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Show VETERAN BOXERS ulULDJE USED Past Masters of Ring Craft Should Be Made Cantonment Can-tonment Instructors. The appointment of Jack Root, the veteran vet-eran boxer, as boxing instructor at an aviation camp in California, has caused the boxing fans to wonder why so many of the older boxers, the ones who learned the game when boxing was .at a premium, rather than fighting, have not been asked to hold similar positions. There is no question that many of the ; boys of the older day are better quafified, even If not so active, as some of the comparatively unknowns who are hold- : lug down berths in the different canton-- canton-- ments. Of course, men like Mike Gibbons, Gib-bons, Packev McFarland. Benny Leonard Leon-ard and Willie Ritchie are hardly to be j improved upon, either by present-day boxers or those who have seen service in years previous. These boys are all clever and can teach soldiers how to box. The principles of scientific boxing, rather than straight slugging, are what is needed need-ed to teach the soldiers to defend themselves them-selves with the bayonet. The proper punches in boxing, as well as the feinting feint-ing and blocking, are what Is needed to make the soldier proficient in bayonet work. The greatest drawback to this plan or giving more of the veterans a chance is that they haven't the vitality to go out and work hard from morning until night personally boxing with many of the men. On the other hand, they have 'the knowledge of the finer points of the game which the majority of the present-day present-day pugs have not. They could Impart their knowledge by showing the boys, without actually getting into the ring and roughing it with the majority of them. T. S. Andrews, the veteran ring critic, touches on this point, and incidentally eives a couple of Portland veterans a boost. Andrews comments on the fact that there are so few ring veterans engaged en-gaged in this work, and says that men who would be more than acceptable to engage in this work are Mysterious Billy Smith and Tommy Tracey, both of Portland. Port-land. Others are Tommy Ryan, who Is in Svracuse, N. Y.; Frank Erne, at Buffalo:' Buf-falo:' Jack McClelland, at Pittsburg; Philadelphia Jack O'Brien of Philadelphia; Philadel-phia; Jack (Twin) Sullivan. Cincinnati: Ray Bronson. Toledo, and a number of others who might be mentioned. It is hardlv likely that either Tracey or Smith would care for this class of work, unless they felt they could do more good than other men in the service. Smith la working at one of the local shipyards and making good wages, while Tracy runs a cigar store in the Corbett building and has lately been appointed as official matchmaker for all boxing smokers to be held here by the city box- j ing commission. |