BOXING.

Shannon News, 3 December 1929, Page 4

BOXING.

Hancock v. Faiihall The enlarged stadium at Leichhardt, Sydney, was unable to hold all those who wished to sec the contest between Wally Hancock, the welter-weight champion of Australia, and Tommy Fairhall. Commenting on the fight, Dave Smith writes: “When the principals, .Tommy Fairhall (9.12) ana Wally Hancock (10.11) entered the ring, both were greeted by loud cheering. Neither of these lads has exceptional ability, but they, in private Jife, ere hard-working, desirable citizens. From-a boxing point of view, this bout had little to commend itself, but the sleep-producing wallop' packed by botn men kept the fans alert, they not wishing to.miss the punch that meant the end. Summing the bout up, the worst.’ I would have given Fairhall was a draw. At times both led feeble lefts out of distance. Fairhall was inclined to wait- till his opponent led, and then either hand to head or body. I thinly l saw one or two straight punches land during tins scrap; but the fight was mostly composed of left hooks and swings, and an occasional right to the body by Hancock, and wild left and right swings to the head and body by Fairhall in return. It is almost a tragedy that Hancock has only one decent /punch in his kit. Fairhall uses his ! head in Ids fighting, and appeared on this occasion to vary his attacks without any great measure of success.”

Leonard’s Brother Joey Benny Leonard, retired undefeated lightweight champion of the world, lias a younger brother, Joey, engaged m boxing, and he recently saw him gain a spectacular victory over a lights weight named A 1 Palmer. «locy is young, but there are hopes that' he will follow in his elder brother’s footsteps. Quite a time ago Benny was reported to be returning to the ring to make up his business losses, but evidently lie found another way out, as nothing has been heard of him performing in the squared circle, Revolt of the, ‘‘Little Man” Here is an interesting paragrapn from the Berlin correspondent of an English exchange: “There is consternation in the boxing world. Paul Noack, Germany’s champion feather weight, has refused to accept a challenge from Dubbers, and the German boxing authorities have deprived him of his title. Noack, how. ever, has- a good reason for refusing. He declares that he is willing to drfend his championship against all com ers, but not for the paltry sum of £45 It is the revolt of the- ‘little man. The question is raised here, why featherweights, whose fighting is often more interesting to watch than that of tinheavyweights, should get so little, a purse of £ISOO was put up for I’va.nz Dinner and Pierre .Charles when they engaged, in a dull and monotonous con -test. Why, then, should the lively Noack, an excellent boxer( get on'y £ds, and his opponent less —sums that hardly cover expenses?” Is Walker Champion? Recently the National Boxing Asso ciution made vacant the middle-weight championship of the- world held by Ivlicltey Walker because of his failure to defend, it. The association rules tluu a champion must defend his title at least once every six months, and Walker had not defended his title since. June, 1928, when lie' defeated “Ace”

Hudkins. However, a cablegram on October 31 stated that he retained his title in a ten-round bout at Los Angeles by defeating Hudkins in a fa stand furious bout. Evidently the National Association’s decision does not carry any weight in Los Angeles, or

alternatively the decision must ’ have been vetoed on Walker’s assurance ■that he would defend his title immediately.

Donovan .it is reported, has dial kngod Hector Loekio for the light.weight championship. The members of a team of English boxers under contract to light in Australia are. willing, it is said, to include New Zealand in the tour. , Worse than N.Z.B.A. New Zealand is not the only country with big -problems to solve in boxing control. America rather leads tlw way in this respect. Boards and cony mittens, with rules of their own, are doing the sport much harm in the lam! of the dollar. Instead of uniting for ■the good of t-lic sport, they work against each other. Each has its on n "champions of the world,’’ and the followers of fistiana are hard put to it to know just who are champions and who are not. At- the present time the heavy, light-heavy, bantam and flyweight titles are vacant, a truly sorry state of affairs.'" The remedy lies in united effort, or in such good -boxers coming into the limelight that there can be no disputing their claims to the titles. Another trouble with these commissions is that a boxer disqualified by one body can go and light under the auspices of another without, any diffi culty. How can boxing keep a goon name which such a state of affairs exists?