IN THE RING.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2187, 27 June 1914, Page 14

IN THE RING.

£Bi Mekcubt.] WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP ACAIN. To-day.—World's Championship, Johnson v. Moran, Paris. July 22 and '23.— New Zealand Amateur .. Championships, Wanganui An ß«»t M--J- Hagerty v. P. Cook, Christchurch. . ■ To-day in Paris, if things turn out as scheduled, "Jack" Johnson is to ba asked once again to defend his title of heavy-weight champion of the world. His challenger is Frank Moran, of Pittsourg, U.S.A., and the purse involved is variously stated at amounts running from £6000 to £10,000. Some comment has already been niado in this column on tho lack of public interest that has been manifested in this match, and the fact still remains that despite a fair , comment in tho American and Old World Press, the affair has been met with an apathetic reception from the public that contrasts in the most marked manner with the frenzy of excitement with which tho Burns aiid Jeffries . clashes with the big black were surrounded. An Honest Battle? As has already been stated, there has all along been a cortain element of doubt as to whether the contest would eventuate at all, but the latest news from the seat of war contains no trace oi any uncertainty. Our own cables .have, been siJent as to tho afiair, but through the Independent Cable Services, th.e Sydney -Sun'',has been kept posted of tho trend of events. Thelatest intelligence published last Satur-' day week runs as under: — " 'Jack' Johnson asserts that when he moets Frauk Moran on June 27 lie will be the same pnysically fit and skilful Johnson who whipped 'Jim' Jeffries at Reno some years back. He adds that he has neve" trained harder for any contest than ho is doing for tho forthcoming event. There is no doubt that the big negro is reducing his weight, as he porspires freely when punching the ball, and m his long morning trots along the. Bois de Boulogne. Jolinson has a big gash over pno of his eyes, received through being accidentally butted by his sparring partner, 'Jim' Kennedy. "Moran, who weighs. 13st. 41b.,'is .standing off boxing for the next few days. Hs is positive' in. his assertion that the contest will bo 'on the level,' and says he.honestly thinks ho has a chance of defeating the champion." At this distance it is impossible to attempt to : weight the pros and cons or to give any forecast, as to how the clash, will'go. One can only hope that, sec-tad-rater and all as' he is, Moran will bring back that title. There , have been precedents for such happenjngs—for instance, thero is the well-known case of the GpliathrDavid disturbance of soiiio years bask;. and perhaps after all the age of miracles is not past. Tho "Big Little" Men. While the big men of the game have been preparing for their contest of today, the little fellows at the other end of the :chainpionship ladder liavo been battling for supremacy in their class. On June 9 at Vernon, Ca., U.S.A., tho bantam championship of tho world changed hands under circumstances set forth in tho following cable ("Sun" Independent Service):— •'Johnny" Coulon lias lost his title of world's bantam-weight champion boxer to 'Kid' Williams, of Baltimore. Williams- landed a knock-out in tho third round of a scheduled twenty" rounds fight. ■ It .was a stilt right uppercut, which.connected with the chin, and tho champion" dropped to tho boards and was counted out. In the last round Williams made wild lunges without doing any damage, and in a clinch rained kidney blows on his opponent. The pair broke, and, closing again, Williams delivered the punch which won tho championship for him." i So exit' "Johnny" Coulon for many years now bantam , champion of the world. Up till a year or so ago tho title- seemed to be in his keeping for many a day—ho is now just over '25 years of age—but at that timo the death of his father, who; managed his ring .affairs, gave a serious set-back to his career. -Hie loss seemed to have given him a sho-sk from which he never propertly recovered.. His health suffered, and his subsequent ring showings have been far short of his.true form, and at the time of making match with Williams he was just getting over a severe illness, which; judging from the foregoing account of his defeat, appears to have left him weak. : The new champion is a Dane, born at Copenhagen in 1893, si> has just attained his majority, and his,real name is John Gutenko. He has been in the ring for four years, and has boon looked upon as a championship possibility for some time past, Pelkey's Second Defeat. In Melbourne on Saturday \ieek Arthur . Pelkey, tho, big Cauadian, whom "Tommy" Burns ; 'discovered," and launched upon tho boxing world as a "White Hope" of the first water, and whom ho recently brought to Australia, fought his second Australian battle. In tho first he was, it will ba remembered, beaten by "Bill" Lang, so it is not surprising that in this essay, against "Sam" M'Vea, he also succumbed. His showing wrs most inglorious. He was treated as a joke by his opponent, wlui weighed in at 15 stone, against Pelkoy's 14st. 121b. Also,the combat,was viewed humorously by the newspapers. The Argus says: "The; position, stated plainly, was that a cheerful black' man who could box, met aii "anxious white man who could not." For two rounds M'Vea toyed wtih the 'White Hope,' then an admonition from the referee and some remarks from tho nudion.co hastcuud_ the finish of the comedy." . Tho "Argus" thus describes the end: "lii the third round Pelkey .landed a left and right to tho bedy, repeating the; dose. Two lofts to M'Vea's still smiling face were good ccoriii" strokes. In spite of superhuman efforts on tho part of M'Ve'a, Policy won this round —on points. The crowd began to bo seriously annoyed. They asked the con-testants-to 'get , into it,' :in<l one man advised them to 'give the purso to charity" ; and, just to oblige, M'Vea, in the fourth round, still smiling, 'got into it.' Ho dug a short left punch into Pelkey's solar plexus, and then hit him on the jaw. Pelkey collapsed. He rose at 8 seconds, and another tap on tho jawsent him down again. He rose again at 8 seconds, and another tar> sent him down again. It was all over. Tho crowd—or a section of it—hooted. Why it is difficult to say. M'Vea would probably have kept.his opponent alive as long as they wanted. He had been asked to-'get into it,' and he did." / ' : Mohogan's Decline. Another Australian battle of interest was that at Sydney on the same date as tho above, between Australia's champion, "Hughie" Mehogan and "Kid" Lowis, who holds the feather-weight championship of Europe and tho Lonsdaloßelt for tho English feather supremacy. Since his arrival in Australia he has outgrown his class, and he caino into tho ring against Meliesyiu at 9st. against the Australian's 9st. Siflb. Tliu battle was a fast and vigiiroiis one right through the iiO rounds with tin? Englishman playing a straight left from start to finish. Mclipgnu once more showed that he is going back. Ho lias "slowed up," ami his lack of his old-time vim and speed proved his undoing. Ho could not catch the fast anil nimble Englishman, who danced in and out and pumped long lefts into his face and declined to be \wi at close quarters when lie could avoid it. Sometimes he could not, and then Mehegan

