THE BOXING RING

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 196, 8 November 1927, Page 11

THE BOXING RING

Notes From Far and Near

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"LEFT COUNTER”

Nelson McKniglit is training at Seattle. Tommy Milligan, British middleweight champion, has signed up to meet Alex. Ireland, at Edinburgh on December 7, in a bout for the title. Paulino Uzcudun, Spanish heavyweight, who is in America, has accepted an offer to return to Spain for three fights. Matches with Cook, of Australia, Bertazzolo, of Italy, and Franz Denier or Harry Persson are planned. Steve Hughes, the Otago amateur welter-weight champion, proposes to join the professionals. Hughes is anxious to change his status, and there is talk of his being matched with Smitheram, of Oamaru, in a 10-round professional contest. * * * It is reported that tin-hare racing is causing a slump in attendances at. boxing contests in Sydney. The Stadium authorities are importing a number of overseas boxers with the idea of again bringing the sport into public favour. One of the 40,000 New York longshoremen granted a five-cent-an-hour wage increase will not need the money. He is Gene Tunney, who, although heavy-weight champion of the world, still retains an honorary membership in the local union of which he was a paying member in the days before he enlisted in the marines. The “rabbit-killer” is frequently used not only by the professionals but by the amateurs as well. Trainers would do well to break boys this way inclined of the habit. Many of the amateur contests are spoiled by illegal punching and holding. More often than not it is a case of ignorance, and not of wilful disobedience of the rules.

Frattini, the Italian middli w eight, has arrived in Australia.

George Cook, the Australian heavyweight, recently fought a draw with -Ludwig Hayrnann, a German Keavv- \\ eight, in a 10-round contest at BeV-

British light-weight champion, las ° n : wll ° is in America, is finding it difficult to make the lightweight limit of 9st 91b, and it is expected that he will relinquish the title on his return to England.

George Godfrey, the negro heavyweight, who is stated to be the black cloud which will hang over Tunney’s throne m the near future, knocked out Van Patten, of Holland, recently in the second round of a scheduled 10round bout.

Lachie McDonald had his first reverse in Australia, on Friday night at the Leichhardt Stadium, when he was outpointed by Kiely. It was the case at fighter versus a boxer once again. McDonald is more of a fighter than a boxer, and Kiely’s style of long range boxing did not suit him at all. The New Zealander shows to the best advantage when his opponent goes in and mixes it.

The fistic ambitions of Phil Scott, heavy-weight champion of England, received a severe set-back in New York on Saturday. He was knocked out in the first round of a contest with Hansen. There appears to be small chance of his having a try for the world title after suffering such an ignominious defeat. When Les. Murray returned from America he told the writer that in his opinion Hansen would be one of the leading heavyweights before many years had passed.

Hi ere has been a deal of controversy regarding Dempsey’s knockdown of Tunney and his failure to retire to a corner. Though the fight was under the Illinois Boxing Comrmssion’s rules it is interesting to read the Marquis of Queensbury’s rules in relation to the question. Here is the ruling:—“When a contestant slips down, he must get up again immediately. His opponent must stand back out of distance until the fallen man is on his feet, when the contest shall be resumed. A contestant who has knocked down his opponent must immediately walk to his own corner, but, should the man be knocked down in that corner, the contestant delivering the knock-down shall retire to the furthest corner. A. man knocked down must rise unassisted in ten seconds or lose the contest.”

Reg Trowern continues in his winning way. On Friday night at the Newcastle Stadium his opponent, Jimmy Pearce, was disqualified for using the “rabbit-killer.” Trowern was ahead on points at *he time. It is understood that Trowern’s lather has decided to take the Auckland boy to America, though when last in Auckland he stated that they would be going to South Africa. However, Trowern’s style of milling will be much appreciated in the land of the dollar, and providing he does not aim too high for a start, should do very well. Billy Gibson. Gene Tunney’s manager, stated before the battle with Dempsey that the champion would make a tour of the world and would go abroad irrespective of whether his fight with Dempsey resulted in a win, lose or draw. Gene will be accompanied by his bosom friend, Eddie Egan, Oxonian and former. Yale heavyweight champion. The schedule of the globe-trotting venture includes biggame hunting in the wilds of Africa and visits to the principal centres of Continental Europe. Certain members of British Royalty living in London were said to have something to do with planning the trip. The following was given to the writer by Billy Murphy. The former world’s champion stated that the verses had been given to him. by a friend who had taken them from an old Boston paper, though he thought they had originally appeared in Australia. Boxing You may have, met Tim Lannigan. And Larry Foley too, You may have met the mighty Slavin, Who hails from Wallaroo. But there is just another champion, Who was like the busy bee, He was never known to stall a fight, And his name was Billy Murphy. Chorus. — It was grand to see the spud in action, And if he got home his right. It was the end of all the argument. And the finish of the fight. You could have your Kings and Sullivans, Your Fitz and Corbett too, You could have your Mace and Dixon And your Weirs, till all was blue. You could have your West, your White, your Welsh. You can take this tir> from me, The daddy fighter of them all Was Torpedo Billy Murphy. It was grand, etc. He’s nothing, much to look at. But he’s full of vim and go. And when the time for fighting came, He was not there for show. He met them all. no matter how Small or big they’d be, He would land the punch to all the bunch Would this same Billy Murphy. It was grand, etc. By “One of the Bunch.”

Believing, apparently, that whatever John D. Rockefeller touched turned to gold, a man in Norway sent a dollar bill to the aged millionaire with a request that he place it as a bet on Jack Dempsey in his recent fight with Gene Tunney. ' Dear Mr. Rockefeller,’' tne note read, “I am sending you greetings and best wishes from Norway. Would you be so kind as to place a dollar for me that Dempsey will win over Tunney?” Rockefeller, it was learned, returned the money before the fight. Lack of fighting spirit—the flaming urge to crash and batter through every obstacle in the way of regaining the heavy-weight championship—is all Jack Dempsey believes can keep him from punching his way back to the title, writes Edward J. Neil, an American sports scribe. The former ruler of the fistic sphere made it plain that he was “no squawker, never had been a squawker,” and would end his fighting career “giving lull credit every time to any man who can lick him.” Under the impression that her husband had knocked out Gene Tunney and regained his title in Chicago, Estelle Taylor greeted Jack Dempsey with smiles and kisses when he returned to their apartment after the battle, says Jack Farrell in fhe New’ York “Daily News.” Listening to the blow by blow account over radio, the actress understood the announcer to count “eight, nine and out” over Tunney when describing the flooring of the champion in the seventh round. What the announcer said was “eight, nine and up.” At the end of the count the actress shut off the radio, and proceeded to celebrate. She later greeted her husband as the victor. “Honey, it was remarkable,” she said. “What was remarkable, dear?” inquired the battle-marked challenger. “Why, you won, dear, and by a knock-out! ” Jack, says Farrell, dropped his head on his chest and muttered: “Hell, no, honey. I lost the fight on a decision.”