BOXING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 55, 23 July 1912, Page 7

BOXING.

CHAMPION'S DECLARATION. retirinuTor EVER. Kansas City, July 10. Following upon the announcement toy Mr. Tom Andrews of the terms of acontraet for Australian matches which lie had concluded with the champion on behalf of Mr. H. D. Mcintosh, comes % surprising declaration from the champion. On his way back from Las Vegas to Chicago, Johnson made the following statement:— ° "I never want to see another pair of gloves. If Palzer wants to fight me he will have to do it not later than the end of November. On the following day I shall retire for ever. That's final." Johnson also said that he had cleared £7200 over his match with Flynn, 'besides the £I2OO won by his wife. BOXER AND SHIP'S OFFICER. JIM BARRY GAOLED. Vancouver, July 10. Jim Barry has been ordered to go to gaol for eight days (commencing from the time of his arrest), in connection with the charge of assault upon Mr. Webb, fourth officer of the s.s. Zealandia. Barry shook hands with Mr. Webb after the case had concluded, and said, "We will let bygones be bygones."

MORE DISPUTED DECISIONS. j Sacramento, July 10. i Great dissatisfaction lias arisen hero, over a decision given by the- referee in the contest betvven Frank Mantell and Cyclone Thompson, which was declared > a draw. Twonty fast rounds wert ! fought, during which Thompson was al- j ways on the aggressive, and the general [ opinion is that he clearly out-pointed his ' opponent. j THE LOS ANGELES SQUABBLE. | RIVERS WANTS ANOTHER FIGHT. I Los Angeles, July 10. I The cries of "Fake!" and "Jobbery!" which resounded through the fighting pavilion on Thursday at the conclusion of the Wolgast-Rivers battle for the lightweight championship of the world are being repeated in the town to-day, hun-\ dreds of the spectators suggesting that the men should fight again. Rivers is quite agreeable to arrange another match, but Wolgast's manager, ! so far, is silent. Both men show the | effects of their strenuous contest, and ! are. stiff and sore from the heavy body I punches which they gave each other. [

Referee Welch says that Rivers was on the floor the full ten seconds, and that he was counted out before the bell rang. The time-keeper, on the other hand, says that he rang the gong ending the 13th round before the referee signalled that Wolgast was the winner, and that Rivers had been down about niut seconds when the bell rang. Rivers persists that Wolgast struck him a foul blow, and even then he was on his feet before the ten seconds were up. "Welch never reached ten," said. Rivers, and added, "Wolgast had 'quit' and he was 'foxing' when he was on the floor."

Wolgast has a different story. "Riv-1 ers," he said to-day, "knew that he was j whipped. He struck me with his knees when he fell. The pain was awful. I* thought my legs were five feet apart i when I got to my feet." 1 Joe Levy, who is Rivers' manager, says ! that Rivers was not knocked out, hut 1 was hit down by a foul blow, and even then was on his feet at the count of I eight. Levy considers that the referee j was incompetent. I Tom Jones, manager for Wolgast, declares that his man administered a clean knock-out blow to Rivers. "It was the stomach punch that did it," said Jones, "and Welch's ruling was the only one possible.*' KILBANE BEATS DIXON. Cleveland (Ohio), July 10. Kilbane has beaten Tommy Dixon in a contest which went the full ten rounds. No decision was given by the referee, but the result was judged by popular verdict.

MATCHING OF JOHNSON AND LANG FORD. £IO,OOO FOE TWO FIGHTS. Says the Sydney Sun: —Jack Johnson has at last consented to make another trip to Australia, and ho has signed a contract for two fights, for which lie will receive £IO,OOO. The cable announcing that Mr. T. S. Andrews had obtained the colored champion's signature stated that Johnson would receive £9OOO, but that is wrong. The mistake has probably been made by Artha in working the dollars out in pounds, and it is within the bounds of possibility that by the time he reaches Australia he will have changed the dollars into pounds, so they will, to his way of thinking, amount to £12,000. But Johnson will get "only" £IO,OOO, and his opponents will probably be Langford and Jeanette. The fight with Langford will not be a finish affair, as the cable declared. It sounded incorrect, and Mr. Mcintosh did not waste n.ny time in denying it. I "There is absolutely no truth in it," said the promoter. "It's a mistake, and it's quite possible that Johnson did not say anything about it. What has probably happened is that the American sport writers, being told that the battle would be for the world's championship, assumed that it would be a finish fight, as would be the case in the United States, and credited Johnson with having said it.

"I have no intention of attempting anything of that description here. In the first place, the law does not permit of finish fights, and I would be the last person in the world to be silly enough to attempt to run against the law. Nothing was further from my mind. From a boxing promoter's point of view a 20 rounds contest is as good as a finish battle. If 20 rounds won't attract a J crowd 45 rounds certainly will not. If the men can't beat one another in 20 rounds it is not unlikely that they would do much damage afterwards. "The fight between Johnson and Lang-! ford will be of 20 rounds, and it will carry with it the championship of the j world." Two New Zealand boxers have arrived j in 'Melbourne. Barney Ireland (of Waipawa), middle and heavy weight, and Alf. Bromich, light weight, are the names of the visitors. Both are seeking engagements with local men. Bob Fitzsimmons does not think highly of any "white hopes" against Johnson. "In my estimation Johnson is one of the greatest fighters that ever stepped into a ring. He has everything that goes to make a champion fighter. Hip defence is so marvellous that I really don't think any of the big ivhite men now on the scene could hit him onc4. Some man will eventually come along and beat Johnson, but it will not be for a few more years." Mr. Mcintosh received word recently that Georges Carpentier, the middleweight champion of Europe, had signed a contract to go to Sydney this year. It is uncertain, however, when he will leave France. He has a number of engagements on his hands at the present time, and everything will depend on how they work out. Incidentally, efforts are being made to induce him to face Billy Papke, and he is reported to be inclined to accept the engagement. Independent of the result of that 'battle, should it take place, Carpentier will go to Australia. But in the event of his defeating the "thunderbolt," he will receive more money than will be handed to him should he go under.