-fighting," has been the chief topic among boxing enthusiasts during the week. The affair is a sad one for M'Carthy's people and friends, and almost as sad for Owen Moran, but it is in its wider aspect, that the accident—for accident it was—is viewed with concern by lovers of the sport. Just at present boxing is very much in the public eye—chiefly on account of the Jeffries-Johnson match—and, with the increase of public interest, has arisen a proportionate increase in the denunciations of those to whom the sport is anathema. The present regrettable incident is bound to have the effect of stirring up this opposition in providing a further lever wherewith to labour for the overthrow of the so-called "prize-fighting"—notwith-standing that "prize-fighting" has been dead and buried these many years. Moreover, and this is the worst feature, the occurrence will tend to antagonise many who hithorto have been indifferent on tile subject—worthy folk who have no objection to boxing per se, but who will take the attitude that if boxing exhibitions are to be attended with danger to life then it is time that they were done away with. And to the average citizen, who is unacquainted with the conditions and circumstances of the average ring contest, this seems to be a reasonable standpoint. But it is not. The same argument can be used against football, hunting, yachting, mountaineering—in fact, against nearly all manly sports and games. What is wanted is not the abolition of boxing contests, but an emphatic insistence that human life is not endangered by the absence of reasonable precautions. To those who know, it is a truism that it is the accidents in the sport, and not the sport itself that bring about these regrettable occurrences. The damage that a boxer can sustain at the hands of an opponent can be disposed of in a sentence —to alwell-trained man inbound health it is nothing. . Invariably, .boxing fatalities' aro duo either to. some physioal defect in the boxer, or to'the absence "of some reasonable precaution in the surroundings of tho contest.' The first of these circumstances can he guarded ■igainst by the enforced, production of medical certificates as to podily fitness by participants in such exhibitions. The gloves are generally liable to police inspection, and. if this inspection were taken further and applied to the ring gear the "reasonable precaution" condition could be enforced with the greatest ease. With boxers who have satisfied competent medical authority as to their physical soundness, and a ring with an adequately padded floor and corner posts, the danger to life in a boxing contest would be cut down to a very small minimum indeed. In the present case there is nothing to hand about the ring conditions. We are simply told that M'Carthy's head struck the floor. At the same time, the writer is emphatically of the opinion that the floor was either simply a' board ono or formed of canvas stretched over boards. If this was. so, then M'Carthy's death does not lie at Owen Moran's door, but at the door of the management that conducted the "contest, and which omitted to take reasonable precaution to safeguard life.

In the Dominion there can bo no risk of such an accident occurring. Medical certificate's and proper padding are stringently insisted upon by the police at every tournament. The local boxing floor, is composed of thick cork linoleum laid down upon a layer' of thick felt, over which tho ordinary canvas is stretched. Tlie news of "Billy" Elliott's capture 6f the Australian "feather" championship ■ from "'Sid" Sullivan has been received throughout tho: Dominion with the utmost„satisfaction., ~ A .full report, or the contest appeared in Friday's issue, .from which, and other accounts in the Sydney papers, it appears that tho ex-Timaruvian out-boxed his opponent like a veteran. When the two met before, Elliott waded in, and fought his man, and so rushed to his doom. This time he was wiser, and was content to Btand ; off and box, and allow' the points to .'mount up;' His great faculty for drawing his adversary, and his skilful footwork,, which,were so' pronounced in his showings here, combined with splendid condition, enabled him- to outpoint the- redoubtable "Sid," and narrow though the margin ■of -victory must have been, it was enough.to secure to hiin the coveted title. 'It.now.remains for him to cerheni his claim to it by beating Prank ThornO; tho .lat.o; deposed champion,' who, if he can make, the""weight, is certain to-chal-lenge tho't.New Zealander's right to th& honour, and it looks as though. Thornfc will give Elliott -great trouble. .'■.. Thome'is faster than Sullivan, but not such a "mixer;" so Elliott's speed ■ will not be such an asset against the former.. Apparently Sullivan couldn't: catch him—it was tho old.story .of "hit, stop, and. get away" in the present bout—

against Thorne Elliott will not get away so often, and, consequently, he will need to get in more to even up. and it is in that the trouble will be. However, from Thome's recent coyness, it secnis that the weight will trouble him, and, if he cannot "draw it strong," the" chances are that he will not risk defeat.

