IN THE RING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1687, 1 March 1913, Page 16

IN THE RING.

(By "Mercury.") MORE GAULS & GALLIC WAYB. Was There Ever Such a Finish? The greatest surpriso in the Australian ring for many a long day was "Jean" Poesy's defeat' of "Herb" M'Coy at the Stadium last Saturday week. Only a week before Poesy had gone under in two rounds to the Italian-American "Frank" Picato, and in the early rounds of the battle under review, he received a handeomo beating. Says tho "Referee":— This, their second meeting, will pro' down as a record, probably for all time, as having provided the most . unexpected happening ever witnessed in a boxing match in Australia. It is certainly that, so far as the Stadium is concerned. It tfas really a fight that was won, only to be lost, for up to the point in which M'Coy received a hard right swing that followed sharply after a stiff left, ho looked a certain winner. It appeared as though tho FreAchnian intended crying enough as ho approached his corner at tho end of the preceding round. Ho shrugged his shoulders, extended his hands with their palms upwards—a characteristic pose of these Frenchmen—and had a look of disgust on his face. Everyone who saw this expected Poesy's early capitulation. But what a surprise was the sequel! The said sequel'was this: Early in the eleventh round Poesy, varying "his previous ineffective tactics of swinging rights and ipfts, drove in a straight left to the nose, followed by a straight right which landed fair and hard on the jaw. Staggered by tho force of tho blows and bewildered by their unexpectedness, M'Coy fell back, and Poosy, with a shower of swings, sent him out amidst intense excitement. The Frenchman ' was frantically cheered.

As a surprise victory tllo battle has few parallels in the history of the rinir. tho nearest approach to it being "Tom" King's defeat of'"Jem" Jlace' away back in the declining days of tlio London prize ring.

A Sorely Provoked Frenchman. Still another Frenchman lias lost a battle on a foul. At Melbourne on February 17, "Icon'' Bernstein and "Frank" O Grady set out -to try conclusions over twenty rounds, but from the beginning it was clear that tho end would como lone before that.

Iho sou of France attacked, driving O'Cirady all over the ring, tho latter by no means showing the "devil" which has naino would lead one to expect. Occasionally ho would shoot in a stinging left but in general, when not rushing into a clinch, he was backing round the ring incessantly appealing -for a foul.

The end came when O'Gradv, clinging for dear life on to the Frenchman's neck received a richly-descrved punch on the face for which the giver was disqualified The crowd received the decision with disgust and it seems* clear from all accounts that the someono who had blundered was the referee, for the Frenchman not himself holding, but being' held, had every right to hit.

Tho Coming of Carpentier. Still on the Frenchmen, it is pleasant news to hear that "Snowy" Baker has practically completed negotiations 'with "Georges" Carpentier— pronounced "Car-pong-ti-ay. I suppose-the outcome of which will be the appearance of the Gallic wonder in Sydney within the next few months. With clever "Les" O'Donnell, "Eep" Midwood, "Jack" Howard, "Bill" Eiufd ■Till." Souter, and others available, there will ba picnty of worthy opponents for Parpen tier, but tho one battle that all Australasia will be looking .forward io will be his meeting with "Dave" Smith Ilcro will bo the ex-New ZeMander's clianco to rehabilitate himself with critics in the Northern JToniisnhere, and it is safe to say that, if the French champion performs at all well in Australia up to the time of their meeting, tho match will attract tho largest " crowd seen at the Stadium since the Burns-John-eon affray. It is to be hoped that Mr. Baker him-' self will referee the battle, for iudeing by the mixed reception that decisions liaro been meeting with lately in Australia, there are very few callable "third men m the ring" in those parts just now.

Spectators Come to Blows. It is a poor contest indeed that is eclipsed by a melee amongst tho audience but this actually happened in Melbourne tho other day during the conrso of a twenty-round battle between "Kellv" Mansfield and "Bill" Walsh. The latter was in the courso of bein" "pulverised," as one account has it, when an exchange of opinions between two "gentlemen" in the body of tlio hall led to blows. This addition to the programme drew all attention away from tho main item. Truffier and Hill. 1 With honours easy between them—each having a win over the other to his cralit —"Jimmy" Hill and Truffier came to grips at the Sydney Stadium recently liefore a poor crowd, the general public staying away with great enthusiasm because the last time that tho two met Hill had cried enough very suddenly. This lime, however, a good battle resulted with Hill, who displayed great cleverness •ill through, a comfortablo winner on points. The Peril of Playing at Prophet. Cabled accounts of tho Wells-Mehegan battle last Monday night put a sad end

to "Mercury's" prophooy which appeared in this column Inst week. Even' tho fact that a fair section, of the crowd disagreed with the verdict in favour of Wells lightens but little tho gloom that has fallen over this scribe's reputation as a seer, for however much leeway Mehegan may have made up during tho last five rounds ho could not havo made much impression upon tho mountain of points piled up against him in tho preceding fifteen. j

Wo are told that ho played a waiting game, making no other response to tho Englishman's frequent visitations with the left than to clinch. From this it would appear that ho was playing for a knock-out, and his failure adds another chapter to that already lengthy volume entitled "The Punch That Didn't." Tho Man Who is Waiting for M'Carty. For the benefit of readers who are curious to learn something of the man who is being boomed in tho United States as Luther M'Carty's Nomesis, tho following on "Jess" 'Willard, from a San Francisco paper, should prove of interest: Willard was born in a little town in Ohio twenty-five years ago. His folks moved to Kansas and lived on a farm when Jess was in tho infant class. The place where ho was raised finally grow to bo a town with a real railroad station and a post office. It's on the map, and tho burg is Emmet, thirty miles from Topeka. Joss is ail orphan. Ho has two brothers, who live in Kansas, and they buy, and sell horses for a living. > Willard is six feet six inches in height, and weighs something liko 215 pounds. Contrary to the avcrago opinion, it is said of. Willard that ho is symmetrically built, and not at all tho slim build that many people have imagined. Concerning M'Carty, AVillard says that he was not in the best of shape when he was accorded that newspaper decision over Luther in Mew York city. . "Considering my condition at that, time," ho doclares, "I know thero isn't t.ho slightest doubt in my mind as to what I could do to M'Carty if I met him over a long routo anil in the best of shape." All Very Wonderful If Trua. A'figure of interest in Sydney just now is aboriginal Jerry .Teromo, whom B. L. Baker made a special trip to Brisbane to secure for tho Stadium. Jerome, who is now 42 years of age, claims to be a nephew of tho one-time sensational sprinter Charlie Samuels, and besides being a boxer of some note, is if his manager's statements can bo trusted, an all-round athlete of greater note. It is claimed for him as a runner that he once gave Ppstle Byds. and a beating in 150 yds., but this was in the flying Queenslander's- early days, that he. is a fair cricketer, one of the best horsemen in Australia, and that he has cleared 22ft. in the running broad jump, 48ft. (perilously near world's record) in the running hop, step, and jump, and sft. 9in. in the standing high jump, all of which. "Mercury," in his capacity of athletic critic for this paper, has some slight difficulty in swallowing. In addition to this his manager claims that he excels in other more substantial virtues, in that he is a teetotaller and a very moderate smoker.