came into his own. In the short-arm work bo scored lieavily, tat tliii finishing gong saw: Lewis vau out a wiiinev by .1 small but deckled margin. Bell and the Bombardier. Colin Bell, the Australian "lieayy," who was taken to Eiigijind rceentlj'by Mr. C. Lawrence, of lfrisliano, and who put -up such an excellent showing' against "Joe" Jeniiitc&ta « Ajnii last, has caught the public fancy "at Hmm?." He non-.-lias a chance to nial?o his uame go«l by beating Boiftlrafrrfter Welts, arid, incidentally picking Up a t Very nice purso at tlie same tisne. *i'he contest is to bs staged mi London (in all probability &t Olympia) between June 1.5 and'3D—the da to is to bo definitely fixed bv Kay 21, with June 29 or 30 'the likeliest-, and tlie heavy-weight chnmpknsMp of the British Empire, will bo at stake, also a purse of £2000, to be divided £1260 to the winner and £800 to the lose*. "Dave" smith Fills a GBD:. ' It has transpired that the egntest- a)> ranged for July 4 between. "iSdiie" ■ M'Goorty and "Jimmy" , Clab&y has ietm. abandoned owing to vegisaiis which base not been made public, a.Bfl "j)avo" Smith has been substHateti fur.M'flopv- l ty. Smith and Clabby are old friends j and foes. They have met twice previ-' ously, during tho Ameiit-ml's previptiß ' Australian visit, and hetom 3i« attained his present eminent position as a mid' j die-weight. One meeiijj.; elided in jj, wia i for the Now Zcalander,. the -other i}i a draw. Smith, by the way, is eclleduled to meet Jules Dubourg, tije FrenthftaUi | at Melbourne to-night; ' i The O'Crady Sensatiort, ] _ Things are still in abeyaitso vcftaHl- j ing;_thu "ait'aire O'Grady." i'he "isso-. i ciatioii has .written its ■JSytfaey lepre- j sentative, Mr. W. Lawless, et thij "Ro* fereo," acquainting him witli tiw charges made against our recent visitor.; bjkl I asking itini to obtain a statement -j}t- ; defence. When this obtees io j it does—theu presumably 'tto. promised inquiry will be proceeded \vidi-. Moan-! while, the executive i$ qweil.y sifting the mass of evidence ma ttvjjioiu , thui. is to hand. Fateful News. • j Just as these notes fr-cro goiig to { press came tho fateiul n<ms thit "lien- j ny" Murphy had losi his tjtfc yt welter-; weight ciiauipion of tho .oomj.iito!, thei disaster occurred at Haniji-tOn «rft \\%d- ! nesday liiglit, when ixurp'iiy.tv'ae knaeked out in tlie fifth roivftd by "Sytl" Chapman, an Australian iyt'lto'r,.mains' a temporary'stay, in New &afeiii!fil. Particulars to hand at the time- of svi;i.i.m.g ■ arc very meagre, but it is reported tlUHtlie -contest was made Wry. Icwsi iiottn the word "go," and Kept its willing; characteristic until tii6. m\& came, a> j previously • stated, ii; till Mill, whfi-a ft vimful right dropped MuVplij' for tlie. full count. i'his is the.first time that Jlurpb.y has sustained tho knock-ont, .and hh tirfoatis the more bitter comiiig just now on - account of its effect on his l'o.rtijM!niini| Australian trip. He is ie'aviftg tof Sydney, under .engagement to-.lt, L; Baker on July 4, and had good pr'aspects of getting good matches—prospects wMzh must now be considerabiy daiiuipfod b,v ■ this misadventure. This was ■Gtepman'is second contest in New ZesjUmd*- j tiis first against Allan Thompson, a-t BtoAsiteij ho also won .\rithout difli«ttt v . ! .