BOXING

Hokitika Guardian, 20 November 1929, Page 2

BOXING

AUCKI.AND SPORTSMAN’S

IMPRESSIONS

AUCKLAND, November IV

After ni> enoynble holiday in Australia, Mr Frank Hums, the well-known boxing enthusiast and referee, returned to Air Idand bv the Aornngi this morning. it was on Mr Burns’s recommendation that the Northern Boxing Association decided to invite Billy Thomas to come to Auckland. “You can’t do much in the way of engaging men in Australia,” said Mr Hi* ns. “If a boxer is any good at all lie is usually tied up with either ts promoter or a trainer/’ Mr Burns speaks in high terms ot Thomas, who, he says, is a very good class of boxer, being scientific, clean, and a trier all the way.

Speaking of the game in Australia, Mr Burns said that the attendance at most of the carnivals was very poor. The trouble, he thought, was that the promoters were giving the public too many mat ••lies, there being contests on four nights a week in Sydney. The Aucklander was not greatly inpressed with the form shown by the Australian fighters. “ t saw none Wild sho-Weet anything iii the Wily of class," he siiki. 11l Australia the boxers who provide the preliminary bouts are all professionals',; but- in the opinion of Mr Burns they are not as good, taken all round, as the amateurs who provide .the four and six-rounders in New Zealand. “ There is not much science about them, and the crowd in New Zealand would not stand for the hanging on and holding that goes on,” said An* Burns.

VISITING BOXERS ARRIVE

ENGAGEMENTS IN DOMINION

AfTCKLAND, November 18

Three professional boxers, Billy Thomas, Pete Sarron, and Lu Bloom, disembarked from the Aorangi, which arrived from Sydney to-day. Thomas is to fight in Auckland next week and Sarron has come over from Australia under engagement to the Wellington Boxing Association. Born in Wales, Thomas is a welterweight who has had eighty-eight fights in the last four years. Of these he has won fifty-six and (drawn fifteen. live Welshman, who came to Australia under engagement to the Leichhardt Stadium authorities, had six contests, winning two and drawing three. His first match was against a New Zeitlaiidel 1 , Villce Parker, wlioin be outpointedThe one man to get a decision over Thomas in Australia was the hardfighting Tommy Fnirhall, Thomas, who is twenty-three years of age, is to meet Artie Hay, welter-weight and middle-weight champion of New Zealand, at the Northern Boxing Association’s carnival in the Town Hall next Tuesday.

Best known as the only fighter to adiAinister . a knock-out "to Johnny Leckie, the Dominion feather-weight champion, Pete Sarron has' come to New Zealand for four fights under the auspices .of the Wellington Boxing Association? A swarthy-skinned little American, Sarron was brought to Australia by Stadiums, Ltd. He has had nine matches in the Commonwealth, and although he was outpointed both by Johnny Leckie and Billy Grime, he knocked each of the colonials but in return matches. Sarron went to the Olympic Games as an American representative in 1924. the same year that Charlie Purdy journeyed to Paris. He was defeated in the semi-finals of his division by Fidel la Barba, who later won the professional fly-weight championship of the world. Sarron claims a splendid record of seventy-five fights. He says that he has lost only three. The one man to beat him in America was Emil Paluso, who was one of the boxers under Leo P. Flynn’s care. The most famous member of this “ stable” was, of course, Jack Dempsey. Jn a return contest the verdict went to Sarrpii. Leckie’s conqueror would like to fight in Auckland before returning to the United States.

A junior light-weight, Bloom is also an American. He has had six matches in Australia. He bent Norman Gillespie, the Commonwealth titleholder, twice, and Jack Roberts once, while he was twice beaten by Grime and once by Harry Corbett, of England. Twenty-two years of age, Bloom is a .Jew, and he claims to have had only about ten decisions given against him in some 1(55 matches. Unless he can see a likelihood for work in New Zealand he will continue his voyage to-morrow.