LECKIE'S FORM IS WRONG

NZ Truth, Issue 1212, 21 February 1929, Page 12

LECKIE'S FORM IS WRONG

In The Boxing Ring

Ambition Is To Administer Sleep Potion Early right is not Always might

In his last two contests Johnnie Leckie has displayed form many removes from championship standard.. Everything is wrong with him, or was wrong with him at Wanganui last week, when he was adjudged defeated by Charlie Glasson.

FROM the peppy, .wide awake boxerflghter he has .developed into a one-mind slugger. To him these days his left hand is to hold his fork. His right la might, but to those who watched him last week, the only might about it was that it made all and sundry mighty tired watching him throw it. The sparkle that used to embellish his work is gone. Only In places does the glitter break through. That stinging left with which he so accurately and so artistically sapped his opponent's stamina and morale, is now m the limbo of the past. Instead he comes out and lets go his right, every pound behind it, and misses. Now he does not await to slow his man up hefore administering the coup de grace. It cannot be said that it is i a case of "Johnnie Leckie, K.O. King." ! doing the damage, for the boy is altogether too sensible to allow his past record to sway his better judgment. Once a sweet puncher, Johnnie now

does not deliver from where his hand is. He has joined the signal corps, and time after time he lets the world know what is coming. Oh, for a return to that right hand drive to the body, a blow that travelled no more than inches. Now it is feet! Leckie realises that he is all to pieces and so does his trainer, Archie, and after last week's fight they made up their mind to eradicate the faults so recently developed. "I am going to start him all over again," said Archie to "N.Z. Truth." In his last two bouts Leckie has fought m front of a bigr crowd of keen sporting observers, who went expecting champagne only to x-eceive skim milk. To this crowd Leckie ,is no champion, though they admit they can see flashes which indicate he could be one. Leckie now has to collect air those flashes, unite them into a circuit and come back the boy he was — a real honest to goodness champion.