BOXING

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 12, 4 June 1920, Page 4

BOXING

By "The Count."

RING REPORTS. THE GKEATEST FIGHT OF MODERN TIMES. BECKETT v. McGOORTY.

Greatest of heavy-weight boxing contests seen for many years, the Beckett-Mc-Goorty bout is still a much talked-of affair in boxing c.ircles. Even those -who said that McGoorty was too clever for Beckett to beat, have been compelled to go rightround and give to Beckett the praise that is liis due. Surely it can be no longer possible to find people who will faii to realise that Beckett is at least an exceptionally wellbuilt fellow for his weight. Have you noticed how compact he is How, although weighing something like sixteen pounds more than McGoorty, he did not look nearly so much the bigger man ? They seemed magnifieently matched. All that sort of thing means that Beckett is so buiit as to leave ro weahnesses in his frame. He is a solid lump of muscularity, and his strength is govsrncd, directed, by a well-balanced boxing head which keeps his body well under control. BECKETT' S DEFENCE. Another thing which those who thought McGoorty was far to clever to be beaten by Beckett must admit now is the fact that our champion can box well. If the American could not find a way to put Beckett out, it follows that, in addition to possessing his fine forcing style in attack, Beckett has what so few of our heavy-weights have, ,got — an excellent defence. > The pictures will show you that Beckett's guarding of that wonderfully good left hand of McGoorty's was exceptionally cuihamg. After the contest, McGoorty said that he knew that he had hit Beckett as hard as he could, and that the British champion instead of crumpling up, dashed in and returned the punches. That sort of compliment from an opponent seldom goes the way of a,ny boxer, but McGoorty is a generous fellow, who is quite ready to admit a defeat that was unexpected by him, and by many more people, but never out of the mind of Beckett from the time that the match was made. Beckett has proved himself to he a splendid fighter in many senses. First of all, he can hit hard, and when he is hit in return he has the pluck to sbake off the effects of the punch. l'n other words that means that he gets vexed when he is hit, and in the momentary anger that is his he forgets that he is hnrt, and thinks only of the fact that he must do something in the wap of hunting his opponent. He has the insistence of spirit to do that, too, for who could have shown more determination than he did after being hit by McGoorty There was one feature of Beckett's boxing that did not please me, and that was the fact that when he had secured an advantage, and went in in the attempt to finish off his man, he forgot the right way to punch. THE STRAIGHT PUNCH. Instead of liitting straight, he would sw.ing his arms, and as a consequence, give McGoorty just a fraction of a second of time in which to miss the blow. There is one sort of blow which a man who is dazed can scarcely ever miss, and that is the straight punch with either hand. It was a straight right that caught McGoorty and finished him off. It was a straight right that finished off Fjank Goddard, and on each occasion that straight punch was sent along when Beckett's opponent was dazed. Yet there were occasion s when the British champion had the American Weak, and still rushed at him with swinging blows. If, when McGoorty was in a bad way, like he was in the thirteenth round, for instance, Beckett should have punched straight, and he would not have been able to guard won much sooner than he did. Splendid a general as the American is, he would not have been able to guard punches sent along the quickest, straightest route. It was the one fault that neod he pointed out iq the way that Beckett boxed. He was a real champion at all other times, for he not only watched very closely for chances to get in hits, but he seldom relaxed his defence. Once or twice, after close work, he stood np with his hands held low, and got punished for his pains. He learned the lesscn, however, and the second who called out to him "keep your hands up, Joe!" was a wise fellow. It was only by keep-

ing his hands up that Beckett conld avoid that left hand, and keep his balance so that he could be ready to rush in to the attack. When Beckett avoidcd blows by ducking, he lost his equilibrium, when g..„rded by the intervention of his right arai, he was able to move forward and continue the work of attack. Possibly, the most puzzled man in 01ympia was McGoorty, for he had not understood how clever Beckett was, and when he found that it was so difficult to hit him, and that when be did hit him the blows had so little effeet, McGoorty began to wonder what sort of fellow he had matched himself with. Beckett has developed scveral new punches. One is a very good one indeed, but as it is with the right, it should be tried in a different way to that adopted by the user. The blow referred to is a right drive to the body, and is generally followed by a left hook to the face. Now, as a combination, those two blows are wrong, for a very good rcason. It is always dangerous to lead at an opponent with the right. If the right lead is to the body, it means that the striker's head has got to go forward, and is, as a consequence, in greater danger. If the safe left punch was tried and used as a feint it is possible that the right would reach its mark, and not cause that sacrifice of defence that leading with the right entails. WHAT ABOUT CARPENTIER. At the time I am writing this, I am told th-,t Carpentier is sure to meet Beckett, and as a consequence, I will not repeat my firm opinion that he will not. There has been .an offer from America for a match hetween Dempsey and Carpentier. Of the world 's heavy-weight champion Carpentier and his manager know little. They know all about Beckett, and as a consequence of that knowledge are not anxious to meet the British champion. Much is being said about contracts, and all that sort of thing, and I seern to remember in the dim and dist-ant past when a boxer did not live up to contract. I may be wrong in casting such a slur upon the profession of boxing, but it may 0e that some of the readers of this paper can tell me if a contract for a boxing match has always been regarded as a most binding business betwcen two parties. If the contract is between Mr C. B. Cochra.i and M. Descamps, one would like to know really where the binding natu.ro of that contract is. If M. Descamps and Carpentier agree to cancel all other previous agreements between them, how is Mr Cochran going to get Carpentier into the ring? However, you will know more about this when you are readurg your paper than I know while I am writing. FULTON'S DEEEAT. No doubt, something will he done in tbo way of getting a match for Fred Fulton now that, by beating Arthur Townley, he has proved himself to be something of a boxer. What I could not understand about the boxing critics who saw this two-minute affair is the way in which they jump to the conclusion that Fulton is a wonder. To me, Townley never looked as if be was possessed of the slightest hope of winning. To say that he made a gallant attempt to beat the American is piffle. Townley never showed signs of being sufficiently settled in mind to set about his man. If Beckeet meets Fulton, as I hope he will, we sliall be able to judge whether Fulton is anything like the right sort of boxer. Fulton has said that he looks upon Beckett as a good boy who might stay for three rounds with him. I think Fulton is about right in his estimation of the length that such a contest would last, but what I should like to know is how on earth Fulton thinks he would be able to stay. three rounds with Joe Beckett. There was absolutely nothing in the boxing that Fulton showed to us to prove that he is capabe of doing anything bigger than he did when, in a match with the fourth-rate boxer, Tom Cowler, he recovered from a knock-down punch, and was able to go on and win. If a fellow as moderate as Tom Cowler can hit Fulton once and as hard as that, Beckett can hit him several thames — as often, in fact, as it is necessary. FULTON'S DISADVANTAGES. Fulton has not got the physical Balance to be a truly great boxer. He shows in his walk that awkwardness of step that Billy Wells has. There is not sufficient control over his huge frame to ensure him being able to stand up after receiving anything like a big punch. As a boxer, Fulton is much of a monstrosity. He is taller than he should be. If height was an advantage at boxing, he would be a very dangerous fellow, but the kind of build for a boxesr which I like is tliafc which Beckett has.