IN THE RING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1240, 23 September 1911, Page 12

IN THE RING.

.. HOW TO FIGURE OUT LESTER? (Br "Mebcdri.") September 2!)—Tracy v A. Gault (Wanga- . nui). October 2.—World's Championship; John- ' son v. Wells (London). October 20.—Tracy v. Murphy (Millerton). > , October 31.—Tracy v. Kelly (Dunedin). ' 30. — World's Light-weight Championship; Wolgast v. Welsh-(ban Francisco). Jack Lesfsr.—Ono Newspaper Excited. Opinions in Sydney seem to differ as to the iiew Australian , heavy-weight champion. The "Referee" gets looso among the printing machinery in this strain:—, . "Jack Lester i proved himself a tig'er with Lang. Such tenacity of purpose, such invulnerability to the power of that weapon known to the fancy as tho 'bunch of fives,' and wielded by an opponent in: a real stand-up affair, did Lester exhibit that he had tho onlooking or'.eight thousand people marvelling. ". And tho tiger was not only 6hown in-his persistency, but we saw it in the fierceness, and, withal, coolness . of tho man. Jack Lester is' as tough as whit ' leather. His ribs and body generally.' might have been iron-bound, for all the apparent effect that Lang's attentions to that particular region hed upon tho rushing, crashing sft 9in. man ho was thero to try and beat. And . had Lester's head been it could hardly have shown less ti'iisibility to punishment; but in his own crudo way he managed remarkably well.' to ' keep the point of the chin clear of v trouble. while taking some heavy thuds between there and the ear. The American surprised his bast fricads." .'.The "Bulletin" is Cautious. . The "Bulletin" is more cautious in its' valuation, but tho "Bed Lady's" say-so on boxing has to bo recoivcd with hats off." Says tho big Sydney journal:— Except for its strenuousness tho battle had little to commend it. Lester displayed about 3in. of scienoo to' the squaro yard' of undefined onfall. Xang, with long experience, could do nothing to stop his whirling opponent, and if it had been a' "finish" fight, tho Australian would probably have been knocked out, despite the fact that he was in good trim. Lang advances the excuse that his hand weat back on him again, and that he ■was not properly well. No good! Lang is a' second-rater—that's all. The jmknown Lester, by defeating Lang, "gets a pass into the upper ; circles of the game, and as things sfand lie_ should represent tho white man -against M'Vea, Langford, or , , even Johnson at the Stadium this , season. - He is <tu> unassuming lad, and, although his chanco of walloping the ; big "coons" seems hardlv worth hoping for, Australians will hope'on-just the same. He has the' qualities from which champions are bnilt, and can take punishment like a wooden man, but lie is woefully inexperienced, and lie. hasn't time to - make i3p the deficiency before the ' murky brigade will be-hurling upper'cuts and other discourtesies at nim. Still he is lucky to get the opportun- ; ity that M'lntosh will probably give him within tho next few months,'and eveffrff ho gets all the kicks he'll cortainly get a fair ■ cut _ of the ha'pence. " And, anyhow, it is bet- , ter to kayo punched and failed than. ■ to had no; chance to punoh at all. ,Lest«r's next fight will be on Sep- ■ , tember 30, against Sam M'Vea, the : oolohred-man, who is. expected to. wear Johnson's ring-shoes when that gold-mounted piece of ebony steps ; out, 'or is ppnehed out, of them. The Sydney "Telegraph" is Rude. In one report, tho Sydney "Daily Telograph" is -distinctly- scathing. 