TOUGH MR. COX.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 158, 6 July 1937, Page 14

TOUGH MR. COX.

BLOOD ON THE MAT.

BUT LOFTY CAN TAKE IT.

WHERE EVERYTHING GOES. | - - ! Mr. K. K. Cox is quite a gentleman in his way; he can shake hands nicely, says "ploase,"' takes oft' his hat to the ladies, and smiles kindly. But put him in the wrestling ring, call him ''King Kong" Cox, and—my, my, lie's tough. Lofty Blomfield (yes. Lofty of Auckland) beat him on points at the Town Hall last evening, one fall each, but he had to take it, in the full meaning of that arresting phrase. Tlier* was blood in Kins j K(iii(!'s eyes, blood on Lolly's nose, and : blood on the rinjj when they finished— | and there was blood in tin , eyes of the | audience that crowded the arena to the doom and shouted itself hoarse. The rules were "all-in," and to King Kong tlicit means '"everything goes' , - biting, gouging, punching, hair-pulling and strangling' That is all right as far as it goes. Lofty run hand it out. too, and, after all, it's their business. But there is a bone to pick with King Kong, and it is ipgarding hi* playful trick with the water bottle. He can drink and gargle with it it' he wants to. and lie can pour j it over himself, too. it the Auckland I Wrewtliiig Association doesn't mind the soaking of its mat. But when he drinks. gargles and then showers himself and the front row of the audience out of his mouth, it is time somebody said, politely but firmly, "Don't." As tho little boy protested in the story , ''1 don't want my face washed in 'pit." An "All-in-one" Round. So to eitfht rounds of the toughest wrestling seen in Auckland for many a long day—the toughest first round on record here. Cox wont right to work on Lofty, took him down in a wristlock with one-finger exercises, and when Loftybroke with a leg-scissors, bit him in the calf and took a liuinmcrlnck. Lofty wasn't lily-white either, and gouged his way clear to trip Cox out through the ropes. All that had been merely playful, hut now Cox was in tlic mood, and the crowd was out of its seats screaming. Lofty took him down in a headlock with lii.s fist plough- ] ing in, too. but Cox got a firm tflip on I Blomtield's hair, pulled him clear, and set to with a few facial alterations. Lofty spun him neatly in a leg scissors, let him have a jolt, and stopped a punch—was head thrown, and his face was Buffering again under a vigorous ma«enge and a punch. That was broken up by the referee, Mr. Jack McLean, and there was an exchange of wristlocks. Cox making his a hamnierlock with a head scissoi-s as well and another punch. He tried a strangle, too. but that van broken by the ref. Cox bit his way out of a wristlock and again out of a short arm scissors. Fists flew- and then Lofty, hurled out of the ring by the hair. Nice work, eh? Through eight rounds it went on like that, with hard mat holds and all the etceteras that the "wrastling" game knows. Cox earned a disqualification in I every round -but it didn't come. The points went against him instead, though Lofty must have lost a few t)»e same way also. The crowd had said. "Wait until King Kong meets Lofty!' -and the "full house" sign . was up before the doors opened. But if they paid, to see Lofty jolt Cox all over the ring they were disappointed. There wasn't a good jolt all night—but there was everything else to make up for it. Tough on Lofty.

Lofty's nose started to bleed in the third under a hard see-eaw headlock, and Cox kept it that way, so that through the remainder of the bout Blomfield's face was a mess of blood and it was everywhere. It looked like a fall in the fourth when I/ofty was head thrown wildly three times, but he butted off the fourth and came on tap in a body scissons. Later he tried to pick up Cox for a dump, but missed, and wae flung through the ropes on to the stage. Again it was dangerous when Lofty took an Indian deathlock, augmented with jolts, but he was tripped out of it. In the fifth Cox went in with fiste flying, got in an uppemit and then a round-arm left—and followed in to pick Lofty up and dump him for a fall. .lust like that! But they were about even on points still, and the battle went on. So did the blood. Cox was still rubbing it in in the seventh with sawing heaillocks and three blows; but lie got two double-handed rabbit punches in return and three jolte—wae leg-tripped neatly and trussed in an octopus , clamp. It wasn't fight on and Lofty tripped and fell as he tried to rise. \i went on then and Cox lost no time in submitting. One fall each, and the last round. Lofty went at it hard with Cox still limping, but he chose the wrong foot for a toehold and Cox fought dt off. Again Lofty wae in position for his octopus, but he missed it and fiete flew, with Lofty coming on top in the last stages with a. hammertoe k and then a double toehold. The decision went to Lofty — but Cox didn't agree. He eaid so, forcibly, under a barrage of paper bags from the gallery. The Amateurs Wrestle. The amateure wrestled laet night in the preliminaries and they are to be commended for it. So is the referee, Mr. W. Williamson. It wasn't as spectacular as the "all-in" style, but it was wrestling, and good wrestling, too. If they keep at it this year's championships should show a big improvement in style. The bout between A. Inglis, 9.10, and A. Gunn, 10.0, wae abandoned in the first round because of the bleeding of Gnnn's nose. That was the first blood of the night. T. Harvey, 9.0, beat G. Pratt, 9.6, with a fall from a press in the third round. It ■was a .bout of solid wrestling with little of the spectacular. R. Double, 10.4, beat J. Moore, 10.3. on points in an interesting exhibition of amateur wrestling. The boys kept well ! within the limits allowed and wrestled well, with Double claiming a margin of points in the opening round. V. Rawle. 10.8. beat F. Murphy, 10.4. on points in another keenly contested bout. Murphy worked hard, but Rawle I was too strong for him.

McCREADY WINS,

ONE FALL AGAINST STEIN. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Monday. A wrestling match to-night between Stein and MeCready produced the finest display of professional matcraft seen in Wellington this season. This wae no crude melee of rough-house gambits, but a fast and scientific bout characterised by cyclonic reversals of fortune, frequent deathlocks, and an almost utter dearth of elbow jolte. MeCready took a fall with a flying bodyscissors and press in the seventh round. Stein wae unfortunate. He winded MeCready with a shoulder butt in the last round, but instead of closing and taking a fall etood clear until his opponent had recovered his breath. The house was a full one.