THE NOBLE ART.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3079, 28 December 1908, Page 5

THE NOBLE ART.

CABLE NEWS.

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright.

THE WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP.

BURNS v. JOHNSON

MARVELLOUS PERFORMANCE. THE BLACK WINS EASILY. "I THOUGHT 'TOMMY' WAS AN IN-FIGHTER." Received December 26, 7 p.m. SYDNEY, December 26. A light rain fell early in the morning, but cleared off later and left a cool dull day. For hours a stream of traffic flowed into the Stadium. Twenty thousand spectators gained admission, and a huge crowd surrounded the structure waiting to hear the result. Many hundreds of people were camped in the vicinity through the night. A WORLD'S RECORD.

The money taken is said to be a world's record for a prize fight. At a quarter to eleven both men entered the ring and received ovations. Burns wore elastic bandages about the elbows, and Johnson insisted that they should be taken off, and refused to fight unless the request was complied with. The announcement was received with vociferous hooting, /it a quarter past eleven o'clock the men faced each other. Burns removed the bandages, and the fighting started with a will. Johnson in the first few minutes toppled the champion over. Burns remained eight seconds, and then he went for the body of his opponent, buc Johnson standing erect, was battering his opponent over the kidneys. Burns got Johnson one on the chin, and so terrific was the impact that the champion fell back from its force, but it did not trouble Johnson in the least degree. ■JOHNSON'S COOLNESS REMARKABLE. Right through the fight Johnson's coolness was remarkable. Burns was boxing superbly, but any of his blows that got home sevme'l cf no consequence to the black fellow. Johnson made .vicious efforts to get his right across his opponent's ja,w, but Burns cleverly parried him. Johnson, however, punished Burns' ribs unmercifully, and they soon showed evidence of the treatment. Burns made frequent attempts to reach Johnson's head, one blow got h'ime,but the black only smiled; in fact he had a continuous smile on through the contest, and appeared to take the combat as a joke.

NO JOKE FOR THE CHAMPION

It was no joke for the champion, for Johnson repeatedly got heavy body work in on Bums, who forced the fighting up to the fourth round, but did no damage, but in this and the fifth round sustained a lot of punishment. Johnson surveyed him' coolly, awaiting his opponent to lead, and after several seconds of this Burns said— ARE YOU GOING TO FIGHT, YOU CUR, and Johnson's reply was a swing of his terrific left, which found a resting place in the champion's stomach. The champion , kept going, but his mouth, -v/as bleeding, and Johnson followed with a hard one right across the jaw. Bringing his right up under Burns' chin m the sixth round Johnson got a dozen on to Burns' ribs, which had assumed A BEAUTIFUL PJNK HUE. Burns stepped up to his man gamely, but Johnson only smiled, and at every opportunity got home on his opponent's jaw, Burns swung a stiff left into the black's stomach several times, lint Johnson laughed at the crowd, and addressed a few sarcastic remarks to "Tommy." Suddenly he swung his left viciously to the body, and brought his right over to head, but Burns got under. Johnson then hustled him to the corner, narrowly grazing the champion's chin with a terrific left. In the next round Burns' punishment was severe. His eye got damaged, and Johnson found the same spot several times. The fight eased off a bit, but Burns was apparently tiring. Every time Burns tried to get in a blow Johnson retaliated disastrously, then turning to the crowd shouted "I thought 'Tommy' was an in-fighter." After this remark he dealt with Burns' eye again, eventually dropping him with one on the ribs. The champion only remained down a couple of seconds. Johnson was bleeding slightly from the lip, otherwise he showed no signs of the struggle. BLOWS PRODUCE NO EFFECT. In the ninth and tenth rounds the champion freshened up somewhat, but apparently his blows produced no effect on Johnson, who remained imperturable. He never missed an opportunity of inflicting punishment, and Burns' jaw was becoming a monument to his work. Nevertheless Burns kept at it willingly, although his blows lacked strength. Several heavy body blows caused Johnson to stand off, while causing Burns to remark

WHY DON'T YOU FIGHT.

