RINGSIDE TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 20060, 28 December 1928, Page 10

RINGSIDE TOPICS

* BOXING NEWS AND NOTES [By Hooker.] It is pleasing In record the fact that there is a possibility of a mutch eventuating here next month. It a third contest between 'tommy M'lnncs and lurch ic Macdonald can be arranged it should be a good start for the new year, for both are tough, solid lighters, who should provide the crowd with a real good “ scrap.” MMiines has beep lighting pretty regularly of late, and is a great draw card in Auckland, while Dunedin is Macdonald’s home town, Archie Leckic being the man who brought the former Australian and New Zealand middle-weight champion out. Tins tight should be suflicient to pack the Drill Hall if the contest is held there. Drench folk a re. very loth 1c lose Curpenticr as their heavy-weight boxing champion. The- French Boxing Federation, in its decision organising a competition of heavy-weights, express', slated that the winner would not be the bolder of the title, but would bo ipialified to challenge Carpentier for t. Unce tiic challenger Ims been designated as the result of the competition Carpentier will he challenged with all duo form, and will have to state whether he intends to defend his title or abandon it. “ It is not without a little slab of emotion that we shall sec Carpcnticr’s mime disappear from the list of onr national champions,'’ says the 1 Auto,’ “ lor it is more Ulan probable that he will not defend his r.itle ” The ‘Ante’ considers that Carpentier is still the best. Frenchman of his class. It was difficult to understand why the attendance was so pour at the ,Upcra Housti on Monday night on the occasion of the CoUcrcll-Ikmovan light, stales the Taranaki ‘ Herald.’ Few amateurs have been - as popular as Donovan in Taranaki, and it was thought that there would have been a “ bumper " house lo welcome him into the professional ranks. This was