.T. Moloney, the Now. Zealand "heavy" champion, has made a had start-"on the other side." After .waiting for some time in Sydney for a match, he was, as was noted Inst 1 week, signed-on to meet "Iko" Stewart., at the Gaiety, on Saturday w'eok last, and seemed to have at least got his chanco to qualify for better things. However, for somo reason not slated, Moloney "quit," and apparently placed the management in difficulties, which, besides being poor sport, was, as he will find to his cost, decidedly bad business. ' . ••'■_. , Last Wednesday night, at the Stadium. Sydney "Mike" Williams .and "Pat" O'Keeffe were billed to hayo met in their third match. This contest will be the "rubber,". as so far each has scored a win. A Melbourne match of importance is scheduled for Monday, which date. will see Prank Thorne _ late featherweight champion of 'Australia, once more meet the South African Arthur Douglas, over whom he already holds a decision. Our late visitor, "Boh" Fitzsimmons, either has a poor memory or else he is growing fickle-minded in his old age. When in Wellington and questioned about tho big fight ho emphatically gave expression to the opinion that Johnson would beat Jeffries. Now we read that, at a reception to the old gladiator in Brisbane, he asserted that Jeffries will win easily, and gives his reasons thus: "Johnson is frightened of Jeffries. Jeffries is a big, strong- fellow, and will tear into Johnson in a way that he has never before experienced, Johnson can't hit hard enough to beat Jeffries; he has never knocked a man out yet, and he is not likely to do it to. Jeffries. I reckon it will just be an easy thing for Jeffries," said Fitzsimmons. "Can Jeffries get into condition?" Fitzsimmons was asked. "You take my word, -Jeffries found that he could regain his old form before he decided that ho would meet Johnson, nnd when in proper condition ho is a powerful man. Why, J hnve seen him lift a man weighing 2301b. and throw him bodily against a wail. He'll win, sure." .-

Now "Bob" is in the comfortnble position of being able to say: "Well, what did I tell you?" however the battle goes, Another Brisbane item of interest to Wellingtonians is that our late amateur middle and welter-weight champion, "Gus" Devitt, was to hnve met "Ted" Johns in a return match last Monday night. It will he remembered that, when the men met the first time some few weeks ago', Devitt was knocked out when leading on points, so there is a big chance thai:, when tho mail comes next week, it will bring news of a win for tho New Zrolander.

The mooted return match between "Tommy" Burns and "Bill" Lang is "off." The Victorian damaged a hand badly in the late conflict, and has besii forbidden by his medical man to engage in another for three months and. as Burns by that lime will be en.route for America to carry out his engagement with Langford on September 4,-the affair has been, abandoned. Moreover, it is reported that Lang is also going to America shortly—early next month iu fact—under tho management of Mr. D.

M'lntosh. Nothing definite has been arranged in 4 the way of matches. Presumably his first efforts will b« made among the second-raters, in which division he should havo no difficulty, in booking engagements. Intelligent lias boon received that in a contest for the feather-weight championship of England "Jim" Driscoll, the holder, defeated "Spike" Itohsou in fifteen rounds. Also that "Billy" Papke, the American middle-weight and ox-champion of tlin world in that division, lias been taking advantage of the boxing boom in Paris, whore last month he knocked out a compatriot in the person of "Will" Lewis m the third round.

According to W. W. Nutighton's American letter to tho "Referee," under date March 22, the locale of the big battle on huly I has been finally fixed, and tho designing of tho Stadium for the encounter was then being attended to. The venue is to bo Emeryville, a small municipality across the bay from San Francisco, and easily attainable by both steamer and train in twenty-five minutes. The building to be erected is to scat 30,00(1 spectators, at prices ranging from five to hif.y dollars. There is much gossip, but practically no iiiiw.i to hand, of the great event and its participants, excepting as regards the training arrangements.. One item of interest is that. Jeffries has announced that ho hns got down to within seven pounds of his ring weight—lGst. lib.—which may bo so, or which may ■ not. Curiously enough, Jeffries's sparring partner has been a negro—one .Bob Armstrong—and his establishment also includes a big wrestler yclept "Parmer" Burns, and is to be augmented further by the addition thereto of Prank Gotch, the wrestling champion, and old-timer ".rim" Corbett. Tho menage has gono into training quarters at Kowardennan, a resort in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

.Johnson was to have begun serious training on May 1 at Seal Rock House, where ho underwent his preparation for his bout with Stanley Ketchell, but the personnel of his framing staff had not been mtuto public when the mail left. The American correspondent of the London "Sportsman" says that the only names- being considered lor the all-im-portant office of referee are E. Garney, ■!. Walsh, and E. Smith, all cf San Francisco, but of course this is a' matter for arrangement between tho boxers themselves. On April 2D a match that middle-weight champion Stanley Ketchell has side-step-ped for so long was to have come about in Philadelphia—a bout with the negro Sam Lnngford. The title would not be in question, as the contest by law could only' be a six-round affair, so it has not created the stir that s«eh a meeting under championship conditions would have done. Still Ketchell would be almost sure to insist upon the middle-weight limit, so it would appear that Burns will have the best.of the weights in the September contest with tho black, as the latter could hardly pick up over a 6tono by then. Tho Wellington Boxing Association has applied for the use of the Town Hall for its annual amateur championship tourney on June 22 and 23. ' .