111 fact, it is almost rude, and says: Lester won on points' after 20 rounds, but his showing disclosed that the outlook for the whites is poor. Against a skilled irtist of the Johnson -type he could not: live five rounds. He would-be "pie" for Langford, and M'Vea would" "eat him up a3 an pntreei'"' Yet ho Tieat Lang, • the man billed jas. "the liope ; of - the whito race." --Lester ;'is a crude fighter. Ho has no nore science than a platypus has fea;hers. His leads against Lang were ri-', lic'ulons. He was tho butt for a great leal of punishment. That ho stood up xi it all was Certainly an indication of lis capacity to take hard knocks, but t was also a glaring advertisement of ;he ineffectiveness of the other man's lunches. He was as wide open as the iydney Heads. Lang had no difficulty n hitting him. His trouble was that ie could not hurt him. Lester apparently, an take smashes from a'.lllb. hammer rithout being greatly distressed—smashes, if course, on parts- that are not vulnerible. '■ Lang has not a 111b. hammer punch n his irepertoiro. They certainly appeared 0 be" of the butterfly variety when-ap-ilied to Lester. fhe Sydney "Sun" is Graphic. The "Sun" also presents it 3 estimate of he winner's prowess in tho following Taphic description of tho contest-.— "Although Lester won, and had tho satisfaction, as a new hand, of defeating he champion, he did not show any improvement, as far as skill was concerned, n his. first engagement in Sydney. Ho ras still the raw, untutored fighter, who Upended on his punching power and bility, to assimilate punishment to carry ira through. From the start he did not jako any attempt to spar for openings, to simply went at his man with -both ' ands playing. His punches, howover, if I not seem to trouble Lang greatly in to early part of the' fight, and it looked s if tho Australian was playing a waitig game, and intended that Lester should eat himself. He allowed Lester to do lost of the leading, chopped bis leads side,' and waited until the clinches to ip his right in with deadly effect. :But Lester was a surprise packet. The unishment did not worry him, but aftor nir or fivo rounds he.seemed to bo tirig. • JIo moved more sluggishly than preloudy, and liis punches appeared to lack ?o snap that had been.in evidence in his penirig spurt. Round after round was laimetl by Laag. Ho took Loster's right od.v punches -on his gloves, chopped aside is leads, and sending an occasional right rer followed them up with vicious right ips while the American held on. AlTthotime, however, Lester kept right p to his work, and managed to open le old wound over Lang's eyes. At this ;age of tho prooecdings Lang had all w best of things, particularly when on ie aggressive. On every occasion on hich he attacked he had it over Lestor, lit unfortunately for him his efforts wore ever long sustainad. He invariably eased p wheii he should have kept going, and [lowed the American, the opportunity ho as looking for. While Lang was in tho lead, howover, must not be thought that Lester, was lie. Ho was busy all the time, but he as not doing the amount of work that as heing put in by his oppon'ent." It was in tho twelfth round that the mcncati went to the front strongly. Not lying tho slightest heed to Lang's jabs, .pht; crosses, and body rips, he (Vre in jth renewed vigour, having got his «c----ld wind, and laid about tho Australian 1 good style. Ho swung his left, throw javy rights, and on ono occasion drovo an# hard on to tho ropes with a smaslistraight left. Then Lang's attack oakened. It was neticod that ho had opped using his right, and tho word went iimd tho ring tiiat once more his right inmb had gone tuck on him. Not a word as to any injury was given it from fhe Australian's corner, but, all ie same, those who were watching close- ■ n«tice<l that while, ho -had previously iponded mostly on. his right ho was now imp his attacking with his otter hand, o jabbed and hooked with tho left, but io pnnchcs were not stiong, and did not <*)iuvonience Lester in the slightest Tho ttiorican went 'After Lang in a determined ■silica, and in tho sixteenth round, when lot of olean punching waa indulged in, ■light stronger,, and with monj iilo ia.

