THE BOXING RING

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 604, 5 March 1929, Page 13

THE BOXING RING

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LEFT COUNTER”

Ex-champion Gene Tunney is having a prolonged honeymoon. He has been spending some of it at St. Mpritz, where he has become very keen on winter sport, in addition to being adopted by the smartest set in the popular resort. * * * Clarrie Pocock is keen for a match with Eddie Parker for the light-heavy title, in his fight with Broadfoot at Te Aroha Pocock showed considerable improvement, and provided he is careful in his selection of opponents until he has gained more experience, he should do well in the game. Good Offer Refused The offer of free board and a return contest with Johnny Leckie for £-00. was not sufficient to induce Charlie Glasson to stay in Wanganui, and he made hot-foot for his home country. His defeat of Leckie should have put him in the boom in Australia, but the writers over there rightly concluded that Leckie could not have been in proper form and they have attached no great importance to his defeat. No heavy-weight boxer in Europe is keen to meet the giant Italian, Prime Canera. and it is likely that he will soon be taken to the States to see what he can do there. If size has anything to do with it he should acquit himself well, as he stands 6ft lOiin and weighs just on 20st. The German heavy-weight. Max Schmeling, who recently arrived in America to engage in the elimination tournament to find the next champion of the world, has won The American public: by his ability, which he proved when he knocked out the tough Johnny Risko. When he is fighting the German is stated ti> bear a. striking resemblance to Jack Dempsey. At A Low Ebb With the best boxers in the Dominion either in Australia or on the point of leaving, boxing in New Zealand looks like being at a low ebb. Charlie Purdy is lighting in Australia, Leckie and Griffiths are on the way, Mclnnes is leaving for Scotland, and McDonald is expected to leave for Australia very shortly. Casey, too, is on the other side, but he has lost all three of the matches in which he has engaged. Unless some Australian boxers are invited to come over to New Zealand we will be seeing nothing but second-raters. *. * * No Contests for Two Months It is extremely unlikely that another match will be staged in Auck- . land during this month or next. The boxing year ends on the last day of this month and the annual meeting of the Northern Boxing Association will take place about the middle of April. There is a possibility, however, of Mr. E. A. Craig, the president of the association, who is visiting Australia on business, considering bringing over a good boxer for Auckland.

Jack Warner, who came to Auckland with Tommy Mclnnes, but subsequently split with him, has been filling the post of trainer to Fidel La Barba, the great little American ban-tam-weight, who is visiting Australia. The Northern Boxing Association has set a high standard of boxing in Auckland by promoting really firstclass bouts between the best boxers available in New Zealand and Australia. With the mediocre lot still in New Zealand the difficulty will be to keep up that standard. Broadfoot Wanted in Australia Jim Broadfoot is wanted in Australia, and he has received two offers to go over, one from Ike. Kutner and the other from Sammy Chapman. The latter offered to secure fights for the Aucklander and to train him on a basis of 25 per cent, of his earnings. Broadfoot does not intend to accept the offers, as he wants to stay in New Zealand for family reasons. However, lie will probably go across to Australia in a few months’ time. * * * The Fourth Time The old Scottish rivals, Mclnnes and Macdonald, met for the fourth time on Saturday evening. The fight at Dunedin brought a good house, but the bout was tamo and resulted in another win for Mclnnes, which gives the pair two wins each. It was hardly expected that a fourth encounter would bring a succession of thrills, the pair getting too good an insight into each other’s methods in the previous encounters. * * * Opponent Wanting With the advent of Tommy Donovan into the professional ranks, boxing has. taken a new leas© of life down Taranaki way. Donovan has had two fights and has Avon both toy the short l'oute, but a certain amount of difficulty is being experienced in getting a third opponent for him. Urquhart, of Auckland, who won the featherAveight championship of New Zealand from Donovan last year, and Avho has announced his intention of turningprofessional, should be a suitable opponent. * * * Banned For Life Kid LeAvis, ex -Avel ter-weight champion of the world, has been disqualified lor life. The ex-champion was engaged in a bout with Charles Belanger, champion of Canada, at Toronto, but because he Avas not satisfied with the referee’s Avarnings about holding, Lewis left the ring and the decision Avas awarded to his opponent. The Ontario Athletic Commission banned him for life, and as that body is affiliated with the New York State Commission, the disqualification will operate in America. Whether or not it will also operate in Europe remains to be seen.