IN THE RING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1295, 25 November 1911, Page 12

IN THE RING.

TOREADORS, SYDNEY AND HERE.

(Bi "Mercuct.")

Novemlicr 23.—Hnnnan v. Gault (Town Hull). November 30. — World's Light-weight Championship, Wolgast v. Welsh (San I'raueiseo). December 2.-Tracy v. Kelly (Millerton). December 11.—Tr.icey v. Giiult (Auckland). December 26.—World'? Championship, M'Yea v. Langford I.Sydney), "Smith Fought Wretchedly." It is not often that any ring disturbance in which "Dive" Smith is participating can bo labelled "disappointing," but this is tho adjective that has been freely applied to his contest with Ihe Englishman, "Bandsman" Rice at tho Stadium on Saturday week. Tho explanation lies, to a certain extent, in the fact that both men are extremely clever defensive boxers. The attack on both sides was nullified by the defence, and also by tho fact that tho Now Zealander, all through tho engagement, seemed incapable of reproducing the form that made "Jack" Howard so "easy" for him in his previous battle. Then he was aggressive to a degree. Against Rice, although ho forced what little fighting thero was, he lacked fire. Tho Sydney ''Sportsman" candidly remarks that, "Whether it was that"Rice's style militated against Smith, or whether it was that he was unwell, the fact cannot be disguised that, compared with his usual form, Smith fought wretchedly." So much for Smith. Now for "Bandsman" Rice. The Englishman did not make ii good impression. Reports to hand, one and all, accuse him of the use of unfair tactics, and, more than once, he was cautioned by Referee "Snowv" Baker .for hitting while holding. To quote tho "Sportsman" again: "As a spectacle, doubtless' the affair would have been of a brighter and moro open character but for the 'Bandsman's' penchant for coming into holts, hanging on with one hand and jolting with the other. The referee warned tho visitor, but frequently allowed him too nruch latitude."

Pon Picture of the Smith-Rice Fight. By virtue of Smith's shortcomings as above mentioned, and the Englishman's liberties with the rules, the first five rounds or so were scored against the New Zealander, but thenceforth things generally went his way. However, let the "Bulletin" tell the story :— The weights were announced as bsiug: Smith, list. 101b., Rice list. 71b., which satisfied nearly everybody present how easily the ordinary judgment can be made to appear foolish by the ofh'cia! scales; for tho Englishman looked pounds heavier than the local champion. Both men wore in good fettle for tho entertainment, excepting that Smith had a alight cold in the head. That, however, could not account for tho unusually disappointing display ho made. I'hroughout the 20 rounds his timing and fionso of direction appfared to bo the slavo of nervousness or over-anxiety; his punch, hreely because of tho fau!t just meutiont-d, was, during the greater part of tho conciliatory proceedings, hardly solid enough; and the pathetic, dog-liko appeal which he continually made with, his i.'.ves to tho referee during clinches—with what particular . object only Smith kuows—suggested ■ tho helplessness of a mild Dago, of the fried fish persuasion, in the ' clutches of a haiiy son of the Prophet, who had arrived home unexpectedly and found him at the side entrance in Tripoli. Rice, on his part, ruined any chance ho had from the word "Go" by persistently locking his opponent's arms, and sending in the unfriendly wallop when defence seemed to bo safelv blocked. They were extraordinary tactics to adopt, particularly after a warning from ucferco Maker, and they raised against him an unpleasant feeling, pf irritation' in the ininds of-fight en-, thusiasts who, since Rice's first scrap in Sydney, had. bee,n prepared to make' him a popular Queensberry toreador

As for the fight itself, though it lacked fierceness, it produced flashes of very clover boxing on both sides. Smith "generally making tho leads, and Hicc exhibiting reasonable retaliation unci remarkable ducking. As a matter of fact, there was too much ducking of the- fancy variety, and, on ono occasion, Smith, toppled over in an effort to reach an opponent who suddenly dived low and came up to the surface, so to speak, at the opposite cido of tho. ring. It was like a lot of other things that stand for boxing these times—trick work; and a little of it goes a long way. Baker did not hesitate to give Smith tho verdict at tho final gongbang; but, on tho nisht's showing, had it not been for Eire's octopusliko proclivities, tho task of sorting out tlio winner would not have been so ea'-y.

