New nights ago I sat and yarned with one of New Zealand's most famous old pugilists, “Gentleman Jim” Griffin. The years have been kind to this old-timer and he had many interesting things to talk about.

There were four brothers in the Griffin fighting family—Jim, Charlie, Jack and Frank. Jim was middle-weight and heavyweight professional champion of New Zealand after first winning the amateur middleweight and heavyweight titles of Australia and New Zealand. As an amateur he had 14 contests and won them all by knockouts. His professional career was also studded by knock-out victories although he invariably conceded weight to his opponents.

In 1908 the great Tommy Burns visited Australia and Hugh D. McIntosh, who made fame by staging the Burns-Johnson world title contest at Rush-cutters’ Bay, Sydney, matched Griffin against the Australian heavyweight champion, Bill Lang, with the winner to meet Burns for the world title. In the third round Griffin, weighing 11st. 6lb., knocked out Lang, who weighed 14st. 8lb., but in the excitement the referee missed the count and Lang was saved by the bell. It was agreed that Lang had received the biggest hiding of his life, but his superior weight told in the end and Griffin threw in the towel after six rounds. So popular did he prove with the Sydneysiders that they carried him shoulder-high down Castlereagh Street. After the fight the newspapers were unanimous that Griffin had morally won by a knock-out and it is on record that McIntosh contemplated giving Griffin the title bout against Burns instead of carrying on with Lang, but an injury kept Griffin out of the picture. Another memorable contest engaged in by Jim Griffin was against Billy McCall, former Australian heavyweight Champion. Griffin broke the big bone in his right arm in the second round, but continued with the fight and so punished McCall that a halt was called in the fifth round. Against Joe Grimm, who had many bouts against Jack Johnson, Griffin had to be content with a draw, the agreement being that if a knock-out did not come there would not be a points’ decision. Once again Griffin gave away a couple of stone and gave his opponent a boxing lesson.

His brother Frank died under tragic circumstances. After knocking Curly Parkes in 16 rounds he retired to his room. In the morning his throat started to bleed and he died as the result of a ruptured blood-vessel. For that contest Frank Griffin was trained by Pat Connors, well-known in New Zealand for his association with Lachie McDonald, Charlie Purdy and Ted Morgan.

Another brother, Charlie, fought in New Zealand, Australia, England and America. His most important win was against Joe Bowker, lightweight champion of England, who was knocked-out in 8 rounds at Albert Hall, London. He met Jem Driscoll, the “Welsh Wizard,” three times for the world title and after a bitter struggle in America faced Leach Cross, the “Fighting Dentist,” in a title bout. Although a New Zealander, Charlie Griffin was dubbed “the Fighting Kangaroo” in America.

In Jim Griffin's opinion the boxers of to-day do not take sufficient pains with

A quiet scene in sunny Gisborne.

their training; in his days, when the ring sport was at its zenith in Australia and New Zealand the half-trained boxer could not make the grade. Hard work, not an easy existence, interspersed with gymnasium training, was the lot of the old-time boxers who used to get conditioned in sawmills or by tree-felling.