The Washington herald., 1917-07-08
GRAPHING MARS THE
Boxing OF HEAVIES
Joe choynsE Claims Queensbury
Rules Are Not Lived Up To.

New York. July THE lamentsbis
lack OF cleverness among the biF fell
lows who follow the bifing game to-
day is very ably explained by joe
choynski. veteran heavy-weight. who
was one OF the best OF HIS day.
In answer 10 a query on the part
Of the writer regarding the why's and
wherefores OF the clumSiness OF pres
ent day heayy-weiFhts- Choynsli, who
is now athletic director at the Pitts
burgh Athletic Club. has laid the
blame at the door Of the rules that
are in vogue.
''The rules are 10 blame for a great
deal OF the lack Of cleverness dis
played these days in the hstie realm"
says Joe.
Have the Queensbury rules strictly
adhered to and there will be a big
change in boxing circles. because the
'rasslers viii be eliminated
TT always amuses me 20 hear the
announcer shout: These bouts will
be straight Queensbury rules, hitting
in the clinches with one arm free
when, as a matter Of fact. the Queens
bury rules strictly prohibit hitting in
the ciinches.
The rules In use today are moth
ing more nor less than the old Lon
don prize ring rules with the vrest-
I ling cut out, and Il 10 laughable 20
hear a referee tell the contestants to
hit with one arm free and break st
his word. What authority has the
referee 10 tell boxers 10 break after
telling them TO hit? II one man 10
holding and the other has arms free
they must break anyhow. The referee
earns his money and looks wise as
, he expends his strength breaking
them. In the old DAYS boxers knew
the rules and the referee never had
to touch them. II they persisted IN
clinching they were disqualified.
Another thing that has hrrt box
ing is the no-decision bout No one
| loses and no one wins. The bortng
public wants TO see eliminstions and
J il wants action for it's money. think
that decision bouts b the only an
swer for the uplift OF the game ana
believe that referees could stamp
! out a great amount OF the betting BY
announcing all bets of at the ring
side
Il have seen all the boxers OF the
day. and with the exception OF a very
/ few they are Jokes when Il comes TO
AAoEsAAAH AANAAA a. bNAtNE= NNNNnLAN
saw two light heavy-weights In action
and the bout impressed me with the
/ fact that the good old game has de-
Perforated sadly.
Nowadays any man with hair on
his chest and big muscles Is a fighter.
| Cleverness Is overlooked and science
well, when ! think back to the old
days / am sure there is no such ami
NAL extant in boxing now.
Mr.. Atkinson, the real man behind
the Queensbury rules. was friend
Of mine and he explained how the
rules were drawn up and gave me
the why's and Wherefores OF IT, II
1 was 10 eliminate the wrestlers and
put ginger and science into boxing
that the rules known as the Queens
bury rules were drawn NJ. And thoss
rules are the only rules for real bog
ers TO follow
Boxing today IS Ike four-han bT-
| liards-take one away and il takes
some playing. BOX and cut out hit
! ting I'm the clinChss and you'll hEvs
boxing on the uplift again and bring
out the native ability in the real
boxers. Under oUeensburv rules one
can count the good boxers OF today
on the fingers % one hand.
| J refnember iWentN-lNe wears sc0
the boxers worked according 20 the
| rules. and there were only four o-
FIVE good men IN each division. ola
nature doesn't work much faster than
that. Another thIng-in the old dsys
a man had 20 serve his s-urentfceshi0
before he got notice. Now all one
needs Is little Drawn snd a good
publicity man"
Coming from grand old boxer
like Choynski these reasons for ad-
herence 10 the rules of Queensburv
and the return % decision houts ere
a strong argument There l. not the
shadow OF a doubt but that with
clinching outlswed and decisions ron
dered boxing would soon be elevated
TO the pinnacle OF popular favor once
more.