Clabby Re-enters Sydney. Last Saturday saw -nothor fixture of importance disposed cf at tho Stadium —that is, if things went as scheduled. This was tho first ring appearance, r>ll tho present tour, of one cf tie American contingent—"Jimmy" Clabby. His opponent was Arthur Cripps, the Australian "middle" champion. These two did not meet during Clabby's last visit, and. If Cripps was in form, the "go" should have been a good ono. He would, however, require to bo in decidedly hotter fighting trim than when he met "Gus" Dcvitt in Adelaide recently, and conlcl do no better than draw with tho ex-Wellingtoiiian over 20 rounds, for tho genial "Gus" fell a very easy victim to tho American last season. Clabby's next battle is a return with "Dave" Smith whom ho is billed to meet at the Stadium on December 9. "Ave Caesar!" Gladiators for the Stadium. By this time the latest section of tho American contingent, under Mr. M'lntosh's tanner, will be domiciled in Sydney. On Sunday Inst (he band of fighting men touched at Auckland, en route from Vancouver. They consisted of "Sam" Langford and his manager, Mr. ",Ioe" Woodmau, D. Ftyun, heavy-weight "Cyclone- Johnny" Thompson, now a light heavy, and two lesser lights, in.the persons of "Terry" Viller and A. M'Queen. Langford .s principal engagement i=, of course, with "Sam" M'Vea on Boxing Day—a contest that will bi; "starred" as for" tho world's championship, by virtue of Johnson's default to M'Vea, and his reported retirement. He ha?, however, been guaranteed five bouts, but it is hard to see who his other opponents are to be, although "Jack" Lester will probably be one of them, and, very likely, L'lyn'n anothtr. As for the others, surely "Bill Lang and Squires will not be dragged forth a"ain, but one never knows after some recent happenings. "Cyclone"- Thompson ha.* gone up three classes since his last visit to Australia as an alleged lightweight, and is seeking matches with "Dave" Smith, his previous , conqueror, and "Jack" Lester. Before M'Vea strips for the big championship struggle with T.augford on Boxing Day, he is to be given an exercise gallop over ten rounds with Lester. How tho latter is expected to make anything of .1 "go" of it over a _ short-distance journey, such as this, with the speedy black, passes comprehension, but thero it is—definitely fixed for December 9.

What? Squires to Meet Lester! Bad as the .M'Vca-Lcster "return" promises to bo in tho way of matches, it is to be preceded by something infinitely worse. H is actually announced, seriously and deliberately, and, by no means by way of a jest, that Lester's next opponent is to be none other than "Bill" Squires. Some very peculiar matches have been foisted upon the Australian public. (,t times, but this appears to be the limit. If they can stnud this they can stand anything. As a well-known theatrical producer once remarked, "The public get-; exactly what it. deserves—no more am! no Irs.-," and, if this sort of thing is what the Australian boxing promoler Uiinks his public deserve*, it. is high time the said public proved him to be suffering from aggravated hallucinations.

The Shiftiness of the "Sydney Referee," Ih is rather interesting lo note an astounding change of front on tho "Uefereo's" part, with regiird lo this Inst, imposition. To ('0 back a bit, after IliP sei-nud Lnng-Lf'rter meeting, the lli , - fcreo" said of Lester:— Ho proved himself a veritable human tiger in his l>attlo with "Bill" Lang aI. the Stadium lust Saturday night. Such tenacity of purpose, such invulnerability to Mm power of that weapon known In tho fancy ns tho "bunch of five?," and weildrd by .in opponent in n fair stand-up tiiilit, did Lesfer exhibit that ho had the oclooking seven or eight thousand people marvelling. Aud the tiger was not only shown iu his remarkable porsistenm- as an aggressor; bat wo saw it. in tbe fierceness, ai.d, witha., ccolof the man. Jack Lester is as tough as whit leather. His ribs aud body generally might havo been, etc, etc., etc."

On the occasion of the last deplorable mooting between Lang and Squires, ]ust prior to this, it published tho tollowng •opinion:— . , "Brisbane is surely easily imposed upon; or, perhaps, Brisbane only wanted to look at tho two men whose names had figured so prominently in tho world ut pugilism, and each of whom had gon« from .Australia highly accredited, had fought' in threo continents. buch an afioiv would never havo been perpetrated in Sydney or Melbourne, with anything like 'the profit, pecuniarily,, it realised h the Northern State capital. It was a match.that should never havo been made. Betting men offered 4 to 1 Liboral people! It looked 100 to 1, bir a Vud now that the boxer who had but a hundred-to-one chance of beating Lang is to bo thrown to the "human tiger who sonndlv trounced tho latter, cne ivould naturally expect a very storm ot protest from the journal that should bo the guardian of the wellbeing of Australian boxing. Nut np-thcre is no protest at all. On the other hand the Iveforeo's" remarks are apologetically in favour of the fixture—thus:

