WELTER-WEIGHT TITLE

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27683, 13 June 1955, Page 12

WELTER-WEIGHT TITLE

BOXING

FIGHT STOPPED IN TWELFTH ROUND DEMARCO BATTERED TO HELPLESSNESS (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) SYRACUSE (New York), June 11. Carmen Basilio, of Chittenango. New York, won the world welter-weight boxing title last night by battering the holder, Tony Demarco, into helplessness. He was awarded the fight on a technical knock-out in the twelfth round. Basilio knocked down Demarco twice in the tenth round, and Demarco appeared to be out on his feet when the bell rang. Demarco took a terrific beating in the eleventh round, and he was staggering about the ring helplessly in the next round when the fight was stopped. Demarco weighed list 421 b for the televised bout, which was his first defence of the title. Basilio weighed list sJlb. In the tenth round, Demarco went down twice for counts of The second time he was saved by the bell. He was obviously weak in the eleventh round, and in the last minute Basilio battered him with rights and lefts and opened a cut over Demarco’s left eye. As the champion lurched to his corner at the bell, yells of “stop the fight” came from the crowd. The referee stopped the bout when Basilio unleashed a barrage of lefts and rights to the champion’s head in the twelfth round. Basilio’s handlers said the new champion would probably have two non-title bouts before he defended the championship. probably against Saxton. Demarco said: “I have no excuses. He is real tough, a hard hitter, and a strong body puncher. He threw some good punches and I went to pieces.” BOXING “RELATIVELY SAFE ” AMERICAN DOCTOR DEFENDS SPORT (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, June 10. A New York physician today called boxing “relatively safe,” and said he believes that American football and professional ice hockey are more dangerous sports. The physician, Dr. Mai Stevens, chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of the New York State Athletic Commission, defended boxing against the charges of “barbarism” voiced by a British physician in a speech before the American Medical Association at Atlantic City, New Jersey. “With proper supervision, equipment, coaching, training, and officiating, boxing has become a relatively safe sport or business venture, depending on your point of view,” said Dr. Stevens, a former football coach at the Yale and New York Universities. “There is an element of danger in all contact sports. I believe there is more chance of permanent injury in football or professional hockey, where the contestants rush at each other from a distance and momentum becomes a factor,” he said. COCKELL TO FIGHT JACK GARDNER (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, June 10. Don Cockell will defend his British and ; Empire heavy-weight titles against the former title holder, Jack Gardner, at London’s White City open-air studium on September 13, the promoter. Jack Solomons, , said today. The British Boxing Board of Control earlier today ordered Cockell to defend the titles. He has not defended the Brit- • ish title since winning it by outpointng John Williams in May, 1953. Gardner, a former holder of the titles, earned the right to meet Cockell by knocking out Williams in the fifth round of their eliminating contest at Nottingham on Monday.