Samoa.

Fighting Spirit In

Too Many Fouls Spoil Inter national Boxing Match.

(From a Special Correspondent.)

Pago Pago, Sept. 30.

PADDY RYAN’S squad of fighters, made up of natives of the Islands comprising American Samoa, went down to defeat at the hands and gloves of the native boys from Western (or British) Samoa at an eight-bout smoker held at Pago Pago on the night of Sep tember 9.

Paddy’s boys took only two bouts —

one of the preliminaries, which was awarded them on a foul, and the semi final, which was stopped by the referee in the first round and awarded to the Pago Pago boy, who was slaughtering his opponent in an uneven match.

If alibis are in order, they are these: The Western boys had the edge in experience, having been in the game for three years, while Paddy’s men have been training for only one year. Their lack of experience worked against them and made it easy for the British Sa moans who, for the most part, showed up best in everything but the fighting spirit, to garner one knock-out, two technical K.O.’s, and two decisions.

That accounts for the six prelimin aries and the semi-final. The final also went to the men from Western Samoa, when the swaggering McClusky, of Fagatogo, Tutuila, forgot himself and reverted to the ‘Fa’a Samoan” method of fighting during his bout with Motu, of British Samoa.

Twice during the first minute of the scheduled six-round final, McClusky fouled his opponent, knocking him to the canvas and then hammering his head with vicious blows from both hands while he was still on the mat. After the second foul, the referee stopped the bout and awarded it to Motu.

This final bout showed up with em phasis what was evident during most of the bouts of the evening: The Tu tuila squad has not been properly im pressed with the necessity for observ ing the rules of the game, and this has displayed them in a bad light and added many points against them whenever they have been matched with clean fighters.

This statement is in no way meant as a criticism of Paddy Ryan, their trainer, but as a comment on the slack ness of the judges and referees of the

bouts which have been promoted in Tutuila during the past year. At every smoker held during this time, there have been evident dozens of fouls, which should have been the cause for stopping the fight and awarding it to the injured contestant.

Although the British Samoans were far from blameless when it came to the fouling, they were comparatively clean, and as this was not a local affair but an International Smoker, the officials were forced to score many points against the Tutuila men, not only because they were, in most cases, badly out-classed but also because of their many fouls. The judges for the even ing were: Lieut. L. A. Williams (S.C.), U.S.N., Mr. Lofley, of Apia, Western Samoa, and Mr. Ernest Reid, one of the local merchants.

“Tex” Rickard, CPhM, refereed the

five bouts and “Speed" Jackson, Seaman 1/c, was the third man in the ring during the remaining events. T E. Smith, RM2/c, kept time on the rounds and H. Fraser CQM tolled the count on the knock-downs. Since "Red'’ Maley, CBM, the leather-lunged chief announcer cannot as yet speak good Samoan, he was assisted by

Mr. Charles Reid, another local mer chant, who translated the announce ments for the benefit of the many Samoan spectators.

Photograph taken during one of the bouts.