BOXING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 210, 5 March 1914, Page 7

BOXING.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. • A the -.v.v.i1l ol a in.,, i ...■ laken by the New /'.eal.ind l.ox-ng Uimeil, several alterations to 11.e rule- go\crning koxing will be made. On. ->f i.he most important is in regard to a.iut.ur championship conloLs. A e';r.',e- h.i.s been added making it cnmnuisiyy on the part of .he judge to s.-ircl ' winner m »»ch lxuit. it has also been decided to reduce the diameter of the ring from 2-lft to '-Mil. With the exception of Ihe Oi-horno Assoc: :(!„!). all (lie New Zealand As-soeiati-ms iir.e decided L, recognise the following weighis for professions: UiiiiUuii, Soi ilii) and under; feather, 'Jst and -under; light, IV.t !)ii) and under; welter, lCst 7ib ami under; middle, list 01b and under; middle heavy-weight, 12st 71b and under; heavy-weight, any weight. In all probability our boxing season will be opened in Auckland at Easier with a two-night carnival. ■ Jim Pettingell, the blind New Zealand boxer, is a. noticeable figure at the main entrance gate of the stadium every Thursday afternoon, where he tries to gather something towards sustaining life by selling matches (writes W. F. Corbett in the Sydney Sun). Poor dim has indeed a hard row to hoe these times a fact which the charitable might remember as they pass through, and give to the unfortunate fellow the mite which a -box of matches costs. Pettingell assisted at many benefits when he was able to do so, and many a ■benefit has been promoted for a less deserving case than his presents. There is one man who is and will always remain a credit to the fighting game, and that is doe Choynski, the best heavy-weight that ever escaped being a champion (says an American writer). Chovnski is the boxing instructor at the'Pittsburg Athletic Club, a l,00fl,0:!(l organisation, which has one of the finest buildings in Pittsburg. Johnson wrote last month to the editor of the Sporting Life, London:— "Sir,—l beg to inform the spoiling public that broken arm is mending nicely, and that I will be ready to box again within a few months. As champion of the world I stand ready to defend my title against anyone. I am not issuing challenges, hut I am ready to box any man in the world. When I won the world's championship from Tommy Burns in Australia I had to agree for Burns to get 30,000 dollars (£0000) of the purse. Any club that will give me

that amount can name the man tliey want me to meet. I draw no line Langford. .Teancttc, Moran or (lunboat Smith can have a match. It matters not to me who my opponent is. Robert Edgren. of the New York World, recently said that Frank Moran could whip me Merc's a chance for Dan. M'Kclriek. the manager of Moran, to put up the money and prove that Moran can whip me. Landford says lie wants to meet me. All lie has to do is to get a club to put up the purse and he can have a contest. T stand ready to back up this letter, so let he who would be world's champion get a backer, and the match is on. —With sincere wishes 'for a happy New Year to all Europe, I am, sir., etc.. Jack Johnson, world's heavy-weight champion. Paris, January G, 1914. Bandsman Blake has received an offer of 5000 dollars ami 250 dollars expenses to light Klaus or Chip for the world's middle-weight championship before the National Athletic Club of New York'. Some months ago Chip, who is a Pennsylvania miner, startled the boxing world by knocking out Klaus in the last of a six-round contest at Pittsbu'g. After lengthy negotiations Klaus obtained a return contest, and this was decided :on Christinas Eve. For the second time Chip beat Klaus, and almost as decisively as he had before, proving to the satisfaction of everybody that he, at least, was Klaus' master. The ringside weights were:.— Chip, list Olli; Klaus, list S'/Jb. Chip had Klaus in a bad way in the fourth round, and in the next session he floored the latter for a count of "seven." Klaus was very groggy when he got up, and unable to defend himself. A moment afterwards he dropped his hands to bis side, and Referee Dillon, seeing .his plight, intervened, giving Chip the benefit of a knock-out without permitting it to take place. M. Dcschamps, manager for (leorges Carpentier, says that the Frenchman is willing to meet Bandsman Blake when and where lie pleases. As soon as Blake lodges £SOO Carpentier will place an equal sum, and the match will take place for the best purse offered. Recent files from the United Stales however, contain word that may explain M'Farland's complacency in falling in with Mr. Baker's wishes. It appears that he has got into trouble at home. Some little time back he was

engaged in a ten-round bout with one Jack Britton at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First of all there was grievous trouble ■about the weigh-in. Britton, according to contract, made [lst Dili, and then his adversary declined to make his weight ■known, and declared that he would either box as he was or not at all. Finally the bout started on these terms, but the initial fuss was quite overshadowed by the character of the contest itself. .M'Farland could do no better than make a draw of a match which was marked by poor boxing and rough tactics, the chief offender therein being M'Farland himself. The whole thing appears to have been decidedly unsavory, and public opinion was so strongly expressed that the Wisconsin State Boxing Commission took action, and ultimately suspended M'Farland for one year. The general opinion appears to be that the sentence was deserved, although it was the first-time that the offender had come under the ban of any controlling body or under the shadow of suspicion of having "framed" a contest. However, there it is, and it may be that it is owing to this — well, misadventure that "Packy" M'Farland considers that a. trip to Australia would !>t good for his health, his pocket and his reputation. ,