him than his opponent. He took a strong lead, and attacked with s-uch vigour that Lang tired, and'was glad to hang on and rest. Frequently tho American toro himself free from the clinches, and as soon, as ho got uway slammed Lang unmercifully with both hands. Lang, of course, fought back as well as possible, but his punches lacked steam, whereas each ono landed by Lester hurt. < Tho two final rounds wero fought at hurricane paco. Lester extended himself to his utmost, and working b6th hands incessantly piled up a tremendous lot of points. He had Lang weakened, and yet when tho final gong clanged his (Lester's) appearance suggested his being capable ot going on for another 20 rounds. Should we not Suspend Judgmont It will bo seen from the above that it is hard to place Lester. He must be considered as'still upon his trial—at any Tate until to-night week. Then ho is to meet "Sam" M'Vea, and if ho can win or even mako a. good showing against the ex-idol of Paris, we shall be ablo to measure his work by tho Langford standard. Apparently there is littlo, if anything, to chooso between the two black "Sams," and if Lester can show himself to be in their class then thero can be no saying how far the precocious youth will go. So judgment is suspended until next week. The Interviews after the Match. Bcforo leaving this topic it may .bo of interest to learn what the principals in the battle had, to say in the inevitable post-bellum interviews. The, -, winner wound up his "say so" modestly,' according to the'"Sun." It smacks of the familiar humbug of these ring men, but here it is: "But don't think I had an easy win. : Not on, your life! That fellow- Lang is 'one of tho toughest I've met. It was n stiff battle; but I never at any time lost the confidence with which I started, , "Do I feel surer about 'Sam' M'Vea? Well, I can't say that; but I'll do my , best. ' I'm no marvel, I know; but I reckon: that 20 rounds is not too bad .■ • for a 'fellow of 20 years." Tho picture of'Lang in the bitterness of defeat is rather a pathetic one. and small ,woriderj considering. The "Sun's" reporter writes: — Lang, when_ seen in his dressingroom, had his head bowed in his hands, and was whistling with pain. When his right glove and bandages - were : removed it'was seen that the trouble was with flic thumb',' which was swollen up considerably. "It's' my old trouble," he remarked, mournfully. "My . hands—my right hand. When did it go? It went pretty early—in' tho. fifth, I think. After that, every time I Used it it hurt me. "No, I'm r.ot going to say anything about the decision.- I only know it , was very close, and that . Lester is a champion strong man. I also think I must have underrated him, and held him too cheap after that round. I was not as strong as I ought to ■have been, because .of the influenza I was suffering, from a few days ago. Also, something I had for tea to-night —I don't know what it was—gave me other trouble. . "I certainly thought I was going to win,-even though I had not felt too strong in my training bouts with Squires." ''That's right," put in the farmer, , who was standing close by., "You were n'othing near so dangerous as in our fight in Brisbane last month.'' This -plaint of Lang's takes "Mercury" back a week. Last Saturday, in anticipation, he wrote"There is, >of course, the possibility that Lang was not at his best. The : men.;,^vero.. ; to lave met on (the. Saturday preWusH.'but Lang was .laid aside by a bout:of influenza, and so a postponement became necessary. A week is litle enough time in which to shake off .the effects of 'such an attack and no doubt this excuse will be made for the Australian." A Letter ,from Owen Tancred. Last week it was mentioned in these notes that 'a letter had been received in town from Owen Tancred, the local middle-weighty amateur champion, at present .on.a visit. to Sydney, on boxing matters on the other side, and some extracts were promised. Theso follow, and should prov«_ of interest. By tho way. the "J.immy" Hall mentioned in the letter, lost to Frank Fitzjohn on September 12, on points—thrpugh a bad decision. Tancred says:—"Of course, wo have been to all the fights that iavo been held sinco I arrived, and I am not too eager to see some of them aagin. I have como to the conclusion that the only bettor men than ours are the "topno tellers," that our best amateurs could could keep their end up with, any, bar the few at the top of tho tree. The Dominion stirred up -tlio ama- • teurs last tournament in Wellington for not training. What would The Dominion say if it saw a professional walk into the ring with a corporation 'that would do justice to any city alderman? . That is' what happened at the Gaiety in tho 'recent "Bill" , :■ Williams-lL'UTath fight.' , Williams went a couple of rounds, and then sat down, and was counted out. v. It was sheer want of breath. I was just trying to picture "the Doctor's" face refereeing-at the Gaiety. Tho yolling and advising that goes on wa3 a. revelation to me.

