Royalty and Boxing

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 36, 10 November 1911, Page 16

Royalty and Boxing

THE CZAR NOT EXACTLY A

CHAMPION.

IWILLY PANTZER TELLS HOW HE

PUT HIS IMPERIAL PUPIL THROUGH.

"Of course, I've had a lot of queer times off and on," mused Wiily Panteer (says "Barrier Daily Truth"). "A person can't go roaming up and down the world year in and year out as I've done Avithout knocking up against some sharp corners of human nature with his funny bone. Bumping into a Avar or tAA r o or a revolution now and again, are in a day's work Avhen one lays his Course from Australia to New York, and down to Capetown and up to St. Petersburg, and back again. But I Suppose the queerest time I ever had was when I taught boxing to the Czar Nicholas."

(It was in a dressing-room in the Victoria Theatre. The acrobat had just come off the stage, where he had been playing a sort of basketball game with the boy Avho is the other important person "in the Willy Pantzer troupe.

"It's not such a bad life either," he .'said Avith commendable pride, as he stripped off another garment and revealed huge shoulders and tapering Waist and muscles of iron on arms, and back, and abdomen, which the full blood made pink. "I'm 31, and good for a lot of'years of the strenuous life yet. I've been at it a good many years, following in the footsteps of my father."

; "But the Czar and the boxing?" I interrupted.

"Oh, yes. Are you interested?" he asked. "Well, it AA'as queer. You see, ■a,few years back I Avas playing an engagement at the Aquarium in St. Petersburg, Avhen my manager told mc one night that an officer from the court wanted to see mc. When he came back in all his uniform and gorgeousness,Jae told mc that the Czar had taken an interest in mc. He didn't tell mc just why, but he made a lot of inquiries about me,and "what I thought about- a lot of things. He was- A r ery anxious to knoAV if I Avas any relation to a Pantzer who- had taught Emperor 'Alexander 111. weight-lifting and other things. Noav, that AA'-as my father, Mid .when I said so the information pleased him. He wanted to know my opinion of politics and things m Russia, to Avhich I hadn't given much thought, and then he went .out and awked my manager a lot more things about mc.

"He must have taken back a good report, for a day or two later I Avas conimanded to go to the palace. Of course I Avent, but I had to go to school first. A court officer told mc a lot of things I must do and say, and another told mc how I must dress, and I had to get gold buttons sewn on my evening coat, .and make other preparations.. Then I Avas met by an officer of th>*> court, and wo were driven to the palace. At the- gate I had to be identified, and at the entrance I had to be vouched for again, and to sign my name and give information about myself, and finally I Avas searched. That, all being done, I Avas taken into the presence of the Czar. There he was in one of the reception rooms, surrounded by Ministers and officers, all in uniform, and I had to advance through them and speak to him.

" 'I've heard of you,' said the Czar. "'I would like to go and see you perform, but,' and he shrugged his shoulders AA'earily, 'you knoAV circumstances will not permit.' I thought then the position of Czar had some draAA'backs. 'I'a-c sent for you,' he went on, 'because I Avish to learn lioav to exercise. T wish to be able to use my hands and body.'

"We Avent to another room with the Ministers and officers following us, and I could feel that there were persons E resent whose particular duty it Avas to eep an eye on mc. He then asked mc to shoAV him some of the things I did on the stage. So I stripped to the- silk tights I had put on underneath toy clothing and stood before him. He felt my muscles and stood back, sighed and said, 'I Avould like to be as strong as that,' then shrugged his shoulders, 'but, of course, I cannot-.'

"I turned somersaults for him and ■■gave him as much of my performance is was possible, and he Avas one of the nost interested spectators I cA r er had. :.aughing, making encouraging remarks and talking constantly to the officers about him. 'What exercise should I fcakor' he asked. I looked at him and said he should box. 'Can you box?' he asked, delighted. 'I have often Avished to learn boxing. It is the American sport. Are you an American ?' I told him I Avas a natiA r e citizen, coming from an English mother and a German father. That also interested him. It was arranged then that I should give him boxing lessons. But we had to wait. Ordinary boxing gloA-es would not do, the officer of the court told mc. Under my direction tAA'o pair 3 were made of fine silk, with the finest eider down to stuff them. His We're made so that he could deliver a good blow with them, and mine were. made big .so that if I did happen to hit him no great damage would be' -done.. ...■.•:

