An Old Hand

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 762, 7 September 1929, Page 13

An Old Hand

ARTIE McQUEEN, PURDY’S NEW MANAGER HAS HAD WEALTH OF BOXING EX- j PERIENCE i : i FORMER BASEBALL STAR Tho benefit of 22 years of experience in association with the boxing! ring is now at the back of Charlie | Purdy in the person of his new manager and trainer, Artie McQueen, who | will be in the Aucklander’s corner on j Monday evening. Until properly ac- ! quainted, Mr. McQueen is a silent individual, but after he thaws he has some interesting stories to tell. In the 22 years in which he has been associated with tho boxing ring he has known and helped in the training of many champions. A professional baseball player in America, Mr. McQueen was a member of tho St. Louis Americans in 1906. He did a little amateur boxing, and in 1907 commenced liis real association with the boxing game. I-Ie went to Aus-

tralia with. Porky Flynn, and Sam Langford in 1911. On his return to the States, he secured Jimmy Clabby, and brought him to tho Antipodes. He also brought out Joe Welling - , who later fought Benny Leonard for the lightweight championship of the world. Since 1915 Mr. McQueen Has lived in Australia, and during the past 14 years He has been handling boxers. Many of the prominent boxers in Australia and from overseas have been in his care at one time or another. He speaks with pride of Bert Spargo, featherweight champion of Australia, who in three and a-half years netted £13,500. Another of his boys was Ern Baxter, who defeated Billy Grime for the feather-weight championship of Australia, and who lost to Purdy on two occasions, once in Auckland and again at Wellington. Artie was associated with Eugene Criqui, the famous French featherweight, who defeated Kilbain for the feather-weight championship of the world. He also had charge of Francis Charles, another Frenchman, who made a great name for himself in Europe. In late years lie has managed Billy Harms, Cowboy Moore, Phil Krug, Cocoa Jackson (who lost to Tommy Griffiths) and many other boys. At present he has Purdy in hand, and is well pleased with the Aucklander’s form. Pie is a shrewd judge of a boxer’s capabilities, and is a mine of boxing information.