RINGSIDE TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 22145, 27 September 1935, Page 5

RINGSIDE TOPICS

LATEST FISTIC FLASHES £By Hooker.] CONTESTS ARRANGED. September 28.—F. Bennie v. 0. Rush, at Napier. September 30.—Don Stirling v. Neville Mudgway (welter-weight championship), at Christchurch; Les Brander v. Harold Reeve, at Invercargill. October 2,3, ; and 4.—New Zealand amateur championships, at Dunedin. _ October 7.—Jack Jarvis _v. Clarne Rammer (light-weight championship), at Wellington; A. Candy v. Lin Robinson, at Auckland. Come-back Effort. Inspired bv the comeback efforts of Jimmy Braddock and Tony Canzoneri, .the toy bulldog of the light heavyweights, Mickey Walker, is now contemplating another onslaught on the crown he once held. Walker, now 34, believes .he is still good enough to beat the best of ’em and has filed a challenge with the present holder of the light heavy-weight ‘crown, Bob Olin, for a title match. Walker is said to have guaranteed Olin £4,000 Ibr the match. Walker formerly held the welter and middle-weight championships of the world.

The story of Eddie M'Goorty is one of the most tragic in the annals of the ring (says the ‘ Knockout ’). He possessed skill, endurance, and pluck that should have placed him amongst the greatest of them all. He fought all round the world and licked some of the best. Yet, at the end of his career he had nothing to show for it. He had no crown, no title—nothing but the bitter memory of what might have been. Southland Boxers’ Successes.

“ Veritas,” the boxing writer of the ‘Southland Times/ has some very interesting items concerning the doings of W. Pasco, the well-known Southland boxer who won the Australasian amateur heavy-weight championship last October, and shortly afterwards left for Australia.

Pasco entered professional ranks in Melbourne, and did very well in his first few fights. He fought in Sydney, and also took up wrestling, mainly for .training purposes. About a month ago, Pasco went to Queensland, and has established himself dn Australian boxing circles with ■everal convincing victories, one of which was over Pietro Georgi in his second fight with the American a few weeks ago.

Pasco is now in line for bouts with “Young”. Campbell, the Newcastle heavy-weight sensation, and Ron Richords, one of the most colourful fighters and hardest hitters in Australia. Pasco has written to "Veritas” that he is anxious to visit Invercargill, and is prepared to take three fights before Christmas, naming Ray Nicol, Em Jacobs, and Les Brander as opponents preferred. It stated that the Southland Boxing Association is not < likely to lose sight of the opportunity.:

The view is expressed by the Southlander that he is convinced Australia is the hoine of the '-‘ fight game,” and he considers that for experience one can learnvmore there in a week than in a whole year in New Zealand.

In bis first bout with Georgi, Pasco put Georgi down for a count of eight in'.the sixth round, and Pasco apparlost bis head and rushed in and hit him while he was still on his knees, the New Zealander immediately being disqualified by the referee (Billy Grime). In the return, Pasco knocked Georgi out in nine rounds.

Feather Title Now Vacant, Clarrie llayner, of Blenheim, has notified the secretary of the New Zealand Boxing Council (Mr 6. P. Aldridge) that he is no longer able to make the 9st limit, and consequently is surrendering the professional feather-weight title of the Dominion. This is rather unfortunate so far as the Wellington Association is concerned, for arrangements had been completed • for llayner' to meet Aiken in a fea-ther-weight title bout there on October 7. However, it is probable that a title bout will still be held on that date, _as the association has communicated with Jack Jarvis, of Eltham, asking him to meet llayner in a return contest for the light-weight title there. It will be .recalled that the recent fight_ at Blenheim between llayner and Jarvis for the light-weight title (then ended unsatisfactorily, llayner being disqualified for what appeared to be a wholly unintentional breach. The position at that stage was very interesting, with the Issue still decidedly open.

Council Must Have Revenue. Among the remits to be considered at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Boxing Association in Dunedin is one from the Marlborough Association to the effect that, in lieu of paying fees and percentages of gates and purses to the New Zealand Boxing Council, each association shall be compelled to retain an equivalent amount in trust to be used for sending boys to the New Zealand championships; while Manawatu brings forward a remit that the annual general meeting should consider the matter of high overhead expense .entailed in controlling the affairs of the association, and that this overhead expense be reduced to make it commensurate with the present reduced income of the controlling body. It is true that the depression hit boxing probably more than any other sport, but the New Zealand Council has functioned actively throughout, and during the troublous times it has been duo in no small measure to the efforts of its secretary (Mr G. P. Aldridge) that the sport of boxing was kept going at all. His advice and personal assistance was always forthcoming, and now that the glove game is on the way to better times it would bo a matter for regret if alterations were made in the constitution which would mean the breaking up of an organisation which it has taken years to build.

The council if it is to function must have revenue. If the associations will not provide the revenue, then the only alternative would be to close up, and it is not difficult to imagine how boxing would drift then. Associations that have had much to do with the New Zealand Council over a period of years know well that the secure position of boxing in this country is due to the carefully built-up organisation of the controlling body.

