BURNS “COME BACK.”

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3460, 14 April 1920, Page 2

BU RNS “COME BACK.”

LIKE A ‘BIG JOKE

(By Reg. L. (Snowy) Baker.)

Last week’s cables told us /that Tommy Burns, ex-heavy—weight chumpion of the world, had been fixed up with a bout against Joe Beckett.‘ To me Bul'lls’ re-entry into the ring seems like a big joke. He is now 39 years of age. At his best as Wol'ld’s champion he weighed about 13st 31b, and less than that when he fought Jack Jehnson at RushcLltter’s B:Ly_ I have a. picture in my mind of Burns when he came out here on his last trip, bringing with him F_l'it.z Holland and Arthur Pelky. At that period, about five years ago,’ the former champion had run’ the scales up to something between 16st and_ 17st.

Photos I have seen of him since then make him look. even bigger, and I can’t for the life of Ine see how any man who allows himself to. run into such extreme fatness carfever hope to get back tohis former athletic self. Perhaps the most deplorable example of this “come—baek” stun} was Jim Jeffries, when he tried to get. something like 3st or 4st off fo fight Ja-3k Johnson. Jeffries was a greater nlun than ever Burns know 110“: to be, 11nd he puf up the greatest‘ force and burlesque for a World's‘championship we have yet seen. Burns had his last fight on Janua_ry 26th, 1914, when he fought Battling‘ Brant at Taft, algary. Brant. was very little class, and mostly “hot-air.” Burns was easily able to give this chap :1 hiding, the police stopped it in the fourth round.

I Beckett is not. :1 world ’& wonclor by {any means; but lie is a good, tough ‘ typo of chap. _voung_. lueavy, and ve=.'_v :Iggl'essivc. Cal'ponticl"s sudden win against him musf not be taken as a real criterion of what’ Becliéft is, for tlmre is u frightful lot of luck will) 3 m:l.n who can knock his opponent. in such :1. :'<llol't space of time. 'l‘ho ox—cllampion boxer is an extraor<lin:u~y type of follow. He never admils tlofoat. is really better than he was in his prime. and fools that he could knock unyono. They all -"put over this sort: of .<’rufT’. We have heard it so often and soon so many :<orry 9p(?'3ta(‘lo.~'. of ‘their endeavours to get back into bllsiness. Who will forget poor old Bob Fitzsimmons at the Sta«lium when opposorl to husky Bill Lang —L:m_q in his primo and poor Bob well tllrough. '

_i[t is :1 gl'en.’r pity that champions will not be content to rest on their laurels. It would be better for them and 11111011 1) r.‘?'fm' for the boxing game.