Fred Southee Again Takes Count To Roy Stevens

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 99, 28 April 1945, Page 16

Fred Southee Again Takes Count To Roy Stevens

By FRANK BRUNO

DERHAPS, after that last ruddigored meeting last season, the fight public had expected too much from Messrs. Stevens and Southee, cash fisticuffians. And, against all reasoned fight lore, it was expected that the battling twain would reproduce the fistic fireworks which they had so generously turned on at their first clash last season before Southee was T. K. O'ed in the eight round. Before the fight had travelled some five canny stanzas, however another fond hope had been shattered. There was not to be, it was quite evident, any more of that once-more-into-the-breach-aear friend attitude taken by either gladiator.

And, strictly between you and me, this time they were using their heads for more than keeping their ears apart. You get no more kudos in the fight game for slaughtering each other. There is no generous addition to the purse for acting as chopping blocks in the ring. So that, viewing the cautious reconnaissance by both maineventers from the first gong, your correspondent was struck by two things: „ . , First, that Roy Stevens had not developed into the boy wonder claimed for him by his many enthusiastic supporters; and that, secondly, the stolid Southee actually fought a better fight than the winner. This apostacy may arouse some astounded resentment; but, in the public interest, one is bound to keep both eyes on the fighters, and an insufficiently-wide seat at the rjps* side gives one a better angle than from some few rows back. Roy Stevens has a nice style. It is a good style. Left hand snaking out nicely and crisply, right hand up and chin down behind the shoulder. In theory, promising. But, as the fight went, from the first clang of "action stations Fred Southee came to light with some nice boxing, too. What is more, he varied his left leads to body and head, while Stevens was content to snipe away at the head. This, of course, is more spectacular, and took the eye as did his fast, straight right hand. Southee, whom nearly all had expected to show up as nothing brilliant in the boxing sense, and to act as an Aunt Sally for the onslaughts of Stevens, failed to do this. In close he was the better fighter. It was only at long range that Roy Stevens piled up the points. Overdid the Right Hand

In stanza 2 Southee went to the canvas from a light right on the side of the head; and from that minute on the Aucklander commenced to throw that right hand a lot more than he did his able and dangerous left. With the result that with every strike he missed at least two others. A telegraphed right hand is very, very obvious indeed— especially when it is thrown from a distance—and Roy Stevens, depending to far too great a degree on the efficacy of his undoubtedly neat right hand and not seeming to gauge his. distance with it, had little weight behind it when it did land. In quite a few of the two-handed exchanges which brightened up the cautious rounds Southee appeared to do the better bjdv work in close, using, as well, a short left hook over

the top. The Aucklander, more used to fast open work, was at a disadvantage here with regard to weight and strength. .... The sixth and final round saw the Roy Stevens we had been expecting for five rounds previously. Moving out swiftly behind a spearhead of telling hard left jabs, it was all his fight. His right, in close worked like a piston. He whipped home a couple of nasty left rips to the body, missed with two over-long right hands; snapped back the rushing Southee's head with a perfect left jab, crossed with his right to the chin—and whipped 'over a particularly venomous left hook that carried the opiate. ' , , Fred Southee, even though he attempted to climb to his feet at a count of nine, was out—definitely out. And that was that. And there still seems to be no match for Vic Caltaux in sight.

Trainer Lachie Macdonald, whose epic battles with Tommy Mclnness are ring classics, is now in sole charge of Roy Stevens. He had him for too short a time before this meeting to do any real coaching; but from now on we may expect a great improvement in Roy Stevens, for if there is any one in New Zealand to bring out his ring talent it is the old warhorse Lachlan. Maestro Archie Leckie fit st put the cloves on champion Lachie M ac " donald. He also put them on Roy Stevens. And Lachie was in his old corner the other night. With Lachie Macdonald behind Stevens to correct his faults, Auckland bids fair to have a draw-card in no very distant futrre.