Boxing Season Opened

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 73, 28 March 1939, Page 16

Boxing Season Opened

HARD FOUGHT.

DON JOHNSONS WIN. DEFEAT OF VIC CALTAUX. SUMMERS OUTPOINTS McKAY. A fighter may beat a boxer, but is lost when he runs into a man who can box as well as fight. . . . That was the story of Vic Caltaux's defeat at the Town Hall last night when Don Johnson out-boxed and out-punched him over 10 hard-fought rounds. The other professional bout, in which the Australian lightweight, Harry Summers, won on points from Brian McKay was also a tine contest. Both were fast and clever, trained to the minute, but the Australian held a slight advantage in speed to the punch. The amateur contests, too, gave good entertainment, and tlie big crowd showed its appreciation of an excellent start for the season. Caltaux Goes In Fighting. In the main bout Caltaux went in fighting from tlit' start and Johnson met hint half-way. It was in the second round that tlie fireworks started, Vic. charging in head down with both arms swinging. Johnson's skilful evasion kept hint out of harm's way and he countered with hard, clean hooks to the head, varied by a right rip to the side of the body. Both landed hard and often, and one of Vic's right swings opened a gash t.bove Johnson's eye. In the third Johnson began to take the initiative and sailed in with a barrage of punishing left and right hooks, varied with uppercuts which frequently cut short Caltaux's rushing attacks. In close tlie latter landed heavily to the body, and a couple of times scored hard hooks to the side of the head, but it was Don's round. Effective Countering. Up to the eighth round they both kept up the fast pace, mixing it freely, while Johnson, with clever defence and hard counter punching, built up a useful lead on points. His punches had more sting and landed with telling effect when Caltaux kept coining in with his head down. Then in the eighth Caltaux showed signs of tiring and took heavy punishment without effective retaliation. He made desperate efforts in the final rounds and frequently landed heavy swings to the head, which rocked his opponent. However, Johnson kept up his strong counter-attack and at the finish had a clear margin of points. Johnson weighed in at 10.5%, and Caltaux at 10.0. The judges were Messrs H. W. Brien and G. Bush, and the referee Mr. A. B. Joplin. Summers Moves Fast. A fast-moving light-weight with a pretty style, Harry Summers had to work hard to defeat the aggressive young boxer from Gisborne, Brian McKay. The Xew Zealander did most of the leading and kept the fighting at close quarters most of the way, but while he was inclined to claim

with the left and hit with the right, Summers kept both hand* working effectively in the infighting. The Australian's fast foot-work stood him in good stead and he used a wide range of punches -stabbing straight lefts and hooks and rips with either hand. His most effective hit was a short right-cross which brought McKay to his knees for a count of three in the seventh round. McKay forced the pace all the way and gave a display which promises well for him in the future, but Summers clever boxing left no doubt about the issue. McKay and Summers were evenly matched' for weight, both taking the ring at 9.6'/i. The referee was Mr. R. Meale, and the judges Messrs. G. Bush and J. H. Sloan. Amateurs Go Well. In the first of the amateur preliminaries E. Underwood (9.0) beat S. Stock (8.7) by a technical knock-out. The loser fought back gamely but was out-matched by a bigger and stronger man. The welter-weights, H. Robinson (10.7) and L. Donaldson 19.11) fought a drawover four willing rounds. Hard, clean hitting gave a points decision to W. McDonald (10.5) in the other welter-weight bout, in which he met A. Reid (10.2). Mr. H. W. Brien was the referee, and Messrs. J. Keenan and S. E. Burke the I judges for the amateur bouts.