SLIPPING

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 791, 11 October 1929, Page 12

SLIPPING

Boxing in Dominion on Down Grade ASSOCIATIONS MUST WAKE UP Unless the boxing associations in i Now Zealand awaken from their rather | prolonged siesta, the noble art will bo in great danger of dying out. That only four bouts were staged in the Dominion in September is an indication ! that there is something wrong some- ; where. The number of bouts so far arranged for this month and next is j far from satisfactory, and the apathy j befogging the associations will have to ! !*«=■ shaken off if the boxing game is to hold its place in public favour. True, the Dominion's boxing talent is at a low ebb and indications are that the Australians have few, if any, good performers. But New Zealand and Australia are -’ot the only countries in the world. Why does not one of the associations lead the way and try to engage boxers from America or from England? If New Zealand and Australian boxers are not up to standard some effort should be made to keep the game alive by 'mporting good men from further abroad. The associations are controlling boxing for the good of the game and not for gain. Yet with good bank balances they arc evidently not prepared to risk a little to gain much, and incidentally give boxing a badly needed I lull ip. The New Zealand Boxing Association, instead of making rules to improve boxing conditions in this conn - j rry. is doing the game harm by instituting regulations which will tend to! jme vent good boxers from visiting New Zealand. The rule formerly in opera- 1 rion was that purses be limited to £l5O, with the proviso that when the bout was considered to be worth more it • ould be for £2OO, providing per- i mission of the New Zealand Association was obtained. But at the conference at Grey mouth in August an effort was made to limit) purses to £ 150. This was altered to a. £2OO purse for the first contest by ! a. prafr-ssional ami £l5O for subseqjient contests. Thus a boxer coming to New Zealand would fight for a £2OO j purse in Ills first, contest and after that would be able to fight for only £l5O purses. Really good men will not be enthusiastic about fighting for that amount! and the New Zealand Boxing Associ- , • ition would be doing some good for! the sport if, at its next conference, the rule is altered. However, there are plenty of good men in America who may come to New Zealand if sufficient contests are guaranteed. It would be in the better interests of the sport if* purses were abolished altogether and the boxers fought on a percentage basis. The associations would then stand to lose nothing and the size of the houses would depend on the drawing power of the boxers.

• In Australia, boxers fight on a percentage basis and that percentage is much below what it should be. If the New Zealand Boxing Association abolished purses and let the boxers split, say, 75 per cent, of the gross receipts, on a 60-40 per cent basis, many of the boxers who go to Australia would be attracted to the Dominion and the boxing game would flourish as it has not done for years. The lackadaisical attitude with which boxing has been regarded this year must not be allowed to continue, or the sport will gradually fade away until high class boxing bouts are things of the past. G.H.M.