BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 912, 3 September 1910, Page 12

BOXING.

(Br Mkecubt.l

THE QUEST FOE A JOHNSON MAN. ■ HAS THE WORLD GOT ONE? .'••..■'' FIXTUBES. . ; ....;/ To-night.—Finals Australasian Championships (Auckland). September B.—Burns v. Langford. September' 15—W.8.A. Tourney, Sid Sullivan t. "Dealer" Wells, Opera House. ' •■■'-....

As the preliminary heats of the Australasian championships at-Auckland were to have; been decided last night,, by'the , time this appears in print the big meeting should.be well under .way. However, for'tho information of readers, the full list of entries is appended:—Bantamweight { M. Hogan (Q.), J. King (N.S.W.), if. -Ellis (Wellington/, and T..O'Brien (Auckland). ' Feather-weights :,- T. .M'Laughlin (Q.), J. E'ead (N.S.W.),' W. D. Shields '(Manawatu), ; and Hegarty ■ (Tiniaru)., ■.Light-weights: F. .'.-■ A. Lacey (N.5.W.),: K.' Simpson (Christchurchj, L. O'Hallo'ran, : and J. G. Thomson. (Auckland); :■ / .Welter-weights:' W. ■. Shaw. (N.S.W,), G. AVatchbrn (Manawutu), i\ Holf and G. ; .olsen (Auckland). Middleweights,:;.-!!., Watson (N.S.W.), G. Mati theweon ..(Otago); -Heavy-weights: v.W." JS'otfr (Q;), P: Doran (Vie.), A. Pooley and' C. Savoury (Auckland); . .-."-*•' •','. : .-.: Might Stand Up'to the Negro. :' : ■ ..-Ever since the championship battle. at Reno-on July 4 English sporting papers have been casting round for a. worthy: opponent for; "Jack" Johnson, and sey-: eral-authorities have been interviewed on the subject. , ; Among them was J. H. Douglas," amateur middle-weight . champion of England, who-will be remembered locally as;a member.of the last English cricket team' that, toured the Dominion. Douglas-has had personal experience of the champion's prowess, as when Johnson was • last: :in England .the amateur had several: training bouts with', him,; and he expresses himself■: as-doubtful the.man,-with the necessary qualifications exists. v f,-He goes'. , 'on .'to sayi— '.:■■ ,-'. --~ ■' "Several -authorities..have mentioned ..]?. J. ',V. Hopley,: thevex-Cambridge -heavyweight, as -a likely "man. Hopley ,was an extraordinarily-fine boxer,' as- he - was so unusually, quick .for a man of ; his 6ize and : weight. Since he. was nineteen., only one man.has stood tip to him for more than one round,: and then it was only, a round arid fifty seconds. No one. else la's', 1 -ever lasted a round. , .He. : in Oft-2-Mn> in. height; his span from fingerUp to* finger-tip is MJiu.; and lie weighs just over 15st. in fighting. trim. \ "Nevertheless, even if Hopley had gone on-box-ing, or were to cbine back, and train on again, I do not believe that he. would uver bn.able :to tackle such; a stiff proposition: .as Jolinson.";. . r '...:. Another Possible Antagonist; v . • On tho other hand,, another expert, Mr. ■Eugene ■ Corri, the well-known v member of the National, Sporting-, Club, who' has -referee'd in T so many big -boxing matches, is decidely optimistic. Hβ even :■ declares that ho knows the man who will dp so, and that nian an. Englishman. ."I am; confident that we do possess ,a man fit to defeat" > the. nigger, and win back, the world's championship.. Tho man 1 set liij.hopes on is Bombardier .Wells. Now; Wells has 1 liot half the' reputation 'he deserves,: simply because most. of his fighti ing-has been done in India, , where he has. never been matched against anyone really first-class; But I have seen him fight, and I kn6w what he can do. , He is only 21 years of age, stands : Oft. 3ih., is finely proportioned, and just the right.build for a lighter. Put'him in the.;hands of a competent "trainer for a few months,- and I guarantee that you will, have a-man really worthy to become. Johnson's opponent.. He has, given up the. Army, and intends to .make: fighting his profession. M : am "quite confident that he is''the coming man—the man to whom we can look to wrest the championship from Johnson."