BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1002, 17 December 1910, Page 12

BOXING.

(By "Mcrcury.-I Thero is a total absence of boxing news in tho Dominion, for which reason this week's remarks arc confined to Australian happenings—particularly Austra-lian-American happenings. Chief among these of late has been the Mejiegan"Cyclono" Thompson contest, allegedly for tho liglit-weight championship of Australia. Aud a most disgraceful affair it appears to have been. Whether the promoters, the Stadium management, were a party to what can only bo stigmatised a fraud foisted upon tho Australian public, it is impossible to say. It is to bo hoped not, but for their own good and'tho good of tho sport, all manner of caro should be taken that such a proceeding as the pitting of a man of tho Australian's poundage, 9st. 851b., against the American's lljst., in a contest advertised as being a light-wciglit championship fixture, is rendered impossible in the future.

Of course, tho management can, and no doubt do,. shelter themselves behind the terms set down in the articles, which stated that Thompson must mako the "light" limit, 10st., or forfeit XSO. Still the fact remains that, despite hard training, Thompson weighed m at over list. 71b., that is, he was actually in tho heavy-weight class. It must have been known to some of tho executive, men who aro supposed to bo closely in touch with the sport, that the American could not possibly get tho lOst. limit. It would only be necessary to soe the man to have this forced home. Men who know boxing and boxers as theso men do, or should, could never be deluded into mistaking an 11-Jst. than for a light-weight. Tho ,£SO forfeit clause was, from Thompson's viewpoint, doubtlessly a clever piece of business, from tho viewpoint of his, opponent and tho public it was a dishonourable and most unsportsmanlike "point." Its presence in tho articles led Mehegan and the public to believo that Thompson's asseverations that ho could make tho lOst. limit were genuine. Never for ono minute, did it occur ;to them that it was merely tho sprat to catch 1 tho mackerel. Tho mackerel certainly was caught—a whole shoal of him in tact. Thompson's agreement with the Stadium people gives him a percentage of takings per match, and as the "gate" drawn was the largest over seen in the Stadium with tho exception of tho Burns-Johnson affair, the c£so forfeit was well spent. It must have come back nearly tenfold. A peculiar feature of the fiasco,. and one that is exciting much comment here, is tho attitudo taken by tho "Sydney Ifefereo" over tho affair. The "Referee has bscn looked up to as tho caretaker and guardian of the rights of. Australian boxers and boxing, and it was confidently expected that it would have vigorously denounced tho shady features of the contest, and exercised its undoubted influence in the direction of scouring a fair deal for tho Australian boxer and public. But no, the "Referee" complacently glosses over the objectionable features, and merely contents itself with. 6aying that Mehegan made the best -of a bad job, or words to that effect. Of tho exploitation of Jlehegan and tho > boxing public it has nothing to Eay. . Tho ''Bulletin" is not so mealymouthed. . Its protest runs:—"Anybody who expected 'Yankee Johnny' Thompson, the alleged cyclone from Sycamore, to soak down to lOst. in order to meet Australian 'Hughie' llehegan at that weight at . Sydney Stadium on Saturday night, must have had plenty of expectation. So 'much, in fact, that ho could afford to ■ waste it. When the men were weighed at tho ringside, the American rang tho bell at list. 7Jlb., while the Australian went only 9st. 9Jlb„ and tho iMO which: Thompson had agreed to forfeit if ho passed tho light-weight (lost.) limit was duly handed over.' To air intents and purposes that was the end of tho fight, for all that tho audience—the biggest housed in the Stadium since Johnson met T. Burns therein—got out of it afterwards-.was five rouiids of huddled in-fighting, worth about tuppence a round; At the sound of the fifth gong llehegan ordered tho towel to be hoisted,and Thompson sailed through a galo of hoots for tho, dressing-room. If the Yankee string is so ligntly bound by its contract with tho M'lntosh that it can afford to treat its appearances as a joke, the sooner tho public is shown tho humorous side -of it the better—for M'liitosh.

