THE BOXING RING

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 278, 14 February 1928, Page 11

THE BOXING RING

Notes From Far and Near

• By “LEFT COUNTER”—

The Napier Association has matched Artie Hay and Dave Palmer for the end of the month. • • • Next Monday evening Matt Hatton and Frank Taylor, the two well-known Auckland performers, will meet over a journey of 15 rounds in the Auckland Town Hall. Both of the men are in steady training and are showing fine form. Taylor has had three professional fights and has proved himself a formidable opponent, and though Hatton has not been in the ring for some time he can be relied upon to give of his best. He has been busy with his boxing school and has kept himself in fine trim. Aucklanders should be provided with a great fight when the pair meet next week. Pat Lester’s seconds threw a towel irfto the ring in the seventh round of a scheduled ten-round bout with Paulino Uzcudun, in America recently. Lester was completely outclassed by the Basque woodchopper, and the issue was never in doubt. Pat took a severe drubbing in the first three rounds, and thereafter was content to clinch at every opportunity to avoid further punishment. Paulino toyed with his opponent in the fifth and sixth rounds. Pat was no match for his more sturdy opponent. Gene Tunney is regarded as the most valuable man in fistiana in 1927 in a declaration by William Muldoon, senior member of the New York State Athletic Commission. Lauding Tunney’s boxing activities, Muldoon said: “He is the finest representative the game has ever had in the heavy-weight division. I base this opinion not only' on his reputation as a clean, hard fighter in the ring, but also on his high standard of personal habits and conduct outside the ring.” A recent, cablegram from New York stated that Leo Lomski had defeated Mike McTigue. McTigue is well past his best and not much attention was paid to tho message. It now transpires that this was one bout of an elimination series arranged by Tex Rickard to see who shall fight Tommy Loughran for the light-heavy-weight title. There are three outstanding challengers—or rather there were three. McTigue has been eliminated, and the two in the running are Lomski and Jimmy Slattery. They will clash in the near future, the winner to meet Loughran for the title at the end of March.

Bennie Leonard, retired undefeated light-weight champion, is coming back into the ring. Now too heavy for his former division, the fighter who made a fortune with the gloves and quit at the request of his mother will resume his fight career as a welter-weight. Leonard made this definite announcement and revealed that investments that had once made him a millionaire had suffered reverses and that he is forced to return to boxing. “Of course I do not plan to come back as a light-weight,” Leonard said. “I have grown too heavy to fight the 135-pounders, but I know that I can make 147 pounds (the welter-weight limit) with ease.”

Leonard does not plan to do any boxing until early summer. He figures that because of his reputation he will not be forced to work his way back up the pugilistic ladder. He wants to meet Joe Dundee, the present welter-weight champion, first.

The incLPortation of Norman Gillespie, the Victorian feather-weight champion, by the Otago Boxing Association, for the purpose of fighting Johnny Leckie, should not only provide Leckie with a good opponent, but also an opponent for other New Zealand 9st boys. The feather is the most popular division in the Dominion at present, and the advent of Gillespie should make it still more popular. Gillespie is not very well known here, but from accounts from across the Tasman he is a good sort and should provide Leckie with a fight. However, it is doubtful if the Victorian will succeed in lowering the New Zealand champion’s colours. If he does, New Zealand will know what a fighter worthy of the name has visited these shores.

Tommy Loughran. light-heavy-weight champion of the world, has signed up with Tex Rickard, giving the latter the exclusive promotion rights to his services until next November. Immediately after the document was signed it was announced that Loughran might be considered as an opponent for Gene Tunney next summer, provided the champion goes through with his decision to appear in two lights in 1928. In reviewing the boxing of the year in America the San Francisco “Examiner” says: The biggest spectacle and some of the biggest “squawks” of all time featured the fistic year. All indoor records for attendance and receipts were shattered when close to 9,000 paid 20,000 dollars to see Jim Maloney beat Jack Delaney at Madison Square Garden in one of the year s biggest upsets. All outdoor marks went by the board for the second straight year when the Dempsey-Tun-ney encore drew 145,000 fans to Soldier Field, Chicago, and gate receipts that Tex Rickard placed at 2,650,000 dollars. The big scrap fell below expectations of a 3,000,000-dollar “house,” but exceeded expectations in the amount of controversy provoked by the “long count” over Tunney in the seventh round. Dempsey partisans raised a terrific “squawk.” Tex Rickard has conferred with the world’s heavyweight champion, Gene Tunney, and found three outstanding decisions in that efficient young man’s mind, says a message from Miami to the Sydney “Sun.” First, he insists on a fight twice or perhaps three times this year. Second, he prefers to box with Jack Sharkey rather than engage in a slugging match with the New Zealander, Tom Heeney, with the offchance that Heeney might land one of his tremendous “haymakers.” Thirdly, Tunney won’t fight at all unless he gets a fortune every time the bell rings. So Rickard has somewhat sadly affixed his own signature to a new contract that guarantees the champion £150,000 every time he faces a challenger this year, and besides that Tunney is to get 50 per cent, of the gate exceeding £200,000. While Rickard was signing this in Florida he had an assistant signing up Jack Sharkey and Johnny Risko for a battle on March 12. At the same time he promised Sharkey first chance with Tunney if he is able to beat the redoubtable Risko. The day’s business in big fightland finished with the very clear indication that the cards are being stacked against Heeney, who hits not so handsomely, but rather too hard for his boxing opponents. Heeney's friends, while angered at the turn of events, have not abandoned hope, because they believe Risko probably will give Sharkey, a fine trimming, and then the New Zealander would get a chance for the championship, but perhaps only after meeting Risko himself. Another curious turn came in Rickard’s announcement that he had found Young Stribling knocking out allcomers in the Southern States. Stribling had grown to full manhood, weighing 12st 121 b. Rickard signed him up for another series of bouts in New York, hoping that if he makes good he will be sent against the big fellows. Rickard’s telegram from Florida to his Boston manager was very emphatic. “I have talked with Tunney, who agrees to accept Sharkey as an opponent if he wins decisively over Risko, but they must fight 15 rounds. Tunney thinks highly of Risko, because he beat Delaney and Paolino.” A message from New York states that Heeney’s friends got in touch with Rickard, who assured them that the New Zealander would be given a fair show. “If Heeney beats Jack Delaney on March 1 he will just have one bout more before he is matched against Tunney,” declared Rickard, who admitted himself that he is greatly worried to satisfy the ambitions of all these eliminators. Rickard is still full of Young Stribling’s prowess. “He beat his latest opponent in 45 seconds, and he has only got to fight like that about twice more before he will be ready to go on with anybody,” declared Rickard.