BOXING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLIV, Issue 9874, 23 July 1923, Page 8

BOXING.

SOUTH ISLAND CHAMI^IONSrtI'PB.

The Ashburton Athletic Club: lies* , completed its arrangements- for- the? South Island championship tournament, to be held here on Wednesday and Thursday, and with* a* large and representative number” of üboxers competing the programme cannot fail to be interesting. The South Island team for the New Zealand championships, to be held at. Dunedin early in August, will be selected on Thursday evening. Theserepresentatives will be pitted, against*, the elite of the North Island, and the northern championships will be decided at Napier on the 27. th and. 2Stli. inst— Several well-known champions will be seen in action each evening. The fljvweight division has attracted five good boxers. Kieley (Greymouth) mcetsHowell (Christchurch); A. Ennis (Timaru) meets Spencer (Invercargill), and the winner of the latter bout meets Leckie (Dunedin) in the first draw. The bantam-weight bouts promise- to be exciting. Terris (Ashburton) meets Lloyd (Oamam), Foster (Invercargill) meets Weston (Timaru), and Black (Christchurch) meets* Griffiths (Dun--1 edin). The Dunedin boy is well known bore, having competed several times as a fly-weight. He is one of the, cleverest bovs of his weight m the Dori minion. The feather-weight draw is Cree (Oamaru) v. Fulcher (Dunedin), Hewitt (Timaru) v. Armstrong (Christchurch), Pasco (Greymouth) v. Reed (Invercargill), and tlm winner of Cree v Fulcher meets N. Moulin (Ashburton). The initial bouts in tins class 1 should see some rare battling, as the ‘ entrants are all strong ana clever boxers.. In the light-weight classAi’gyle (Ashburton) meets Pasco, Nelson'(Greymouth) v. Livingstone (Invercargill), and the winner of Argyle v; I Pasco meets T. Harris (Dupedin). The

' welters provide Parker (Timaru) v L. Macdonald (Dunedin), L. O’Neill (Greymonth) v. Wilkinson (Invercargill), Smitheram (Oamaru) v. Nelson (Greymonth), and the winner of O’Neill v. I Wilkinson boxes A. Thompson (ChristI church). Macdonald was the champion i light-weight of New Zealand last year, and represented the Dominion at tho I Australasian championships at Hobart, j Laurie O’Neill is a past New Zealand j champion welter-weight, and he is one j of the cleverest boxers of any weight j or class in the Dominion, and he holds ; a great record. There is just a doubt i that he can get down to welter-weight, i but he will, however, compete in the i middle-weight division. Wilkinson, i Parker, Smitheram. Thompson, and i Nelson are all well-known boxers of i high class. O’Neill (Greymouth) will meet W. A. McPhail (Ashburton) in the final of the nuHdle-woights, and J. J Gibson (Ashburton) meets Swinerd j (Oamaru) in the final of the light j heavy-weight class. The heavies are I sure to provide some thrilling encoun- ! tors. McKinna (Timaru) meets Archie McCormick (Ashburton), and Chaafe j (Ashburton) meets J. G. Leckie (Inverj cargill). Leckie has won numerous ! matches in the Southland district, and j recently Avon the Southland heavyj weight championship, defeating several j men of good class. McKinna holds two i decisions over the local champion, Mc- | Cormick, who, however, is now in firstj class fettle. He attained high honours |in the ring last y> Q ar. winning the South ; Island and New'Zealand championships, ! and promises to repeat that perform- | a nee this year. Cliaffe may provide a j surprises. He is a splendidly-built athlete and an experienced boxer, strong and aggressive. Each bout is to be of four throeminute rounds. The finals will he decided on Thursday evening. The programme could hardly be bettered, seoimr that many of the best boxers in tbe Dominion are competing, some of whom may yet be selected to represent New Zealand at the British Empire Exhibition tournaments in London next year.

THE NORTH ISLAND BOLTS. NAPIER, July 21. Fifty entries have been received for the North Island boxing championships to be held at Napier next Friday and Saturday, including R. Meale and C. Purdy, tAvo Australasian champions. SYDNEY MATCH. SYDNEY, July 22. At. the Stadium, George Mendies, fly-weight champion, knocked out Harry Gordon in tho fifth round.