A Willing Champion

The Clough Proposition.

1930 Plans and Possibilities

Crossley accepts with his usual modest and sensible acceptance of fact that his conquest of Moody did not enhance his reputation, though it left no room for doubt about his claim to the British title of tight Heavyweight Champion. He is as anxious as anyone to get to work again to show the critics who had so many disparaging things to say about that November evening display that it was far from his characteristic boxing. And the first proposition that lie is likely to be faced with this new year is that provided by George Clough, of Clayton-le-Moors, in Lancashire.

A lot of people are boosting Clough and he has a rarely enthusiastic local following who believe in him implicitly. This faith, though undoubtedly well founded in Clough’s real ability, is considerably inflated by remembrance of Clough’s win over Crossley two years or more ago. But Crossley was not even at the top of his current form on that occasion; certainly nowhere near the Crossley of to-day.

And Mr. W. Bridgwater, Crossley’s manager has now invited Clough to make his claim in due order to the British Control Board, and at the same time lay down his money.

Crossley is ready to defend his title against any man of his weight in Great Britain approved by the B.B.B.C., under championship conditions and for £100 aside; and apart from the title, is ready to meet any “cruiser” or heavyweight in Great Britain or anywhere else at catch-weights for a similar inducement.

That amounts to a world challenge, so there is the promise of exciting times for Crossley’s increasing number of followers, and for South Yorkshire sportsmen generally in 1930. As a matter of fact both Mr. Bridgwater and Crossley are anxious to make this a memorable year.

Bob Carvill, the Bridlington man. has been mentioned as another probable challenger for Crossley’s title; but it will be remembered that Crossley met this stout-hearted but unpolished boxer a good while ago and beat him too easily for any claim from that quarter to be regarded very seriously.

Crossley himself is fit, except that he is surging a little tenderness in one eye, due to a jab he got in it while it was open during his bout with Moody. He has had to have special treatment of the eye since he won the title, but it will soon be O.K. again and the intention is to get him to serious work again very early this year.

Clough, by the way, has just returned from a Canadian tour of fourteen months and showed he was in good form recently when he resumed boxing at Blackburn and scored a technical knockout over Billy Adair, a Londoner, in nine rounds.

Everyone who has followed the game closely in the last year or two would be happy to see Crossley and Clough, both at the top of their form, in the same run in a championship bout: and most of us would confidently look to Crossley emerging more firmly established as champion than before. There is a general expectation that Crossley defending his title will show himself a lot better boxer than he did on that humdrum night at Hollborn —though that was quite in the tradition of title bouts. Good ones have been very rare in the history of the game.

At any rate, here’s a prosperous and triumphant new year to Mexboro’s champion!