In the eleventh round, however, he gave Burns plenty of fighting, and Burns received most of the damage,

including a couple of hard blows on the kidneys. Johnson walked vigorously to his corner, but Burns limped to his. Burns came up to the twelfth round with'a badly swoollen face, and although he tried away, more damage was inflicted on his jaw. Burns got one home on the stomach, but received half a dozen on the jaw by way of reply. Burns attacked but Johnson fighting steadily waited for his lead, and repeatedly clinched in the thirteenth round, .but Burns' ribs suffered every time. THE FOURTEENTH ROUND. The fourteenth round was decisive. Johnson who had a big advantage in reach, after a bit of sparring got Burns fairly in the jaw, and he went down for eight seconds. When he got up he received another on the forehead. STOPPED BY POLICE.

The police then stopped the fight, and the referee declared Johnson to be the winner. The great crowd took the victory sullenly. JOHNSON TOO BIG FOR ME.

Burns, interviewed afterwards, said:—"l did my bast, but Johnson is too big fur me. His reach is too big for me. It is stated that Burns' jaw is broken.

BURNS' JAW NOT BROKEN. Received December 28,4.15 p.m. SYDNEY, December 27. Burns' jaw is not broken, but his ankle was badly sprained in the fifth round, depriving him of footwork. TREMENDOUS INTEREST IN AP/JERiCA. Received December 27, 4.30 p.m. SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 26. There is no great betting in San Francisco, but there is tremendous interest in the result of the fight evinced in America. THE NEW CHAMPION. "Massive" Johnson, the negro challenger, has been wall named. He was born on 31st March, 1878, at Galveston, Texas, and started his fighting career at school. Almost before he wes into long trousers he had demolished men scaling 15 stone. When he was eighteen he began his important fight ; m r , and punished all and sundry, till he ran up against the Polish Jew, Choynski, about seven years ago, and was severly drubbed. Then followed a long list of victories, broken only by a to Marvin Hart in 1905 and several indecisive combats. Towering 6ft Jin, and weighing about 13st he has fought on till Burns alone stood between him and the world supremacy. Johnson is very quick very clever and hif-s hard. The negro like the Canadian champion has commonsense rules of training and living, but he does not disdain a cigar or a glass of beer. He is fond of praise and likes a retinue about him. Between his boxing bouts he finds time to sing and to play stringed instruments. When he is at home he is a prominent member of the local Methodist Church. He is a goodhumoured giant, with a rfmile for everybody except Burns, whom he regards as "the most sarcastical person" he ever met.

The coloured boxer's record for 1907 is as follows:—He knocked out Peter Felix in one round, J. Lang in nine rounds (both fights in Australia), Bob Fitzsimmons in two rounds (Philadelphia), and Kid Cutler in one round (Reading, Pa). He beat Sailor Burke at Bridgeport in six rounds, and knocked out Jim Flynn at San Francisco in eleven rounds. Since he has been in England Johnson has made many friends. He is thirty years old, 6ft Jin in height, and weighs 1951b5.

HEAVY-WEIGHT CHAMPIONS. (Since 1902, under Itajuis of Queensberry Rules). 1902 —Jeffries beat Pitzsimmons at San Francisco, 8 rounds, 25th July. 1903—Jeffries beat Corbett, 10 rounds, at San Francisco, 14th August. 1904—Jeffries beat Jack Munroe, 2 rounds, at San Francisco, 26th August. 1905—Jack O'Brien beat Fitzsimmons, 13 rounds, at San Francisco, 20th December. Jeffries had retired, and the title had reverted to Fitzsimmons. 1906—Tommy Burns beat Marvin Hart, 20 rounds, at Los Angeles, 20th February. Hart had claimed the title by defeating Jack Johnson. 1907—Tommy Burns beat Jack O'Brien, 20 rounds, at LO3 Angeles, 7th May. 1907—Tommy Burns beat Bill Squires, 1 round, at Los Angles, 4th July. 1907-Tommy Bums beat Gunner Moir, 10 rounds, at London, 2nd December. 1908—Tommy Burns beat Bill Squires, 8 rounds, at Neuilly, France, 13th June. 1908—Tommy Burns beat Bill Squires, 13 rounds, at Sydney, 13th August. 1908—Tommy Burns beat Bill Lang, 6 rounds, at Melbourne, 3rd September. 1908—Johnson beat Tommy Burns, 14 rounds, at Sydney, 26th December.