IN THE RING.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2150, 16 May 1914, Page 12

IN THE RING.

[Br SlEttODdT.) '"

HOME OFFICE & DOLOUR LINE. Monday and Tuesday.—Amateur Chjunpionships (Town Hall). Juno 27. —World's Championship, Johnson and Alora.ii, Pans, Our TournamentOn Monday and Tuesday next the amateur championships of the Province of Wellington are to be decided at the Town Hall. The action of the executive in postponing tho tourney from the original dates of & fortnight ago, on account, of the- Takapau oamp, has mow than justified itself in its effect on the entries, which are now not only numerous enough to provide for two full programmes, but are also properly representative of the province, inasmuch as several country associations are sending men. Tho fact that the New Zealand Ctampionship meeting is scheduled for nest month at Wanganm is no doubt responsible in a degree.for the large entry. It is from the form shown on Monday and Tuesday that the Wellington repre-. Ecntatives wilt bo .selected, and as, in accordance with its usual practise, the local associatioa intends to make its representation at the big tournament as full as possible, competition is keen for tho representatives howura. Onoe More the Colour Lin?. A recent cable message notified that a match had been signed between "Gunboat" Smith imd'Georges Qarpentier for a purse of £3500, the affair to be settled in Paris. This is the outcome of the opposition, expressed by tho Horn* Office in London to contests between white and coloured opposition which resulted in tho cancellation of the meeting of these gladiators in London, whiclfhad been fixed for Juno 30, tho purse being £2-500. Tho foßowing is tho explanation, according to J/rtglish advices: — "Tho Home Office considers that the question of tlio'merits of black and whito boxers would become a matter for discussion. It would thereforo bo against public policy and harmful to the Empire to allow tho match to take place." This is the text of the explanation, but it roust be confessed that its inwardness is nnich obscured by its vague* ness. No doubt- tie merits of black and white boxers would certainly become a '"matter for discussion"—in fact it actually is, atttl has been for generations. But cqnally so are the merits of white boxers "matters for discttSsten." It is hard, toe, to follow tho reasoning that decrees that because a qUcstfen becomes a matter for discussion, "ji> "would therefore bo against 1 , public policy." Also it is not tao apparent at this distance why a mateh. Uetoreau an American citizen and an Americas negro, in London "would bo 'larmfril to theEmpire." Certainly we havo heard a good deal of talk of late years artent dangers to the British Empire from various caus&s, but ifc is liard to believe that the Home Office is so pessimistic on this subject as to imagine that tho holding of such a- tnateh woukl in -any way react oft Imperial matters.

Is It Really the Colour Line? It is far more probable that the Noaconformist conscience is at tho bottom of things, and that the satno- counsels that led to the abandonment of tho Johnson-Wells ijiatcli soma two''years ago have again wevsilei upon' the' powers' that bo. In any cn.se it siisply moans that tlw vetftio of tlui encounter has .been moved across tho Channel, and than , the purse' has 'been increased by £1000. Set thai overyeno should now be satisfied— tho Home Office, the Nonconformist eonseicnee, and the two boxers. Moreover, apparently, the Empire is onco again safe for the time being. • . , Tho Boomirtfi of Beß. Another cablegram erf interest to the boxing public "down under'- 5 was that advising that Colin Belt and Bombai-dk-r Wells had bftca matched for a pars* o£ £2000. '■ Colin Bull, whoso career and form were commented Won in this column last week-, is indeeel "in the bnoffl" in England. Such a _ parse wom-M have been far fr&tn his. wildest dreams in Australia.' Even the loser's end of ft will net him mere than several wins in the class of match whicn Jso would have appeared in on his native heath, while 111* vista ops-Mil t<v him h? a win over the Bombardier must be pleasing indeed. Bell and the Bombardier. . Moreover, on his'own and the Englishman's last performances, he must be given h winning cliamcc. The-, Bombardier's Inst appearance was o-ii April ■ 2D, at I.irarjtfHjl, against Bandsman Rice, whom lis beat on points, after what is cteseribctt as a'very pour display on uftj,h sides. The report added that "Wells had no'power behind his blows, and wan in a sorry plight at the finish, while Rieo was fresh." Rico was in Australia sonto few months ago, and his form was tliert anything but firstgrade. Besides that he woiild I*6 pver a stone lighter than Wells. Bcli's recent- display against "Joe" Joannettc, with whom ho battled eilt a voiy closir finish in London on May 3, shows up well against tins performanceby Wells, aittl . altogether (coivsklering what an iti<-and-out boxer tho English champion is), it is tjuito Bpon the cards tliat the Australian will best hija.

