OTHER BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1509, 3 August 1912, Page 12

OTHER BOXING.

0 ■ (By "Mercury." "Mercury" regrets that pressure of space forbids tho comment promised upon the points raised in "Gnat Williams's letter of last week. There is a matter touched upon by Williams, however, which is dealt with in timely fashion by "The Amateur" of tho Sydney "Referee," in that journal's latest issue, in answer to a correspondent. "Tho Amateur's" remarks speak for themselves. He says:— I would rather see the referee outsido the ring. I havo always held that there should bo only two men inside tho ropes during the progress of a round, and they the boxers. Tho referee in the ring often hampers the movements of the contestants, as neither is fully at ease regarding the room availablo for back-moving or sidestepping when he knows the referee might bo on cither sido of,, or behind, him at the moment he considers some evasive or drawing act called for.'

With tho referee placed where ho is at the National Sporting Club, London, and whore he sat during the lifo of tho old Sydney Amateur Gymnastic Club—a body under tho auspices of which - some of tho best matches ovor seen in tho country took place—tho whole ring space is left to tho contestants, as it should be. The dragging and shoving of fighters asunder is_ often carried on too far through being done when there is no necessity at all for it. Several times I have seen, what might have been a good fight prove little better than a mauling, sprawling affair. Owing to the referee s continual tearing in between the men or tearing one away from the other—either because he had not a proper conception of the position, or owing to a desire to force himself as ranch in the limelight as the principals.