- . Wells t: has already been .referred' to .■•■in'' this column,, when, it -was, reported that in .a "try out" with Gunner .Moif, .he , convinced tW latter gentleman; in.'fto un-:. decided manner that, he) hod-rSiaims .to distinction outside Anny : honoui's. But Johnson! 'That, as Kipling hite;remarked on several, occasions, "is -another' Btory." ■However, if the cabled'intentions, of. : i(r. V'lntosli■ avo borne bnt-by fact, and jtho .tournament: whichvhe has'been, reported, as arranging in England this month comes off, 1 the bombardier will, get his opportunity., Mr. M'lntosh's. idea is to, arrange matches between Lnng, Bnr'ns, and Eng-land's-best, the ultimate winner to get. a match: with; Johnson, (under his management)' on English soil. '.; ' : : ;: Things we ; are Waiting to. Hear About./ ■ ■'• Ndthing.-.jno're has.been heard at thisend of the world of.Mr. M'lntosh's new protege,. Miles M'Leod, the' "unknown," on whose behalf he has hung up a ,£IOOO deposit, for Johnson to, cover. Also, \vo have .beo'n left ..without any further information as■'_' to . the clash between, "Tommy".'. Burns and- "Sam" Langford, which, when the former left "Australia, had been arranged .for September 8 (next Thursday). The locality had not theii been arranged,' and. unless the contest takes: place in Nevada, it would appear that there would be much difficulty in ar-. ranging a meeting place anywhere in the States just now. -The anti-boxing feeling has apparently spread as far as Vancouver, judging from one cable'received during the week that the Mayor of that town had prohibited the-holding of. the Lang-Ketchell "clash" in his domain. " One Doran, Now at Auckland. '..Of a conipetitor' in- thfc Australasianohampionehips, now in progress in Auckland, the Melbourne correspondent of. the "Keferee"-saysi—"Pat Doran, winner of : the , heavy-weight ohampionship at the last Victorian amateur boxing . competitions, has decided to have a try for the Australasian championship, to be decided in New Zealand on September 3. Dot an is going on his own, so to speak, as the .Victorian. Association is of. opinion that none of the .winners in the several classes showed'form good enough to aot as-official representatives in the Australasian con- \ tests. : Doran's friends and admirers,,however, think, so highly of his chance' that, they have subscribed to a fund to see hiit. through. Had the association been at all. successful in the-Australasian chainpiori ships decided at Sydney, last. year,'it' is quite likely that a strong team - would havo been sent to New,' Zealand, The summary -defeats of. .-TSraib ,, - Fullalove (middle-weight) and young Koberteon-(feather-weight)—candidates whom, we cortninly thought would have no great ;difnoulty in ' holding their satisfied the association that Victoria was still very much behind;-the other States in class.'' ' , . : . Our Own September Clashes."Sid" Sullivan and "Dealer" Welle, thti two oracfc Australian "leathers" under engagement to the AVellington Boxing Association for.its tourney on September 15, are to leave Sydney to-day.. At present the. executive-is-busy arranging fitting preliminaries for ; the big match, w.hich should prove to be the best' yet held here,., not even excepting the God-frey-Elliott contest of some years back. If matters 'can be arranged, one of tho curtain:raisers—that betwoen 8.. Ellis and Havill, of Palmerston North—will be. very, well worth while. Ellis will be conceding Havill some soven or eight pounds in weight, and .as the Fnlhierston boy is for.from "easy;" the local champion will be fully-extended. The other "prelim." will most likely be between "Freddy" Kerr and Jfurphy.. In. this instance Kerr will be giving away nearly, a stone, but should just about be able to get his man.