They are booming-"Jimmy" Hill here. I was out to see him sparring yesterday, and I think that Frank Ellis would keep him very busy. In fact, I think Frank would hold his own with , any of his. weight here. I have had a few spars with several of them at their training quarters. I have met a boxer named "Tom" Townsend. You will remember that ho beat Percy Hale lately. He was asking about Wellington, and I told him that there was a man about his weight over there—lreland, of Waipawa. Townsend 'says that ho can get tho middle ■ weight, and would like to get a match in New Zealand, and I told him , that I Mould mention it to . you. He ■ seems a very steady fellow, and follows his trade all day, just boxing in his sparo time. His Word on "Bill" Rudd.. "I saw Rudd win the other night. Ho does not seem to havo altered in his boxing at all. Anyhow, Maloney was .''pie" for him. I have also seen "Len" Porter, and asked him if he had any thought of going, hack, .'but he stated that Sydney was.good enough for him for some timo yet. . / Our middle-weight champion winds up his interesting letter with the following postscript:—"Remember mo to Tim Traoy. Tell him they have a big opinion of Hannan on this side:" Johnson Has Booked for Australia. The cabled repoTt from the London "Sportsman" that "Jack" Johnson had been forced to cancel his Australian tour, on accotint of injunctions taken out in London to prevent him breaking his musichall contracts, is denied by Mr. H. D. M'lntosh in Sydney. ' Tho Australian promoter states , that ho has heard nothing of any alteration in his business arrangements with Johneon, and that tho ohampion has actually engaged passages in tho Orvieto for himself, his wife, his valet, and two motor cars, and that ho is to bo-on hand to meet "Sara" M'Vea on Boxing Day. ■ Two other ■ engagements of Mri Jl'lntosh's are now announced. They aro "Jimmy" Clabby, who was out in Sydney last season, and "Jim" Flynn, tho "Pueblo Fireman," who knockcd out Al. Kauffman some little while back in tho States. Percy Hale Comes out of his Cave, Percy Hale, the ex-Wellingtonian, has made his reappearance in the ring, after a long rest. It-will be remembered that; after a long succession of wins, ho was beaten by Armstrong, and was immediately after ordered by his medical man to take a long spell from training. On Monday week he emerged from liis retirement to meet "Bill"- Walsh in Melbourne. " The '"Referee" account of tho engagement read's:— Tho contest was merrily" waged in favour of Hale to the eighth round. The Sydncyito was continually carrying the ba-ttle- into the Victorian's angle, and it was while fighting back desperately at this stage that Walsh .coanected two'fcu'd rights, Halo was

down for nine seconds. Halo resumed in fairly good shape, but after an c.vchango of light blows Walsh drovo another hard right, toppling his opponent over. Eight seconds wero . counted over the visitor when the call of "corners' 1 saved further trouble. Then the towel enmo in. Halo was well ahead on points at the t.imc ho was stopped. Discomfiture Looks for Porter. "Len" Porter, too, has been getting into trouble. This is tho story of his foolishnoss:—'"A small' 'house' ■ witnessed an uniutoresting battle at t'ho Gaiety, between 'Leu' Porter, of Now Zealand, and Williams, of tho Rocks.', Williams had slightly the better of things in tho first round, but lack of condition prevented him following up his advanatga in the second, when he looked liko losing on a foul. Sovoral times. Williams wrenched, palmed, and wrestled. Porter sent him to tho boards with a left flush on tho nose, and ho foolishly chopped tiro or three rights to the head while his opponent was down, whereupon. Referee George Eager disqualified him." In Blenheim, Last Saturday. In Blenheim, last Saturday, the Arthur Kelly-Jack Griffin argument eventuated as per schedule. The Press Association did not deign to telegraph the result, consequently it - has been supposed in town during tho woek that something must have occurred to prevent the bout taking place. "Mercury" however, has rocoived private advices that Kelly won all the way in eight rounds, the towel being thrown in at' that stage. In the preliminary "Sailor" Dunn knockcd out Sainsbury in the fourth round. "Mercury's"' correspondent describes the sailor as a "good man at his weight, and now working on a timber l scow here." Han nan and Tracy. One way or other, the thing will have been decided wlnan these notes appo-".r. Tracy will either have cemented his grip on the light man's crown by scoring the first win that has fallen to his lot in his native city, or will have handed the glittering bauble over to -Hannan, the invader from West Maitland. In' either case, it is extremely probable that the title will form the subject of another discussion between the two in five or six week's time, as the Northern Association is already endeavouring to arrange a return match. Hannan is inclined to stay with us, provided that expenses can be be arranged, and, as*the Aucklanders are not unwilling to meet him, the matter is some way forward. It is not altogether "in the lap of the gods." The collision will bo dealt with in full next week.