Purse Is Mightier than the Gar. j By tho way, this news decidedly discounts tho L&ndmi message dated May 7, which stated that-, owing to lii.s poor measure of suceoss in his clash with Rice. Wells was to take a ratireft of sculling ■ limlor Erncet Berry, "in order to recover ins lost capacity for punching," and that li» Iwd suspended all contests for tvvo or three mouths. Appawitly that £2000 pmae looks too good for any infelgonce in aquatic pastimes just n't present. The Dublin Giant. There is another cawHdate for a match with Wells viae- has evidently been side-stepped in favour of Oolia Bell, fliis is "Jim" CofFcy, the Irish heavy-weight, popularly known rts tile "Dublin giant." Recent victories in America have brought him to the front, and it was reported thnfc Wells had been matchnd with, htm For June 23. Coffey's last American perforinnneo j was a pofid on*. On April 24-. at New York, be toioekod out "Jim" iFiyun in tho fourth romvdj after flooring him several times in the outlier sessions. As this wns the same Flynn who gave "Jack" Johnson such a hard battle at Las Vegas, Coffr.v's font is no small one, eynn if his opponent bits gone back since his clisUHflkmsliip ossny. R ever tin? to" ilie Australian,' Colin Bell, it is eabM , that lift his ehalfengni jnaiinette to a return match for £1000 aside. A Corner In stadiums. Sfr. Jl. Tj. Baker • lias tinned his various boxing controls into a liimtficl liability onrmpn-ny. It vns regi stored on April 'Si in Sydney, under tho title of "Tho Stadnims, Ltd." Tho company embraces tho Stistieutlprs' flay anil Olympiit Stadiums in Sydney, the Bris- | bane "ami iSleHnninw Stadiums, and the I Melbourne Atlilptic Pavilion. Mr. .John Vfro.n is chairman of directors, while Mr. Baker takes the post of managing director, with lit , . Ralph Kcesmg as •assistant. The Swathe Gut by Saytor, On Saturday lass, in Sy<hi<?v Him' cvent«»ted a match (provided" tk.ffa.ir-s happened' as scheduled), tie result of

which we shouid have been advised had tho oablo mail done as he should have done, this was the second meeting between "Hughio" Mclwgan and Millnirn Saylor—n clash that has been looked forward to over since the American opened the eyes of tUo Australasian public by knocking out Mehopon in the eleventh round of a raateh in January.

Siiylor's prowess at tluit time, was practically an unknown qttantity, and no more or less got the Australian champion unawares, but his formidable array of knoefc-out victories sinco then has *]Hit Mdu'gnn on his mottle in the war oF a thorough, preparation, By tho way, Saylar's wilts (all knock-out) in Australia to data siro i\s follow:—A. Morey (14 rounds), H. Mchegan (11 rounds), N- Williams, '.wice {2 rounds and 7 rounds), and T. M'Oormick (10 rounds). Ho has a -loss, on a foul, against Mm, his opponent en that ocensioii toeing E. NevrhoiisQ (6 nnjnds). Details of this latest affair with MelicKiin will bo awaited with decided interest.

Battle for dalmson. Apropos of Chttmpioji "Jaek" Johnson and his coming match with Frank Moran on June 27 for the championship of tho world, tho following particulars of tho contest are given in iiiea tn hand by the last mail j—■ Johtisoni will nftttirally got the lion's share of tho purse, as tie has hoen. guaranteed £6000 and £1000 training expeftsea. Moratt has been guarantees} £1000, but he- expects " to get £1200 more, as ho is te r«ceivo tlio rcmaiirlef of tlvo receipts after certain disbursoajonts. The promoters, who are two prominent men now in Franco, have posted £8000 witii tho Credit tyonhais, conswjucntly anrailgfrtnent? have been made satisfactory to nil pftrtieS, and mil thai now tewains for the eentfist is for the date to toll ro-and .and the men to stop into the rfrig. Tha battle wilt toko place in the VelodrOßie d'HifftTj 'which scAts 32,000 persons, and it is estimated that- £20,000 will he the box office receipts. Th<> first two rows «f hoses, ntrmbefing a.bout 60, will ha sold at auetien, and Moran says ho l-;nov,"s a mstn in Franco wlw will pay as high ns £400 for tii.o choicest locatioii, if it is necessary, "Tho lowest p-rifi-e for a seat will be alwut 12-s. 6d.

A World's Affalf. What may be faeked ujiqii as oii« of tli-o world's cliampionship middle-ivei-ght battles has been clmelveil for the Sydney Stadium foi- lhs 23. The participants are to be "Jeff" Smith and J. Clftbby, and ])iv\)m' championship conditions are to be observed —that is, ths eMitest is for 20 rounds at list. 41b. ringside. 'It is a long timo since these erack "middles" have met-~itt fact, as ''middles" they have not. nwt at all. Before they acquired the necessary poundage for this cla-ss, tliey came together in Ne.tt York, hack in 1911 3 iti ft 10-roHMds no-deciska encounter.