BOXING FIASCO.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9111, 2 April 1908, Page 7

BOXING FIASCO.

One of the most one-sided boxing matches ever seen took place at Wonderland, East London, recently, when, amid the jeers of a crowded audience, Jack Palmer, of Newcastle, was knocked out by Tommy Burns, of America, in fonr farcical rounds, for the world’s heavyweight championship. At a quarter past ten the two men stepped into the ring. Palmer stripped in a trice, and was nearly a quarter of an hour before his leisurely opponent. Burns, as is his custom, took his time, and unrobed with infiniteJJ care, while the Newcastle man walked about the ring, chatting, and looking supremely confident. At last the two men faced one another under the cold, white glare of the electric lamps, while the cinematograph machines got to woxk with a soft purring sound. Prom the start it was seen, to the mingled astonishment and rage of his enthusiasts, that Palmer had not a fight in him. He looked well enough trained, hut from the very first hit he received—it was more of a poke than a hit—he was obviously and clearly a beaten man. His few feeble blows merely brushed the American.

Then Palmer commenced strange tactics. He covered up as much of his face as possible with hands and arms. Burns would walk around looking for a place where he could land a blow, and coolly land home on the selected spot. Time and again Palmer went down and took eight seconds’ rest, and on each occasion his eyes were bright and watchful for the signal from his seconds that told him to get upon his feet. Palmer never seemed able to avoid the merest fraction of the force of the blows. He took all that were sent, and received many vicious digs on the back. The latter bits were landed with a smile while Palmer’s face was turned to the floor. It was this downward turning of the face that caused many of the spectators to shout angry remarks or indulge in the sarcastic advice to Palmer: ‘ ‘ Go on ; have a fight. ’ ’ So matters went on for nearly four rounds, when Palmer lay _on the floor until the expiration-of-time signal was given. The terms were twenty threeminute rounds for £SOO a-side and oO per cent of the gate receipts—7s per cent of these to go to the winner, whilst the loser takes the remaining 25 per cent.