THE BOXING RING

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 716, 16 July 1929, Page 15

THE BOXING RING

WOTXS TROM FA.R AND NEAB E.Y “LEFT COUNTER-*

Bobby Delaney, who is to meet Bert Brown at Palmerston North tomorrow evening, is keen to fight in Auckland. In conversation, he said he would like a number of fights in this country, and would meet any one. He may fight Donovan at Wellington on July 29. That Matt Hatton was defeated by Tommy Donovan on a knock-out in three rounds on Saturday evening came as a surprise to many followers of the sport in Auckland. Donovan has not been seen as a professional in this city, but he must have improved since he lost to Leslie in the New Zealand championships to defeat Hatton so decisively. * * * American Wrestlers Arrive The three wrestlers engaged by the New Zealand Wrestling Association, “Farmer” Vance, Walter Joansen and Marraci Gardeni, arrived by the Niagara yesterday. All report themselves to be in excellent condition. The first contest of the season will be held in the Town Hall on Monday evening, when Vance will oppose Tom Alley, who has been training in Auckland for nearly a month. Vance is to stay at Devon port, and he will train on the Cheltenham and Devonport beaches. Vance has a great recommendation to Aucklanders, in that he defeated Ivilonis, who put up such spectacular matches at the end of last year, by two falls out of three. Gardeni and Joansen will probably wrestle at Palmerston North later in the month, although nothing definite has yet been arranged. ♦ * * How Will Purdy Fare? Thei'o cannot be any dispute as to Hancock’s right to wear the welterweight crown of Australia. His defeat of Purdy at Sydney on Friday evening showed that he is a more than ordinary performer, for he has to be a very fast man and a hard puncher to send the Aucklander to the canvas for the count. Hancock is the first to do it. and it will be with more than passing interest that Purdy’s future career will be watched. After the large number of battles in which he has engaged a knock-out might do him a world of harm. To beginners a knock-out is not often very bad, but to a seasoned performer it sometimes spells disaster. The questions which are occupying the minds of many of Purdy’s friends in this city are, “Does this mean the end of Purdy’s career as a top-liner V Can he still retain his place among the best in Australasia, or will he gradually decline into the ranks of the lesser lights?” It is to be hoped that the answers are in the negative, but only Purdy can supply the correct solution.

Picked to defeat Babe Herman, Billy Grime was defeated on points at the Sydney Stadium last Saturday week. No report of the fight was cabled, and the rumour went round that Grime had defeated Leckie. * * * By moving inside many potential knock-outs, Lou Bloom defeated, the noted Jack Roberts at Brisbane. Roberts was always dangerous, but the American was too elusive and, putting his left hand to the best possible use, ho was ahead of Roberts at the end. Many of the spectators thought the verdict should have gone to Roberts for his aggressiveness, but it was Bloom’s cleverness and sharp-shooting left which won him the fight. * # * Did Broadfoot Win? A Wellington writer states that on his showing against Broadfoot, Parker is still a force to be reckoned with. Maybe he is, but reports that have reached me from various people who saw the bout show that it was Broadfoot who did all the fighting, and that the challenger should have received the verdict, and. incidentally, Parker’s light-heavy-weight title. It is stated that Broadfoot made the fight, going in to his opponent all the time, while Parker stood still and waited for him. Had Broadfoot followed the same tactics as the champion there would not have been anything worth seeing, and Wellington fans would have gone home lamenting paying over good money. * * s Leckie and Sarron on Saturday Latest advice from Australia is to the effect that Johnny Leckie will n>eet Pete Sarron in a return contest in Sydney next Saturday—that is unless Stadiums, Ltd., has altered the arrangements. It is further stated that soon after his fight with Sarron, Leckie will probably meet Billy Grime in another match and then return horn* 1 . Leckie wanted to return with Griffiths and Macdonald, but as Stadiums wanted him to remain, and as his contract called for three fights with the option of another three, Leckie was compelled to stay. Sarron gave Leckie a hard fight for the decision on the last occasion, and the New Zealander will have to be at his best to beat the little man from the States a second time. Many of the best critics in Australia differ in their opinions as to who really won, and some interesting comments on the fight were made by Bobby Delaney when he arrived in Auckland last week. “I have never seen a fighter take so much punishment to win a< fight, but there is no doubt that Leckie won. He was far and away the cleaner puncher, and connected more often than the American. Sarron would take things easy for the first two minutes of a round and then fight furiously in the last minute, sending over terrific punches. Sarron was fighting one min-

ute in three, while Leckie was fighting all the time.” » « « Mclnnes and Australian Title English boxing writers state that while in Australia Tommy Mclnnes won the Australian middle-weight title. Whether they have jumped to this conclusion owing to Mclnnes’s defeats of Ted Monson, or whether it is a fabrication of Mclnnes’s, is not clear, but in any case the statement is wrong. Before returning to Scotland Mclnnes decisively defeated Monson, the Australian middle-weight champion, in Auckland on two occasions, but neither bout was for the title. Therefore the English statement that Mclnnes is the Australian champion is all wrong. Monson is still the champion, although Jack Haines is undoubtedly his superior. One writer states that as Mclnnes holds the title he can, in accordance with the British Board of Control practice. throw this into the melting pot. Australia may object, he says, but the board could ignore any protests Australia might make, ho ng that Mclnnes is as qualified to pass over his Australian title in the event of defeat as he was to win it in the first instance. This argument is ridiculous in several ways. First of all Australia has legitimate objection in that Mclnnes is not the title holder and never has been. Further, had Mclnnes won the title and taken it back to Great Britain with him and defended it and lost it. the winner who, perhaps, had never seen Australia would be able to call himself champion of Australia. In the meantime, what would Australia do for a middle-weight champion. A bout for the vacant title would probably be staged and the winner called the champion, and then there would be a middle-weight champion of Australia in Australia and another in England. Some efforts should be made on the part of the authorities in Australia to point out the mistake to the English authorities. As for the contention that the Australian title should be competed for in England, it is ridiculous in the extreme. « * * ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT “A Sport.”—Peter Jackson was born on July 3, 1861. and died on July 13, 1921. His last fight was with Jim Jeffries, who defeated him in three rounds at San Francisco cn March 22, 1898