AMUSING STORIES OF THE RING

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 841, 9 December 1929, Page 13

AMUSING STORIES OF THE RING

TALES TOLD BY JACK GOODWIN “YOUR LOVING BROTHER” Jack Goodwin is not only a very good trainer of boxers, but he is probably the brigliest raconteur of Ring stories the game has produced. His two best characters were Sid Burns and Harry Mansfield, two great fighters in their day. Burns was generally known as “The Japanese Ambassador,” due to the Oriental cast of his features, and Burns, fond of a joke, was always laughing, But Mansfield was not blessed with a sense of humour. * Burns, Mansfield and Goodwin went to Australia and had the time of their lives. In his first fight at the Sydney Stadium, Mansfield for some extraordinary reason, demanded to have his share o,f the purse all in silver. As he had £365 to come, the “purse” took

1 the shape of a hefty suit-case, and Goodwin had to carry it to the hotel. It was Saturday night and the money could not be lodged in the bank until Monday. This weighed on Mansfield’s mind to such an extent that he could not sleep and at the least noise he would imagine burglars, and jump out i of bed to put his feet on his loaded 1 suit-case. The next day he told the proprietor of his fears, and mine host gave the j fighter a loaded revolver, and told him 1 to shoot anyone who came into his 1 room at night.. ' THE MONKEY’S PAW 1 Goodwin knew all about this, but Burns did not. The trainer was curious * to know whether Mansfield would j really use his weapon, and he thought t at the same time to play a joke on j Burns. “The Japanese Ambassador” i was delighted at the idea of playing 1 the burglar on his pal, but Goodwin i failed to act his part well j He was so anxious for Burns to be J the first to open Mansfield’s door that he overdid it, and Burns at once sus- r pocted a trap. And when Goodwin s flatly refused to even touch the door- n Knob, the joke was off. h Next morning when Goodwin hap- £ pened to be in the bedroom of the b almond-eyed fighter in strolled Harry

Mansfield in his pyjamas, like the heavy lead in the melodrama. “Well boys,” said Many, “the burglars didn’t try for the money last night.” “And what would you have done if they had?” casually asked Burns. “Why, shot 'em stone cold with this.” and at the word Mansfield levelled his revolver. Burns promptly fainted on the spot. The drama was there right enough. Burns had his revenge in true Oriental fashion a short time later. Mansfield had to fight Les O'Donnell, and the match was made to list 61b. The Australian champion had no intention of making the weight, and at the weighing-in lie' nonchalantly said. “I’ll pay forfeit.” He was a stone heavier than Mansfield, and as a consequence he was more than a match for the Londoner. But Burns and Goodwin put down a tenner each and struck £, bet of £2O j that Mansfield would go the distance j Poor old Mansfield took a terrible hid- j ing, but Burns and Goodwin kept egg- ; ing him on to stick it. “Go on, Harry; think what the j papers will say of you in the morn- | ing. Gamest man that ever fought in ! Australia and all that sort of thing.” ! “I'll never see out of my eyes to ; read the papers,” said Harry as he i sponged hi.s battered fac e. He was • more dead than alive at the finish, but ' he had stuck out the twenty round. ! Next day Mansfield heard about the ! bet. “You murderers! What a pair of

f i villains I’ve trusted myself with, ! You'd see a man murdered in cold j blood for a mere twenty pound-, and I then tell me I’m a game fellow.” ! Goodwin tells how one day Mansfield thought ho would write home. He could get all he wanted to say on a, postcard, so why send a letter? “He asked me to post it for him.** said Goodwin. “So, like a conscientious trainer, I read it before putting it in the box. He bad started off witli ‘Dear Parents* and concluded with T'our loving brother, Harry.* I went back and said: ‘I always thought you were a bit mad, now I’m certain of it. You tell your mother and father you’re their brother.’ ‘Ha, ha/ chuckled Harry. ‘Mad, am I? Well, you see, I write to my mother and father. They can’t read, so my sister reads it to them. Well, I’m her loving brother/ ”