BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1102, 15 April 1911, Page 12

BOXING.

THE EBONY PERSON AND-WHAT? (By "Mercury.-') Why Is Lester Out Here? Two "White Man's Hopes" have come under notice lately. One, "Jack" Lester —"Tommy" Burns's protege—has actually been in New Zealand, en route to Sydney to give battle to "Bill" Lang next month. Just why Lester has come to Australia is rather a puzzle—unless he has come in search of easy money. A contest with Lang dees not seem to hold sufficient inducement for so long a voyage. In the inevitable interview in Auckland, Lesuor stated that he had come to acquire ring experience. Which seems strange considering that Australia has never been so badlv off for "heavies" as she is at present," while the United States are full of useful second-raters, who could provide Lester with all the ring experience which he could possibly want before he could clean them all up. He says that he has fought 30 contests, and won them all, in which case he can be no novice in the ring. In fact, there is no heavy-weight in Australia with any such record who can give him any further experience worth coming all that way for. If he beats Lang, there is no one else to trouble him on this side of the world, while if Lang beats him-well, he will d™le from a "hope" to the smallest of slight expectations." Langford plainly showed that Lang is not in the "hope class, so all the less so will Lester be if Lang beats him. Carl Morris-A "White Man's Hope." The other would-be bearer of the "white man's burden" is Carl Morris, of Oklahoma, who has been mentioned on several occasions in this column as looming big upon the horizon in the States. The exploit which has brought him under immediate notice now is the knocking out of Schrcck, of Cincinnati, in the sixth round of a fifteen-round contest at Oklahoma last week. Schreck was regarded as being in the first flight of "heavies at the timo that "Tommy" Burns was carving his way to the top of tho class. So, by now, he must be somewhat of a back "number, and too much consequence cannot be attached to the event. It is, no doubt, the speed with which he has "got away" with his man, and his immense size that have brought him into notice so quickly. He is bigger than either Jeffries or Johnson both in height and girth. Ho stands Gft. 4in.—nearly 3 inches taller than Johnson—and has the abnormal chest measurement of 40 inches (as agtfinst the champion's 40 inches and JefEries's -16 inches), and his weight is in keeping with his inches. He is said to scale lGst. 111b. In reach, too, he is singularly gifted for the career he , has chosen for his own. He spans a distance of 81 inches—over six inches more than Johnson. With all this avoirdupois and toDnage, Morris is said to be as nimble as tho best, and not at all tho plethoric, slow-moving mass of flesh one would imagine from his measurements. Moreover, he is "on a very easy wicket" as regards his preparation. Waiting for Johnson to Age. Tho last American mail, from which the above particulars were taken, bring 3 word that ho has been taken up by a big Oklahoma oil magnate named F. B. TJfer, who intends to spare neither trouble nor dollars to make a champion out of his protege. The exchange goes on to say:— He will order equipment for a •£IOOO gymnasium with all the latest equipment. Ho will try to hire Bob Armstrong, Joe Choynski, and other well-known trainers to take charge of Morris, who will move his training quarters here. The contract was signed Saturday night at midnight. "We don't expect to win the championship in a week," said Ufer, after the contract was signed. "It is to bo a slow and careful process of training, and Morris will not be sent against tho tough fellows until we are sure he's ready. I think the big fellow has the stuff in him to bring the title back to the whito race, and that's what I want him to do. If he should get in a hurry over it, though, ho might make a mistake. I propose to have him properly trained by the best experts in boxing that can be procured, and if the right man is obtained for trainer everything will be left, in his hands as to whom Morris fights in his training period. He has shown enough class and nerve and ability to punch in his fights so far to warrant the expenditure of all this money to make him a champion."

