BOXING.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 September 1921, Page 8

BOXING.

BECKETT DEFEATS McCORMACK. k OPPONENTS FOR CARPENTIER. London, Sept. 12. Beckett defeated McCormack in the twelfth round. For the Irst time in its history the Opera House was used for a prize-fight. The building was crowded. Carpentier was given a great reception. Both Beckett and McCormack were very fit, but Beckett looked much heavier. The first two rounds were fought in hurricane fashion, showing that Beckett had found a tougher proposition than he apparently expected. The fighting in the third and fourth rounds continued in cyclone fashion. McCormack’s footwork was excellent. He twice got two right hooks to Beckett's jaw, but the blows generally lacked power. Beckett, in the fifth round, twice steadied his man with his famous hook to the left jaw, following it up with a hard right to the point; but McCormack, with a couple of stinging lefts, forced Beckett to the ropes, and he took the count to six. Beckett, in the sixth, appeared to have McCormack at his mercy, but he could not finish him.

There was excitement in the seventh round, which was McCormack’s. With a hard right he brought Beckett down ■for eight. McCormack rushed in and tried to put him down again, hut Beckett went for his man, and punished him severely in the eighth and ninth, though he failed to knock him out.

McCormack complained that he had hurt his right arm. Beckett now got to work, and McCormack took a lot of stiff punishment.

Beckett, in the twelfth, put McCormack down for two, then for seven, when he was up again, and down for five. Only his wonderful gameness enabled him to finish the round, but after the bell his seconds threw in the towel, despite McCormack’s protest. Of the £6OOO purse Beckett takes £4OOO.

A message received prior to the above stated:—The fact that Carpentier attends to-night’s fight at Covent Garden strengthens the view that if McCormack

beats Beekett the strongest efforts will be made to match McCormack with the Frenchman. Even should Beckett score decisively to-night, it is realised that it would be futile to attempt to arrange another meeting in which the Frenchman triumphed in the previous encounter. Beckett’s victory would strengthen. Cook's position as regards his match with Carpentier. The general view is that Beckett will win. On the contrary, if McCormack succeeds, it may have a prejudicial effect on Cook’s match, and would result in the strongest efforts in the direction of arranging a McCorm&ckCarpentier contest.

It has been estimated that Jack Dempsey’s profit on his fight with Georges Carpentier was 65,000 dollars. From his purse of 300,000 dollars he had to pay about 164,000 in taxation, and approximately 6000 dollars for training over and above the receipts from the charges for admission to his training stunts. That left about 130,000 dollars, which Dempsey had to share evenly with his manager, Jack Kearns.