DON COCKELL BEATEN

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27764, 15 September 1955, Page 12

DON COCKELL BEATEN

BOXING

NINO VALDES NOW TO MEET MARCIANO LONDON BOUT ENDS IN NINE MINUTES (New Zealand Press Association) LONDON, Sept. 13. Nino Valdes (Cuba) beat Don Cockell (Britain) in the third round of a world heavy-weight eliminator fight tonight. After nine minutes, Cockell had to retire with a bad cut between the eyes. The bout was scheduled for 10 rounds, and with its loss faded Cockell’s hopes of another world title chance. The British and Empire heavy-weight champion’s left eye was streaming blood as he went to his corner at the end of the third round. The referee. Captain Charles Davidson, had no hesitation in stopping the contest and awarding the fight to the Cuban. Valdes is now in direct line for a fight with Marciano for the world title. Cockell, at 15st 61b, looked a bit flabby when he entered the ring. He was more than half a stone heaviier than when he fought Marciano, and had a 91b weight advantage over the taller Valdes. But the Cuban showed he was the better man, even in the threfe rounds the fight went. In the first, his long, flashing left caught Cockell on the jaw, making him spit blood. In the third. Cockell went down for a count of eight. He rose wearily and it was obvious there could be only one end to t’re contest. Afterwards, Cockell had to have two stjtches in a vertical cut in his forehead. A blow had opened up a two-inch gash in an old wound. When reporters asked his manager, Mr John Simpson, whether Cockell was going to retire, Cockell interrupted: “I’ll let you fellows know when I’m retiring and we’ll have a party.” Cockell is believed to have collected £BOOO from the short contest. Valdes’s manager, Mr Bobby Gleason, said: “I think Marciano is ripe for Valdes. The champion fights just like Cockell, and Valdes cuts them up.” South African Wins Earlier, Ewart Potgieter, the South African Goliath, won his first fight in Britain, beating his coloured opponent, Simon Templar, in six rounds. Templar,

16st 101 b. retired after being on the wrong end of 22st 101 b Potgieter’s long arms for a full 18 minutes of boxing. Templar, a good man in his class, had almost nothing with which to combat the 7ft 2in South African’s abnormal phvsical advantages. But he had one satisfaction in having gone six rounds of the scheduled eieht round bout. He is the first to have taken Potgieter that far. The South African’s previous seven fights lasted a total of only 17 minutes.