Morris, by the way, is 25 years of age, so can take a year or so over this careful preparation- (without doing himself nny harm) in the comforting knowledge that Johnson is getting no younger as the days go -by, and that he at least is not benefiting by his wait for another contest. As Mr. W. W. Naughton remarked to a Dominion representative on Tuesday last: "The man that is most likely to beat Johnson is Johnson himself," and the more time ho is given in which to do it the easier should be the task of Carl Morris, "the white man's hope." Some of the Current Exploits. Two world's champions have been engaged of late in combats of some importance. "Ad" W'olgast, the light-weight champion, who, it will be remembered, va« recently out-pointed in a six-round no-decision contest in Now York by "Knock-out" Urown, and who consequently has been somewhat under a cloud, has rehabilitated himself by a decisive win over La Grave, a San Francisco lightweight, considered to be right un in the champion class. La Grave threw in the towel in the ninth round. The other contest was between "Abe" Attell—the world's champion bantam—and 'Trankie" Burns, who recently was given a newspaper decision over "Digger , ' Stanley, tho English champion lately in America. The aifair went lor ten rounds, when the champion secured a knock-out, and so tightened up his grip on tho title. On the night of Wednesday week "Billy" ELliott and "Teddy" Green were to have met at the Stadium. On the previous Saturday at Brisbane one or two visiters of early in the season —"Sid" Sullivan and "Dealer" Wells—clasnoj again, and once more the former got the verdict after a keen struggle going the lull 20 rounds.

To-night "Billy" Elliott has another engagement. He is to meet his old enemy Frank I'itzjohn. At various times, beginning in the Australasian championship in the Opera House here some years ago, these two have met, and have beaten each other, and drawn- with each other until they understand each other thoroughly. It should be a pretty bout. It is reported in Sydney that Mr. Hugh M'lntosh is sending Harry Lewis, welterweight world's champion, to Australia for the next Stadium season, and that "Jimmy" Clabby is to come out again to give Lewis battle.

Smith's Home-coming al Dunedin,

Last week "Dave" Smith was tendered a reception of welcome by the Otago li.A. to celebrate his return to Dunedin. The proceedings are reported as follows in a Dunedin paper:—lt' Jlr. "Dave" Smith, the erstwnile Otago middle-weight amateur champion, who has returned to Dunedin after his successiul career as a professional in Sydney, was not a brilliant boxer, ho would be a clever monologue entertainer. Hβ demonstrated this in a remarkable manner at a reception tendered him last evening by the Otago Boxing Association, when, responding to tho toast of his health (proposed in fitting terms by Jlr. S. S. Myers, one of the vicepresidents of the association) he entertained a large gathering of enthusiasts with amusing anecdotes of his experience in Sydney, lie was particularly happy in his stories concerning the characteristics and quaint methods of the members of the American boxing team—"Ray" llrousou, "Jim" Olabby, "Cyclone" Thompson, and "Billy" Paplcc— with whom he camo in contact not alone in the boxing area but in the training camn. Born in Jfosgiel, Otago, and receiving his earliest instructions in the art from Mr. Davis, of South Dunedin, "Dave" Smith proved an exceptionally apt pupil. As a member of the Otago lioxing Association and competing under its rules, ho won nil the contests he entered for, earning the reputation of being a clean and clever boxer. Smith's career has been meteoric. Joining the professional ranks little more than two years ago, practically as a novice, he quickly won recognition as one of the most brilliant exponents of boxing that New Zealand has over produced. Speaking of liis experiences in

Sydney, the Otago champion confessed that lie had learnt a good deal in the art of toxins, '' llt looked back with pvide on receiving the ground work of his training in Dunedin. Ho explained that the visit of the American team had somewhat revolutionise! the style of boxing in Australia, but ho did not approve of the methods which were opposed to the clean break-away of the Australians and New Zealanders. Kcfemng to (he number of fatalities that had occurred of lata, Smith said that he was strongly of opinion that the law which exists in New Zealand, making it compulsory for competitors to be medically examined before entering (he ring should be mode universal. Of his recent contest with Papko, the American (the only one, by the way, in which he has experienced defeat in his career as a boxer). Smith explained tint the night before the content he was suffering from ptomaine poisoning, and. though he fought well, was not as fit as he might havo been. It is the intention of the Otago chamnion to spend a few weeks in New Zealand, and then tour the world. He. hopes to go to London, which city Mr. Hugh M'lntosh. Mie well-known promoter, has held out inducements for him to visit.