IN THE RING

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8355, 15 February 1913, Page 15

IN THE RING

. i\.d Williams, of Tolago Bay, is now champion or INew Zea,na, having won tne title from the •riuuruo boxer, Bert Lowe. A win on ioui is always somewnat unsatisfacbut when Lowe was disquauhed Tn,cr being cautioned, his offence being lading and hitting, ho was well be-i.-ul on points. As usual, the referee's excision, whicn, it is stated, was a per'i ally fair one, found a number of diso.itients. People who have lost their ...oaey rarely agree with a referee un..,s it is a ease of a clean knock-out. Tho featherweight ■ contest at Gis■omo between Thompson and Robin>n seems to have been a rather dull Muir, but the lads woke up after going six rounds, and there was plenty uomg up to tho tenth, when Thomps.m took the count as tho result of a right hook to the jaw, following up with a heavy right cross. Jhe .Timaru lightweight, J. Hogarty, carried too many guns for the Jhlawera boxer, Maxwell, in the fifteen-round natch at Palmerston North for the championship of New Zealand. lie snowed greater cleverness and hit harder than his opponent, who was knocked down in the tenth. Maxwell ■lasted well, however, and had none the worst of tho final stages, but was well behind on points. Tho Northern Boxing Association is holding a big carnival on Tuesday and Wednesday. Among tho combatants will be Standon, Ireland, Hannan, Palmer, Thompson, , Whailey, and others. Tho association tried to get J. Hegarly for Plaster, but t/!io latter stated that ho intended taking a spell. The matches in Auckland between Private Palmer and Barney Ireland, and between Rod Standon and Billy Hannan promise to fie two of the best battles seen in tho north for many a long day, and a great deal of interest is being taken in them. Luther McCarthy, who, American writers say, is destined to win tho heavyweight championship of the world, is a particularly big man, standing wel l , over 6ft, and weighing over list. Following are his measurements: Height, 6ft If in; weight, 14st 11b; reach, 75Jin; neck, 17Jin; chest contracted, 39in; chest expanded, 42Jin; waist, 36in; right forearm, 13Jin; left foream, 14in; right biceps, 15in; left biceps, lojin; right thigh, 26Jin; left thigh, 26in; right calf, 16in; wrist, 7fin; ankle, 9Jin. Concerning the coming to Sydney of Jim Sullivan, ex-middleweight champion of England. He is “ex” only because ho did not think the purse offered by the London National Sporting Club good enough to fight for, and, consequently, the Lonsdale belt held by Sullivan went to the winner (Jack Harrison) of a contest specially arranged to supply another champion. Poor Harrison was afterwards knocked from pillar to post in America, and three weeks subsequent to Dave Smith succumbing to the power of McGoorty’s right, Jack Harrison shared the same fate at the hands of the same man. The news that Matt Weds has been offered ±ll5OO for a meeting with Ad Wolgast in New York, whether ho beats Hughio Mehegan or not, if correct, shows a mignty change on tho part of the Wolgast party. As champion, Ad had other fish to fry when tho Englishman, then in America, desired to tackle him.

London papers report that Charley Mitchell, once heavyweight champion of England, who twice met John L. Sullivan, when the famous American was at the height of Jus career, is dying of dropsy in a London hospital. Mitchell married a daughter of the law “ Jr'ouy ” Moore, of xuoore and Burgess Minstrels fame, and for some time assisted in the management of the firm’s business. The following reference, clipped from the London “ Sporting Life's ” story of Johnny Summers's recent battle with Sid Burns for the weiterweignt championship of England, is interesting. Jby the way, .burns will also visit Australia: “Johnny Summers, with nis rosary tucked away in the sock of his right foot, was the main attraction at the National Sporting Club last night. The scene in his dressing-room whilst ho waited for the call was the dame as dozens of others which preceded it. There was an air of strangeness, differing in all the essentials from those usually associated with boxing—an atmosphere which some would say does not fit in with the ring. For Summers has religious fervour deep set in him, and one admires him the more because he makes no secret of it. That he prays before a contest is but a tribute to his faith; that he touches and caresses his beloved rosary whilst following his trade may be uncommon, but it loses none of its beauty—and the word is used advisedly—because of it. Of all the many contests I have seen none lives in my memory so well as that when Summers defeated Evenden. Not because it was better than others, but because Summers, in the face of a mixed gathering of humanity, laid bare his faith in his religion. PICATO BEATS POESY. The match between the light-weights Prank Picato (America) and Jean Poesy (France) attracted some thousands of spectators to the Sydney Stadum. In describing the battle the Sydney writer “Solar Plexus” says: ‘‘Poesy did not commence in his usual forcing style; in fact, he appeared as if he intended playing a waiting game, for when Picato shot out his left ho blocked it and never, as is customary with him, tried to get one homo in return. After the American did succeed in scoring a snappy left hook to the cheek. Poesy was more intent than ever to act on the defence, and Picato’s lefts were .backed from. A stray one, however, caught Poesy in the body, and made him look very serious. “A loft hook caught the Frenchman on the sido of the nose. The next attempt of a like kind that seemed to carry more weight than the other, missed, owing to Poesy back-moving. A loft and a right was blocked, but, following up quickly, Picato planked a solid left on the nose, and missed by the slightest thing a right uppercut to the chin, that, judging by subsequent events, might have ended the contest then and there. “In a clinch that was formed immediately after, Picato was wrestled nearlly through the ropes. As they squared up again. Poesy at last opened up, and shot a good left to the nose. Picato’s left hooks than made frequent contact to the mouth, drawing blood. Again his right uppercut missed the chin by the fraction of an inch, but a solid left to the chin caused the Frenchman to sag at the knees and right swing to the body, and another weighty left took on the chin put Poesy down in a sitting position outside the ring, with lis legs over the bottom rope. He retained his feet at 3, and a second or ;wo afterwards the,gong rang for coriors. _ ‘‘Picato opened the second round with left and right, from which Poeey .-ached, and returning quickly, swung twice with his right to the jaw. rattling jJho American for the moment. Ere ho

hid properly recovered ho tried with a (left, and then a right uppercut, both b.ows missing .badly, but recovering quickly he swung his right to the ear, and was moving back when Poesy's fight swing caught him on the neck. “Poesy again swung a couple o( tights to the side of the head, but, fortunately for Frank, he saw them coming, and by a quick turn of the head caused them to glance off, but ho was too slow to stop a right uppercut that caught him on the nose. This seemed to give the Frenchman some encouragement, for he got there with right to the body, then both hands in the saim place. It was his last shot, for Picato planted threo left hooks to the mouth, staggering Poesy, then a left to the chin made him appear as if about to fall in a sitting position, when over came a short right with all the weigln of Picato’s body behind it. and Poesy fell first on his hands and then on his face. IJp was making frantic endeavours to got to his feet again, but it was not possible; he was counted out amid hoots and cheers. Why hoots, I fail to understand; ho was badly beaten, and put up with some heavy punishment before being fairly and squarely outed.