IN THE RING

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1348, 27 January 1912, Page 14

IN THE RING

CLEAN BREAK-WHAT IS IT? , [Bi "ITLECUEI,"] June 24r-Wofrld'a Championship, Joharon v. M'Vea. Already! TIIO irresponsible Johnson is not yet hack into , the ring.' Apparently he'is wavering. J.ast week' cablrs were published showing that a match had been fixed lip between the champion and "Jim"' L'lynn, of Pueblo, and that Johnson was eager for. the fray, particularly so as—to use his own words—it' was "easy" for him, and ho was to get. ,£3OOO for his trouble. But evidently lie has reconsidered tho matter. Last week the following cablegram was-received in Sydney Chicago, Tuesday. Thore is a big possibility of the match between Johnson and "Jim".Flynn being called off. The champion'.wants a big , slice of money to allow tho Pueblo fireman to meet. "Al" Palzer prior to the championship battle. "Al" Palzcr is a very . second rate "heavy." He recently fell an easy Tictim'to. big-CarUJforris, who some little while previously was given n. severe drubbing by Flynn. It, is excessive ciution 011 tho champion's, part to anticipate that l'alzer c-an do anything'to - Pl,ynn- that will spoil his (the champion's) bout with the'latter gentleman as a public' entertainment. It i? only as an entertainment that the offaii" possesses any interest at 'all-^s'a championship proposition. it cannot be taken seriously. What Made those Blacks so Hefty? What North Islahd. reader will venturo to say that the following . theory, propounded in "Thb'Bulletin" is not correct? . . " . . . y The Caucasian is much exercised'in ■ his- mind as' to why the negro' is lon - top.of,tho.',pugilistic, heap, .but the answer ,is . easy. Thei:o, is a' .larger.,, proportion of., physically-perfect; men . amoiig, tl\e :American. negroes than'.in any. other race; 'and all tho' champion' 'black 'boxers, bo it observed, aro either Yankee'or pf Yankee forebears.' . Cast tile mental eye baWy' <iver" the years, • and. the reason will hit it fair in the . middle. When, tho ..irfiporta-" . tion of sjayes from Africa ceased, the fijio old'white of Virginia," Kentucky, etc., set to' work 'Co'..breed" negroe.j for sale down south.': : 'l'hey • bred thjeiii. scientifically as carefully . '•as a horse-breeder; The result'' "is that';the Virginian'-bred'negro be-, ;■• ;canie. a,'model of pliys'icaT development. and now his descendant 'is- getting back;. "Frankensteiit-like, on' his' ■ creator. The white mail made" him' . what hp .is,, and lie repays'the kind-7 . ness by "putting a head" : .on the white man. '-It's a.rough sort'of-naturar justice... 1 ■ The Clean Break and Parlour Boxing. The "lavender water"' style of the Rice-Keller meeting-' in • • Sydnev : has drawn ■ caustic comment from' Australian journalism. .The importance of the match itself was nil; but the great , qnestion of. the. cleanj ; break, ; loo'Hi€d through:,it. Here -is the Sydney << Sun , s- , v-erdoa\ - . . . - . - .Ludicrous in ;the manner in which it was contested and ludicrous in, its endin.S ~was, the fight ,■ between. .Bandsman Rice-and Terry Keller, .the young American 'heavy-weight, at . tho . Stadium, and .the disqualifying ~ of, "C'vclone" Thompson's' protege in the seventh round for landing .in-a clinch ,a. punch that would not; Jiavo. given a headache to a home-bred mosquito showed l , .that boxiiig is fast, approaching;the stage: when.its.eiicouragement will ;he confined. to ladies' seminaries.; ■ / Tho bSsing that used to be regarded ns a.manly pastinio is Incoming a nambypamby business. And the canse is not hard to locate. The Police Department, which has its officers taught jiu-jitsu and encourages them in athleticism, has decreed that there shall be a clean break, arnrin carrying out orders Mr. Baker has to be particularly careful. As early as the second round the men "-were told , not to hold, and in the fourth 'session 'thr proceedings were stopped- while' the referee administered another warning.' The two following terms saw a deal of holding and hitting, and half-way through the sixth Baker spoke even more severely, addressing them with, "I'll give you another.- chance." Between rounds he warned them once more. Keller answering him with, "I can't help it; ifs my style." - The seventh session had been in progress only a few seconds when the men fell into a clinch, and while there Ive ler slung his right loosely to • tho body. It was only a tap, but the refereo was bctweeS them instantly, and declared Bice the winner. What It Means to Americans, The "Bulletin" expert, in his account of the affair, gets Tight at-the root of the' matter in these words:—"Without a doubt, the clean-break rule places the Yankees at a serious disadvantage. They are not' boxers, bnt rather rough-and-tumble experts. Even the great S. Lnngford himself ; isn't a boxer' according to the teaching/of the prophet Larry. He's a borer and a slugger, a man who takes punishment in order to get in close and deliver a knpek-out; aad when, lie meets a man who won't lot him' get' in- close, he's out of . the scramble.". Caustic Comment on the Clean Break. That this matter is "considered -of some importance is shown-by the-space devoted to its discussion, by (he .newspaper critics. Another ' jburnil, • "The Arrcw," takes a good common-sense staild,-as follows:— " If over a' time existed when a brainy referee was needed more than now —well, I want to' know at what period, and why? When Jack Johnson, and Tommy ' Burns, half-wrestled, half-boxed their ' match, for the , heavy-weight . championship of the world, the Wade Government,. then in power, objected to any'more of the same thing,' .which' was termed infighting, and:_so it was —of a. sort. 'However,' things went on without a hitch until a few. weoks ago, wheu in-fighting was again discussed, .and tabooed, by the blue-'-coated gentlemen who keep an eye on things in the . ring. - , . * '. ■ The in-fighting of the Jem Mace , school was quite a- different- brand of ring goods, because there. , was no. wrestling, no arm locks, nor anything but fair.hitting. We had the clean break then, and we had the,.referees who. knew exactly wlmt was meant by the term. . The, police never,inter-" fer.ed, because there was no necessity for interference.., "Too much lavender water" will kill boxing bouts.as shows.' That' extreme is not asked for.- The arm . wrestling work;- thb 'holding- and 'hit-' •ting, and. such . unpala.table, things! • ■ alone are objected to.' .'Wo -may go oh . with our own in-fighting' in" the ■ saliie ■ old way: without . - offending- . against anything'laid down,'arid still' . ■ ; give the lover of boxing al' lhe 'wanU. . ~or-'cares to. See.,'.- . : Smith,'. Thompson, and Langford. ' 'Lasi night in Sydney, .Dave Smith and "Cyclono" .Thompson were scheduled to have mct for the second- time. The previous .occasion was on I'ob'ruarv-fi Inst year, when the New. Zeajandefgot"a points decision after'a 20-round battle. This' was. just five days, before Thompson lowered . the colours of champion "BillV" Papke. However, he was beaten recentlv by "Bandsman" Rice, the Englishman, and, hampered as he will bo by the "clean break" regulations, lio should again be bagged by Smith. The New Zealander's next.engagement is also an American one —with "Jimmy" Clabby, ou February 10.' Supposing Smith Does Face it. Apropos of Smith: His defeat of "Jack" Lester has thrown him right into the limelight, and there seems to be a general demand that he should try conclusions with Langford. "Mercury" hinted at this probability, a fortnight or, so ago, nnd a recent Sydney file, in discussing the proposition, puts the case thus: . . . Now that "Dave" Smith has established himself so firmly as a light-heavy-weight to be. reckoned with all over the world, and has tho championship hall-mark 011 liiin, there are many enthusiasts in''Sydliey ■ who would like to soo him sent up against Langford for the light-heavy-weight, championship cf the world. 'Tho New /.ealauder, by winning all his battles and completing his list with a, good victory over l.estar, Ims put, himself in lino for the match, and providing Laa'gford ;