, '' : i was asked what the Czar should jraar, and when I said & gymnasium

suit would 1 be best the courE officers were horrified. That Avas pronounced out of the question. Finally it AA r as arranged that he should have a costume of silk that would give him freedom of movement, without putting him too much on the plane of an athlete. WHien all was arranged I Avas taken again to the palace, Avhere a room had been fitted out for our exercise. 'You mustn't hit the Emperor,' cautioned a court officer. 'ShoAv him eA-erything possible, but do hot hit him.' 'Suppose I should become a little excited some time and should happen to touch him?' I asked. r Yoti musn't,' was the direction,' which," of course, did not make it at all easy for mc. He Avas as pleased as a boy when finally wo put the gloves on, and I began to teach him him what to do Avith them. Of course, the first thing AA'as to .slioav him hoAv blows ought to be parried. I told him to hit mc. He was timid about it, and did not try very hard at first, but I encouraged him to go at mc. AVhen he did so, I parried or side-stepped or ducked, and he was not able to touch mc; he greAv amazed and wanted to know how each thing was done. So I showed him, and cA r en before that lesson Avas OA r er he had grasped many of the principles of the •science.

"Lessons went on for three weeks. 1 taught him hoAV to hit in a way to overcome a parry, and finally- he caught mc a good blow in the stomach. I made a fake fall, and in a- moment he Avas apologising. I laughed and showed him my stomach muscles, and -ashed him to hit as hard as he could. At first he would not; then he finally went at mc, and found that he hurt his hand more/ than my stomach. That astounded him. I don't suppose he had ever, struck a man before in his life, in that Avay at least. I couldn't resist showing: him a little trick. 'If your Majesty will permit mc, I will show you something,' I said. I took off my gloA*e, doubled up my fist a bit and advanced it toAvard the solar plexus. Half a dozen Ministers and others were coming towards mc in' an instant. 'Proceed!' said the Czar, AA*ho was interested. I gave him just the tAvist of the knuckles on the solar plexus, and he jumped back in surprise. I don't suppose anybody had dared do such a thing to him before. 'What Avould happen if you were to strike mc there?' he asked* 'You would be knocked out,' I said. Then I ha dto explain what that meant, and how Corbett had been knocked out by Fitzsimmons by a solar plexus blow, and he avanted to hear of other fights, and had mc slioav him hoAV the trick was done, though, of course, not- on him.

"His timidity finally wore off, and he got so that he would' strike at mc good and hard. He. caught mc some hard ones Avhen I Avas not watching at times, and once he made my nose bleed. In an instant he was all apologies, but when I told him that was part of the game he was delighted. One day I showed him an uppercut, and after he had practised on mc a- while he suddenly turned on one of his officers and gaA r e him one and knocked him down. That tickled him immensely, and he tried to catch some of the others, but they got out of the way without any harm. 'I can whip you now,'' 'he boasted in delight.

"At the end of the three weeks I had to leave St. Petersburg on tour. The Czar did not want mc to go. He said he AA'ould make mc an officer of his household troops if I Avould stay and be Avith him. He had an idea that it AAould be a good thing for the officer of the guard to learn boxing, and that some sort of athletic training should be devised for the men. T wish I had such training in my army*' he said. 'It would do so much for my men; teach them to act so much quicker, and think so much quicker.'

"But when one has wandered up and doAAUi the earth all his years he could not settle down like that. I kneAv St. Petersburg Avould be deadly dull, even if one were a favourite at court. And besides, it wasn't the pleasantest thing in the Avorld to feel that one had to get up day by day and let someone pummel him. CA r en if it didn't hurt much, without having a chance noAv and then to giA r e a good one back. So I refused to stay, and the lessons ended. The Czar sent mc a purse of 100 roubles and a diamond ring. Here it is. 3 '

The tumbler showed a huge white diamond set in a heavy gold ring, AA'hich he gene-rally has vt'ith him, but seldom wears.

"What do you think of the Czar?" I asked.

"I would not think him very strong in any Avay," said Mr. Pantzer. "He is inclined to be sickly and nerA*ous and T thought very timid. He seemed suspicious of everybody. It was a long time before he would trust mc fully. I would not say he Avas lacking in physical courage, but he did not seem to care to have it tested. As to his-mind, I did not come, away with a very good idea of it. I had heard that he was ruled by the Grand Duke Michael in the real things of the government, and from what-I'saw I thought he was. It was a peculiar life he led, cooped up with his guards and Ministers all the time, and afraid to venture out to a theatre or even to have a quiet boxing match with about -a dozen of his people around him."

The athlete shrugged his shoulders

"I guess I'd rather be an American!'-'