And Thompson deserved his hoots. It was to be expected that a -man who is a heavy-weight, finding himself opposed to a light-weight, would give, a fine, scrupulously fair exhibition. But that was what tho alleged cyclone from Sycamore did not give. H« was Yankee in the worst meaning of the word, and instead of fighting his light-weight opponent, he roughed, 1 mauled, used his elbow, and • applied.'a. modification of tho strangle-bold with, tho object of forcing his rival's head.'into a position whero he ' could hit- it.' Ho showed no knowledge of how to box, but proved to be a sort of champion rough-and-tumblcr. , As far as boxing was concerned, ho was not in the same street as his opponent; and as a sportsman his name is Mullock. In fact, so unfair were his tactics that it looked as though he was afraid he would Ejet the worst of the deal if ho boxed tairly. The . Stadium ' people are to be blamed for allowing such an unequal contest to take place, and so is the referee for not outing tho alleged cyclone when ho was getting in his elbowwork in tho clinches. These Yankees are given altogether too much latitude. .Of the other Austral-American . battle of which the mail brings news the Sydney "Arrow" says"Clabby's showing with Mark Higgins at tho Stadium on Wednesday night did not leave as good an impression as did his display in opposition to Bob Bryant. Higgins is a more skilful boxer than Bryan-, and it was, therefore, to be expected that he would give Clabby greater trouble than the American boy experienced with tho North Sydney lad. That lance-liko left, which jabbed so much soreness was not shot home anything like as easily on the latest' occasion, and there wero many times when it dropped out of distance. Clabby swung rights and lefts at the atmosphere more often than the skilful boxer he seemed on his first showing should have done, and there wero times when it plainly puzzled him to size situations up accurately. "When Clabby'did make up his mind to do something, he became very busy with both hands, but left himself open all tho time. This suggested that wo wero getting some of what would be called in America tho 'old bull.' "Higgins must often have yearned for a bit moro force, as ho plainly lackcd that useful commodity at times when it might havo helped him a great deal. Still, tho Melbourno boxer put' up a better battlo than most peoplo expected, and, taking into consideration the number of times the visitor missed and the blows which he failed to stop, there was not, at the close of - hostilities, a very wide 'margin in tho -jjoints scored. "Clabby is a cool, deliberate boxer, and he evidently has a good punch in either hand, but liis attack must be measured better and his dofonco improved a fair bit before we can label the lad all wool and a yard wide." Three "Referee" items about boxers well known on this sido:— "Through- Tim Land foregoing his engagement with Gus. Devitt, the Brisbane Stadium management were in n ouandary as to whom they could secure to* fill the breach. Ted Robbie, happening along from Bundaberg, secured the match, but thero was only a limited attendance when the pair shaped up on Saturday night, lfobbio gave his weight as list., and Devitt 10.10. Robbie opened promisingly in the first round.with straight lefts, but tho blows apparently lacked weight. The advantage was only temporary, for after tho initial term he was never in it. EobDio plainly lacked condition, and ia the fourth round ho was down for seven from a left hook. Robbie was dropped half-a-dozen times in tho fifth, and though not badly punished, tho police called a halt, and the verdict went to Jovitt." Wcnand, writing from Launceston (las.) on Saturday last, says: 'Read nnd I wero matched to fight at catch-weights and I consequently gave him over half a stone, Ihrce parts of the spectators said I won, and tho other thought it a draw. Even Read's own friends said it should havo been a draw. I will meet Jack Road anywhere at 9st„ ringside, for a-side, best of 20 rounds, cut the gate as he likes, or winner take all, if that suits him better.'"

Wetland was defeated on points by Head, who, liko himself, is ex-amateur "feather" Australasian champion. A very fine house witnessed the Percy Hale-Bull Nicholls contest at the Waterloo Coliseum last week. Nicholls did a falling act and repeated it so many times without reason that the crowd were soon chockful of disgust. The end was in tho fifth round, when tho towel camo from Nicholls's corner. Percy Hale is an exWellington amateur, and won the local provincial "heavy" championship a few seasons ago. . Some words from old Jem Mace recently deceased"They say I can't stand punishment. How do they know? Nobody over saw me get any!" Which was almost literally true. Again: "They say my heart isn't in the right place. Well, my fist always is!" Once more: "Most men learn, just about enough boxin' to spoil their fightin'. If a man takes the game on at all ho should follow it up till he becomes a regular tommytun [presumably automaton]. Then ho does tho right thins at tho ri"ht time without bavin' to think about it. Old A™ once remarked that tho doctors attrifirited his' fearful "nunch" to his "trice-ups stensor cubiteye." Evidently "triceps extensor cubiti," but not a bad try at it.