'"‘No Foul ” Rule. The “No Foul” Rule.—The possibility of winning or losing a contest as the case may be on a foul punch, has ever and always been apparent whereat' the sport of boxing ‘ has been conducted, and it is perhaps opportune here to make brief mention of the “ no foul ” rule (writes “ Mentor ” for the * Star.’) Pioneered, and now (1935) extensively employed in America, and latterly in Australian arenas, the adoption of which„has already proved one of the soundest pieces of fistic legislature added to the famous rules laid down by the Marquis of Queensbury. and which also must perforce soon be practised in New Zealand if we would care to advance and progress along the lines of our overseas cousins. There is, however, as is invariably the case in all matters pertaining to boxing, some diversity of opinion already among fistic circles abroad, as to the logic or otherwise of its adoption, reputed judges and critics contending that foul fighting is not going to be altered by its use, that it is merely a safeguard for promotorial interests, and that there is only one way to cure the evil, and that is to withhold the culprit’s end of the purse, far too much latitude being given offenders who seemingly are exonerated because it is sometimes claimed successfully that the blow was accidental. Be that” as it may, but since being instituted in Australia it has on many occasions been the means of eliminating the dreaded spectacle of a boxer writhing on the canvas and declaring that he is too badly injured to continue, thereby reducing the contest to so much waste of time and leather. The rule declares that a boxer cannot win or lose by the striking of a blow below the Plimsol line; but that a boxer landing a foul blow, shall forfeit the points of the round. The abdominal shield used is said to be practically punch-proof. The American inventor of the device proved its efficacy by allowing heavy weights to swing punches at the shield when affixed, so that it should now be unnecessary to waste sympathy on a boxer struck low. The rule quoted above is a sound one. It at least punishes the transgressors in a definite manner, and does not, as before, leave a certain lack of glamour on the man who received the verdict on the canvas. No boxer can receive body injury—thaf is below the belt—with the use of this device, and the man who cannot see where he is hitting—or does not care—receives full justice for the offence.

Reeve in Demand. Like others of his kind, Harold Reeve, the Pahiatua professional lightheavyweight boxer, required only the opportunity to show the public that he is a performer of real class and, furthermore, that he is of a type who appeals to the public (says the Wellington ‘ Post ’). His past successes against Jim Bolton and Val Luttrell did not mean a great deal to the boxing public, but when the local association gave him his chance against Ern Jacobs, a proven campaigner, he demonstrated conclusively that he is “ the goods.” It was thought in some quarters that he owed his win at the local Town Hall to the fact that he caught Jacobs on au off night, but reports of his return match with the Wellington boy at Feilding this week indicate that he won even more convincingly than before. The ‘ Manawatu Daily Times ’ states that Reeve “ did all the leading and won by a handsome margin of points. He is a vigorous in-fighter with plenty of courage and amazing condition.”

Reeve’s performances have attracted notice elsewhere and he has been booked by the Southland Association to meet the Australian importation Les Brander over fifteen three-minute rounds at Invercargill on September 30. If the local association meets with the success it deserves in staging the featherweight title bout between Raynor and Aitken on October 7 it might be worth while following up with a middle-weight championship contest between M. O’Brien and Reeve. As a preliminary to the Reeye-Bran-der fight the Southland Association is negotiating for a bout between Billy Sullivan, who recently made a successful “ come-back against Alex Dasler, and O’Brien. ' Here and There. The Auckland Boxing Association has arranged another professional match, and it will take place at the Town Hall on Monday night, October 7. The contestants, Liu Robinson, of Gisborne, and Bert Candy; of Wanganui, both have excellent records.

According to the ‘ Sporting Life,’ there is every possibility of Pete Sarron making another trip to Australia, and he would extend it to New Zealand if sufficient inducement were offering. If a suitable opponent could bp found for Sarron, the association that made use of him would have little to worry about, for he is still _ rated as one of the best feather-weights in the world today.

The New Zealand amateur championships, a review of the prospects for which appeared earlier in the week, will open on Wednesday morning next with the annual conference of the New Zealand Boxing Association, which will be presided over by Sir R. S, Glendinhig, president of the Otago and New Zealand Associations. Bouts will probably take place on the first afternoon and again at night, and on Thursday and Friday nights. The meeting undoubtedly promises to bo one of the best held in the Dominion for many years, and with many past and present title-holders taking part and 18 associations entered, the tournament is thoroughly representative of the Dominion,

According to Southland critics the veteran Southland amateur, Jack Kelly, was very unlucky not to win the semi-final of the Southland welterweight championship. “ Fighting better than ever, Jack Kelly seemed to shade Phillipson in almost every. department, but the latter was awarded the fight, a decision which proved unpopular,” says the ‘ Southland Times.’ George Singleton, the ex-professional heavy-weight, was the referee, and a correspondent from the south says his decisions are puzzling the fans and boys In the game. Kelly has fought in 13 Southland championships, but he has represented Southland at the New Zealand championships on only one occasion, at Ashburton, in 1931. He won a Southland championship in 1920, and the boy defeated by Kelly was sent instead., On every other occasion in the Southland championship he has contested the final, with the exception of the welter-weight this year. Kelly is anxious to engage in an amateur bout at Dunedin in the near future.