"I was a great deal averse to the lost Lang-Squires match, because I. thought 'Bill' could never rise to anythin" near requirements, and the thing would provo a farce, but he seems to have shaped hotter than that. I would not like to throw cold water on the man's ambition, or put an obstacle in the way of his prospects, especially as ho seems more than satisfied that he can improve considerably on what was seen of him in Brisbano a few months back. , , , * "And there may be a good deal of method in Squires's apparent madness. 'Jack' Lester, though he aid beat Lang, is a far more open and less.skilful fighter than Lang, and he is certainly not a breaking-up hitter. Lester is very strong, so is the other fellow. Squires had the punch when ho met boxers who stood up to take it, and he might discover the way of doing it again in similar circumstances. 'Jack' Lester has yet to acquire the degree of cleverness which enables taking a blow on tho move, or feeling fairly sure, through footwork, of beating it altogether., etc., etc." One cannot, help asking "Why this chango of attitude?" and—one wonders. "Bill" Rudd Again. Still Bndd presses on. His latest cahievement, truly is not a great one, but it adds another win to his fast-growing record. His victim, on this occasion, was "Monty" Andrews, who could not see the second' round out, at the Gaiety, Sydney, on Tuesday week last. It was Rudd all the way and from the press Teports tho only respite Andrews had from being floored was when he was getting up again. In the second round the refcreo interfered. This is the second time that Rudd has won from: Andrews, the first, being at Wcstport last year, when the Australian sent in the towel at tho end of tho third round. His next bout is fixed for to-night at Wollongong, when—to quote the. advertisement—he meets "I)utch ) Hickmnn, "champion of the South Coast." "Gus" Devit meets "Ted" Whiting at the Melbourne Athletic Club on Monday and the winner has been challenged by Scanlon. the Queensland middle champion. Dcvitt is getting on.

Russell Still Champion. "Joe" Russell successfully defended his "feather" title on Saturday week last at Brisbane. What happened is chronicled thus in au Australian exchange: "A right-cross to the head followed by a quick shift and a left rip to tho body defeated Jimmy Hill to-night at tho Olympic Stadium, leaving Joe Russell still Australian feather-weight champion. "The end came in tlio fifth round of a brilliant battle. Hill's footwork and beautifully-timed left keeping him well up on points', but Russell fought like a demon right through, and was evidently too strong for Hill: "Early in the fifth Hill caught his right forearm on Russell's elbow, injuring thp muscles. "Shortly afterwards the end came. That rip took all tho steam out of Hill, whoso head also hit fho floor, dazing him. Somo blamed Biissoll for roughness. Hill afterwards said ho had no complaint to make. Russell had fought fair, but ivns too strong. Hill's weight- was Bs-t. Olb. and Bnsscll's Bst. 1311b." Everything is fairly under way now for the local association's last tournoy of the season on Wednesday night. Both thn principals in the big coutest—"Billy" Haniian and "Alf" Ganlt—havo signed the article", and no loss than four good preliminaries have been arranged. One of these will show J. I'inney, late of Otaso, the runnor-np in the last New Zealand championship in., tho middleweight class, in action against Bain, a local bexov, who is making his iirst appearance here, and who is "good goods." M'Carthy, the local provincial champion light-weight, is' matched against Valentine, a promising lad from Petone, and another representative from the same township, in" the person of Stewart, will be. pitted against. G. Wilson, the local light-weight. Tho other curtain-raiser should be particularly interesting. Barr. the Wairarana bantam, who made, such a irood iinpress'cm against Joplin at the Inst tourney, will meet J. Kutner. This bout will bs at catchwoighfa, which will enable Kutner to ftrip strong at Sst. 61b., and a pretty contest can be confidently looked for. It \q probable that Gault will put the finishing touches on hin preparations at I'ctone. Hannan is training in town under tho care of his brother, and reports himself as being right up to his best form. Tracy on Tour. "Tim" Tracy leaves to-day for Millerton to keep his engagement there with Arthur Kelly on December 2. After this he lias tn make a dash back to Wellington and on to Auckland in time to moot Gaull in a "return" on December 11—n proceeding that is move rash than wise. Then again, he is wanted by the Wairarapa- Association to meet "Denny" Murphy at Mnsterfon. on Boxing Day. Tracy wants Jlurnhy to make lOst. for tho occasion, and tho discussion is now on. Once th'is 'pohit is settled articles will bo signed.

Wolsjast and Welsh for the Championship, On Thiimlav next in San Francisco the long-lookecl-for eoulo.-t for the lightweHil championship t>l the world belwoeu the holder,- ".Ail." Wolgast, a,nd tho challenger, Fred Welsh, ox-champion of Eng)nnd, is to be, unless something of which we haws not beeii informed by cable has intervened to prevent tho contest. At latest advice;, both men wwj training hard, and tho clash was exciting flic greatest interest both in America mid Kngland. The chance was Ibou looked lipon a>; a particularly "ou(\ one, and it really appears as though at last there is n chniico of tho Mother Coiiiitrjr pos=e.ssing an undisputed chainpion of tho world of her own—a tiling thai has not occurred ever sisco. Juno t. ISM, when "Dick" Hurge lost his li|ilitwfight title to the American, "Kid" lαvigne. A New Champion. The heavy-weight championship of (he Dominion changed hands nn Wednesday at Timaru, Mitchell, of Millerton, the holder, being deprived of the honour bv Herbert, of Oamnru, in the fifteenth round. The new champion sealed only list, lib., to his opponent's 13?t. 41b., so his achievement must be counted as a meritorious one.