THE BOXING RING

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 900, 18 February 1930, Page 13

THE BOXING RING

Boxing Veteran 111 Old-time boxing enthusiasts will be sorry to know that Jem Smith, who was champion of England in 1885 and 1889, has been seriously ill at his home in London. Smith is now 67 years old, and 40 years ago was among the leading pugilists of the bare knuckle type in the world. His biggest fights were against Alf Greenfield in 1886, the following year against Jake Kilraln, for the world’s title, which lasted 106 rounds, and in 1889 against Frank Slavin at Bruges, in Belgium, for the championship of England. * * * Uplifting the Fight Game Out. at the Chicago Stadium Mr. Paddy Harmon, a sort of Roxy of the ring, is making gargantuan whoopee in his giant edition of Madison Square Garden and uplifting the fight business with a pipe organ. They are all “gents” who come to see Paddy’s fights," and the atmosphere is very refined. His stadium is so mobile that it can be used for anything from a religious ceremony to a Wild West circus and lias more elegant gadgets stuck about than the Graf Zeppelin. Paddy says he started with a neighbourhood dance, and his Press agent says it "was a roller rink in a haymow, but that doesn’t make any difference, since they agree his introduction to business was as a West Side newsboy, which certainly was scratch. But about the stadium wonders. Wonder No. 1 is the pipe organ, the biggest in tho world by twice and almost unholy as a prize ring. But with the organ Paddy makes gentlemen out of rowdy persons who pay money for a bloody evening, and makes ’em like it. It’s applied psychology. “Music Hath Charms” Paddy made a lot of money out of dance halls before he went into the stadium and knows what music can

do to people. So when the crowd shambles in, Ralph Waldo Emerson, famous organist, climbs to the gold console and rolls out lively airs, marches and so on, and repeats them between matches. Later he plays pieces (good, vulgar music for a prizefight crowd, he calls it) every one knows, and then they have community singing undei a leader. If there is action in the, ring and a cheer starts, the organ is there with a few bars of here-come-tlie-Indians to whop it up. ______ , And if they boo —ah, ha: He has them. An incipient boo died one night when Emerson tootled a few measures of “Tho End of a Perfect Day” and made them ashamed of themselves. The organ can drown out anything. It fakes a fourth dimension mathematician to play it. what with trick vibrations and varying distances. All over the stadium is evidence of showmanship. The lobby is warm and ornate, and all the seats are red, a jolly colour, he insists, full of life. * * * Sabbath Boxing There being no Sunday “blue laws” in Berlin, Sabbath boxing shows are staged weekly in several arenas. . * * * A Referee’s Partiality Astounding claims of partiality on the part of a New Zealand referee, backed by newspaper report, says a Sidney newspaper, were brought back to Sydney by Tommy Crowle, Australian boxer. Crowle was engaged through the New Plymouth Boxing Association at a fixed sum for two contests. The financial side of the agreement was not kept, he alleges, but his main complaint is that he received “shocking treatment” from the referee. *> * * Crowle Badly Treated Both his appearances were against Tommy Donovan, and he lost on each occasion. He says that when he was “on top” the referee stopped him; that Donovan was allowed to tie his glove laces in front of the wrist, so that they tore the flesh on Crowle’s face and body: and that while he was forced to step back two paces to break clean, Donovan was allowed to hit low and butt with his head. When he questioned the referee as to why he lost, Crowle claims that the referee was quite frank: “Three times you stopped to pull up your trunks, and you lost points for that. “Anyhow, Donovan is the best feather I have seen here, and I can’t seo anyone beating him while I am referee.” Newspaper clippings by local critics refer to tho “strange latitude allowed Donovan,” and add, “We will never see another Australian in New Plymouth under existing conditions.”