Boxing Favored by Prominent Britons
Boxing Favored by Prominent Britons is an article written by Marquis of Queensberry published in The Salt Lake Tribune on 5 december 1911.
Boxing Favored by Prominent Britons
(5 december 1911, p. 11)
Earl of Lonsdale and Others Testify on the Witness Stand.
IS A SCIENTIFIC SPORT.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Says Boxing Will Never Be Exterminated.
By Marquis of Queensberry.
My last London mail is full of most interesting matter in regard to the momentous decision on that much malign sport, boxing. Some of the evidences in the recent cases of interest to boxe lovers. John Herbert Douglas, prudent of the amateur Boxing association, and father J. H. W. T. Douglas, at one time amateur champion of England was the first witness of the defense, said:
"Boxing, as a scientific sport, free from brute force. Moran and Driscoll are clever and clean boxers, the more skilful the boxers the less likely is the knockout blow. In a contest such as this it is three or four to that it will go to its full length."
The next witness was the Earl of Lonsdale. He said:
"The Queensberry rules were meant originally for two men to compete with gloves, and they have been improved to the greatest possible extent by National Sporting club."
Asked as to the knockout blow the reply was:
"It is absolutely unknown to me except in one way. I have had it three or four times.
"It is any blow that happens to one that knocks out. You might hit in the neck, or the ribs, or the chest. This is no particular blow that is a knock blow."
"Does not a man go into the ring subdue his opponent?" he was asked. "I do not know what you mean by 'subdue'. You might often win a boxing competition by not hitting your hardest."
"The man who deals the knockout hit is probably the winner, is he not?" asked Mr. Hill.
"I do not say that is not so," replied Lord Lonsdale cautiously, "but it is the case if a man can respond with ten seconds. A lot of humbug is talked about the knockout."
Conan Doyle Favors Boxing.
Sir Arthur, the author who is as well known to Americans and is to Britishers, and whose opinions not necessarily carry great weight in an English-speaking community, was interviewed the other day by the Daily Graphic, London's most important illustrated paper, as follows:
"Of one thing I am certain. The present course of action will never success in exterminating boxing in England."
"The only success that the enemies of the sport can hope for is to drive boxing down — to force it into the interior of national life. At the present most boxing is on the surface, it is more peculiar than ever — look at the recent championships, when there were something like 250 entries — and boxing manifests are given the widest publicity.
"Boxing — the love of boxing — is in the blood of the people; it is part of national character; and so long as the character remains as it is at present, will have boxing contests.
"The attempt to make boxing scene may be successful; but, as I have said you will never succeed in exterminating it. If such an attempt were successful, it would be bad for the manhood the country — bad for the nation at large."
Meantime England waits for the decision from a higher court. If boxing is to be legally suppressed, then as stated above, there will be an army of breakers as existed when there were bare-knuckle fighting many years ago. Whatever, the result, it must affect fighters of all nationalities. The only conclusion one can come to is that eventually France will be the haven of refuge for all boxers.
