BOXING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9683, 6 January 1910, Page 3

BOXING.

I The effect of the training 'lommy Burns has been doing in Sydney for several weeks past and still sticks so religiously to, is shown by the fact that he as made up his mind to have a few more matches before giving up the game altogether, and Johnson Langford and Ketchel are named in the connection. Tommy is (flighted with himself and says he never felt better. It has dawned upon him that he should not weigh less than 13st for any future fights. Tommy faced Lang in Melbourne over 12 months ago at that poundrga and was all vim and spring from end to end, Burns has been swimming at the Bronte Balhs every morning during the last couple of weeks and vows that no more attractive bathing resort exists anywhere. When the Canadian is next seen in the ring to fight he will hardly be recognised. That very much pale skin —so noticeable in contrast with Johnson'd coalhued pelt—has given place to one distinctly brown and it will probably be nearly black by the time the world's ex-campion fights again. On Monday week Tommy cabled Mr W Naugton of the " 'Frisco Examiner" to the effect that if a match could be arranged with Johnson any time before July he (Burns) would be glad to meet the black aaraiu—winner take all.—"Sydney Referee." Regarding the Jeffries-Johnson | fight Johnny Summers stated that Britt said Jeffries only had to be half as good as he used to be to win, says i a Perth paper. If Johnson wins I don't think his life will be worth much. Racial feeling was never t>o pronounced nor the tension so near danger point as now, and it has been hinted that Johnson will buy trouble for himself. They don't let nigerers drink in saloons now, ana if they call for liquors the.v are met wiih the reply "Fifty or a hundred dollars to you." If a rich nigger pajs the price the glass out uf which he drinks is promptly smashed in fiont of him so that no white man might defile his mouth." Lang whose real name is Lanifranchi his father being a Swiss won the title of heavy-weight champion of Australia and successfully defended it against Bill Squires in October last year. He is a well-known boxer and footballer. The fighting record of Robert Fitzsimmous is conceded by the leading authorities on pugilism throughout the world to;,be by far the greatest and most remarkable record held by any pugilist in the annals and history of the prize ring. Early in his career he began fighting the great pugilists and the champions and his long list of speedy victories first in Australia the past twenty years in America over lead- . ing aspirants for both middle-weight jTnd heavy-weight championship honoursThas~ J yyoD forbim universal re ■ cogiHtiwras'lJhe greatest fighter the ring has ever had. After many decisive victories over the great ghters of Australia Fitzsimmons went to the United States where as the easy victor in stormy and sensa-tionairknock-out battles he soon became the terror of [all pugilistic aspirants. has fought 38 important battles not enumerating his many quick victories overi I ,pugilists™ of little note and in 28|fof "thesn~ important. battles he knocked ouThis opponents; in 38 he scored decisive victories. In 28 famous battles ing scored knock-outs 20 were against the world's greatest fighters-Demp-sey, Maher, Creedcn, Corbett, Ruhlin Sharkey and others of like note—and the number of [rounds at each of these 20 knock-out battles would figure out at about three rounds to the battle. Aside from these 20 knockouts of pugilistic stars is the enviable record scored by Fitzsimmons in Chicago about two months previous to the opening of the World's Fail". It was there, in a single evening, that he encountered and knocked out seven pugilistic aspirants; each of these men tipped the scales at over 2001b. and the largest was 2401b in weight, and 6ft 7|in in height. It is hero interesting to note the most j remarkable fact in the history of I Robert Fitzsimmons—in every one of his long list of battles he fought : under the middle-weight limit, which is 1581b. At the time he knocked out ; the seven heavy-weight boxers in ; < Chicago, he tippsd the scales at ; 1521b. Fitzsimmons has fought; in all j 368 battles and lost three. It is claimed that he was robbed of one with | Sharkey, after knocking him out j twice. j That well-known American author- ; ity, on the game, Otto C. Fioto, of the "Denver Post," says:- "It is amusing to hear them all shout about j the prowess ot Johnson and his great j cleverness, and yet in the days j gone by we had a coloured fighter who was greater than Johnson in j every respect and in all departments of the game I refer to Peter <

Jackson. What would that grand j Australian fighter have done to John- ; son in his prime? In fact, what would he have done to any of them? True, Jeffries defeated him, and quite handily, too, but at the same time when the gallant old black was opposai to Jeffries he was but a ( shadow of his former self, and he di Q d a short year or so afterwards. But Jackson in his prime—well, it would.liave been a question whether or not Jeffries could have turned the trick. To me Jackson was on of the greatest, if not the very greatest, heavy-weight that ever lived. What would he have done to Jack Johnson with ooth men at their best" Bill Squires has reached Sydney and has started steady work at the Sir Joseph Banks' Hotel, Botany, for his fight with Biil Lang early next month. Squires is accompanied by his old raliabli rigit-hand man, Jimmy Russell., who will train the Peel River farmer again. Fitzsim- v mons will also give the popular Bill assistance in training.