not so, however, and as a result ol the | tournament the Taranaki , lias made a severe loss. Hie association will have lost confidence in the (1 -'wing power ol boxing in New Plymouth, and the future of boxing in | N'cw Plymouth is even more insecure than it was. As for the light itself, (here was little in it. and there is little to write of it. Donovan seemed to be sizing bis man up lor a round and a-half. He then set in to (,'ottercll, forcing him ngainst the ropes. In ilio third round lie had Cotterell flurried during one of these rushes, and hooked his left in quickly U the jaw. Cotterell never recovered trout the second blow, and the towel soon came in. Donovan in the short display he gave promises very well indeed against stronger opponents. Fred. Foster, treasurer of the Otago Boxing Association, saw Norman Gillespie during In's trip to Australia, and the fact that the Victorian light-weight is keen to revisit Dunedin should not be lost sight of when the Otago Boxing Association is drawing up its programme for the now season’s activities. Gillespie lias developed into a lirstclass light-weight, as was predicted when ho was in Dunedin, and already lie is one of the best in his class in Australia. Of all the Australian boxers who fought in Dunedin last year Gillespie impressed as much as any. despite the fact that he experienced didicnlfy in getting down to the featherweight limit. It is rcnorled that a new French heavy-weight has come to the surface. Ho is a minor hy the name of Bon(111 ill o 11 .. lie stands over 6ft and neighs 2151 b in lighting condition. Although still a bit crude, bo lias won several lights, and bis record shows that lie has never been knocked out. except on one occasion, which was nut in the 1 ring. While drilling rock in a mine a heavy stone fell on his head and put him to sleep for three hours. His latest light was against the hard-hitting and fairly clever P.ailloux, whom he put away in the third round. Bouqiiillon is said to he the most likely heavy-weight seen in Europe for a considerable time. The coming of La Barba, to say nothing of the arrival of Grime, some time in the new year, and the presence of South Africa's great feather-weight, Willie Smith, will he the attraction in Australia, with La Barba (ho outstanding bright light in the new year (says '‘Solar Plexus,” in the Sydney * Bcforoe "l The doings ol that luincli in opposition to the. best of the locals will surely bring boxing back to favour, and the invaders will equally benefit Die doings of the smaller fry. As in the past, the local fan will decry Hie chances of their own countrymen. It is the besetting sin ol Australians to think little of their own, but history might again repeat, i I set 1, as was the ease when the best of the invaders had to strike their colours to Australian opposition. Fred Webster, who bold- the uniquedistinction of winning an English amateur championship at a ditlereut weight —bantam, feather, and light—in three successive years, (ought his first prole,--sional liglit in London on October ’2o, his opponent being Charles Ernst, ot France, whom he outpointed hy an over whelming margin in a twelve-round bout. The light was one of Hie preliminaries to the big night at the Albert Hall, when Mood defeated Fratini in three rounds and Baldm-k disposed ol Lolosky in a similar period. Of Webster a London writer says; The former amateur light-weight champion and record holder was in a class hy liimsc-it among the amateurs when it came io straight hitting. Not only is Webster one of the straigbtcsl, of hitters; he can send out his blows at twice the pace ol an ordinary man. I may be wrong, but I've an idea Webster is going to be the “ big noise ” in the light-weight division. In their return contesl at the Leichhardt Stadium, Merv Williams turned the tables on bis lormer conqueror,., Gordon Kioly, after fifteen strenuous ' but uninteresting rounds. The margin was not overwhelming in the winner’s favour (says the Sydney ‘Bcfercc’). to make doubly sure of winning Williams forced in Hie fourteenth, with the idea, no doubt, ot scoring a k. 0., but this gave Kioly the chance, of doing clever side-stepping in defenceand scoring rights to the body and a short one to (lie head. In Ids anxiety Merv accidentally rammed Ids iiead on Kicly’s already bloody nose, and did the same in the lasi .session, a round that was Ids. though he missed often with wild right swings. Though \\ illiamf had spent some months in the hard and strenuous employment of a wool pressor, for the purpose of hardening up Ids hands and muscling up Ids body, ho still has that roly-poly ap pcaranee. Mo fought like one in good shape, tiring in Hie tenth, eleventh, and twelfth rounds—to come again in the last. Tommy Donovan is to have bis second professional contest in January, but as yet an opponent has not been selected tor him. Hector Lockie. who has not had a fight for some time, would probably be willing to meet Donovan for a reasonable purse, and would certainly give the Taranaki feather-weight inin-ii tougher opposition than he met with in Ids lirst prolcssional contest. Hector Leckie is a good, solid fighter who would let Donovan know be bad been lighting belorc the pair wore finished, and a meeting of these . boxers should provide a good mill for the association which is seeking to match Donovan. Willie Smith, who is being brought to Australia in the new year and is one of tiie boxers named as likely to be one of Johnny Lec-kic’s opponents should the latter go to Australia, is, like Johnny Leckie. a product of amateur boxing, which should make the meeting of these men all the more interesting. When he was only eighteen Smith won the Transvaal junior title and Hie South African senior bantam-weight championship. In 1024 lie Was selected to represent South Africa in the Olympic Games at Paris, and lie won the bantam-weight championship in convincing fashion. Smith did iiot turn professional for some time alter the Olympic Games, but-one of his greatest wins was against • England’s loremost bantam-weight. Teddy Baldock. Smith is now a feather-weight, and his advent in Australia is being eagerly awaited. It is worthy of mention that at the Olympic Games at which Smith won his title La Barba, later ily-weight champion of the world, also won a championship. Both will be in Australia at the same time, and are likely to meet.

Winn a chance tor the publicity expert—three great boxers, all of them products of amateur ranks f Fred. Foster saw New Zealander Vince Parker in action in Sydney, and reckons that Kiddie's brother is going to do very- well on tiic other side. It is also interesting to note' Fred.’s remarks that the best of our amateurs arc a long way ahead of the preliminary boys icon in action at the Sydney and Melbourne Stadiums. 1 was sorry to hear Fred, remark that Darby O’Connor bad slipped. Darby was the makings of a good lighter, hut he has never shown the same form since the boating Johnny bookie gave him. The latter, though, regards' Darby O’Connor as ono of the best boys lie has met. Tommy Griffiths’s victory over Billy M’Alister, bantam-weight champion of Australia, should make Tommy’s stock rise in Australia, especially in view of (be fact that ho won so convincingly M‘A lister was apparently trying (o knock Griffiths, but the latter was 100 fast and clever for him. and piled up a big lead in points which the Australian was unable to overtake. Against opponents near his own weight. Tommy Griffiths will take some beating,