was not allowed to cotue in at any old weight there is no reason to believe that ho would be any easy mark for the "Boston Tar Baby." Whether Smith wonld relish tho engagement is doubtful. Be has sparred with Langford, and declared that the coloured man's punches were like kicks from a horse, and maybe he would not care to take the ring with him. But it is a proposition worth inquiring into, and if it materaliscs it would draw a tremeiidous gate. Reassuring News by Cable.Simultaneously with the foregoing message two other cablegrams of interest, were received in Sydney. They-veud as under: New. York, Tuesday. "Knock-out" Erown has signed-.on to lake part in five events here, his . intention'being to; show that he is a tit and proper person to oppose Ad. Wolgast for the world's light-weight, championship. The first contest will be against Abe Attell on January 12, London, Tuesday. • .Bay Bronson, who visited Australiaas a light-weight, but. who has since developed into a welter-weight, has been matched to meet Matt. Wells, . the English light-weight champion, in . London. The contest will 'take place before the National Sporting Club. In each case tho chief, interest in these items.lies more in what is inferred than in what is actually said. Thus, when the American mail left the States, Wolgast was lying'in hospital suffering a-recovery from-the effects of appendicitis, and the consequent, operation, and it . was held to lib'doubtful'whether he would be able to figure in a ring.again for months, if at - all. The cablegram, however,' shows that he is still to be considered as . a championship proposition, so, presumably, he is making a quicker recovery than was exjiected. , The second message brings, by. inference, good news' of a similar, nature, but about the English light-weight champion, Jfatt. •Wells. According, to English'files just to hand, the little Londoner was battling for .very, life itself in December—in fact one paper reported him as dying of erysipelas, and. stated that the specialist refused'.to hold out auy hope of recovery. It is very evident now that .this, too,was a false .alarm. |Wells cannot be a.very sick man if the' N.S.'C.' lias matched him'with I?av ;Bronson, and .with'the latter at welterweight at'that. 'Presumably this would be lOst. ,21b., the. American.limit.auid not lOst.- Blb., 'as here and in Australia. 'Was Mehegan Rash? . Last Saturday tiie Australian light- ■ weight champion,' Hugh Mehegan, met the American-Italian, Frank Picato, for the third time, if .events happened as scheduled. The title was not involved, as the men-were meeting at catch weights. Mehegan anticipated:weighing in at 9st! 121b., and Picato at lOst. (lb., and it looks as,though the . Australian champion s confidence led- him into taking risks. He-has beaten Picato twice before, but on these occasions the visitor was weakened through getting a weight limit On Saturday he would. be fighting strong, and it would, cause no surprise here if the news next mail shows that he'proved too big for Mehegan.,. _ Boxing gloves in all qualities. Punch Halls and. Extras. Physical- Exercises of various makes, at Denton's, 58 Willis Street.—Advt. ,