BOXING O’Leary Scores Points Win Over Lole Fidow

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28343, 31 July 1957, Page 7

BOXING O’Leary Scores Points Win Over Lole Fidow

Jack O’Leary, of Wellington, counter-punched his way to a points win over Lole Fidow, of Christchurch, in a professional light-heavy-weight boxing match at the Civic Theatre last evening. Both boxers landed many heavy blows during the bout with apparent telling effect, but O’Leary, conceding a stone in weight, won many points with his crisp countering to the twohanded attacks launched by Fidow.

The first round opened quietly with both boxers landing straight lefts and Fidow crossing his right with effect in the in-fighting. O'Leary switched to the body and wth right rips had Fidow retreating. Fidow responded with more solid lefts, and at the bell lust missed with a solid right. O’Leary opened the second round scoring with rips and uppercuts, but Fidow fought back with long raking rights, some of which found their mark. Fidow then used uppercuts with success but O’Leary replied in kind scoring with greater effect. He then switched to the head and scored with both lefts and rights. Fidow opened up a two-handed attack in the third, round, but O’Leary Counter-punched with lefts and rights and scored well in ih-flghting. O’Leary missed with his right crosses but recovered to beat a tattoo on Fidow’s body with left rips. Fidow crouched low in an effort to counter but O’Leary dropped heavy rights to his jaw, and straightened him up to score once more with his left. The referee (Mr E; Pocock) warned Fidow to keep his blows up early in the fourth round after a period of in-fighting. After a left rip by O’Leary, Fidow shook him with several straight lefts followed by solid right crosses. O’Leary replied once more with rights to the head and body but Fidow cam? back with more straight lefts and right crosses, O’Leary lasting out to the bell. The end of the bout seemed imminent several times in the fifth round with both fighters scoring heavily with both hands and both receiving many punishing blows. But tooth weathered

the storm, and were fighting strongly at the end of the round Scored With Uppercuts Fidow’s long-range rights landed more regularly in the sixth round but O’Leary scored with uppercuts almost at will in the numerous clinches. Fidow broke clear of the clinches and scored with straight lefts, but O'Leary rendered the occasional right cross steadier, keeping Fidow at bay and wary. Both boxers were particularly severe in the seventh round, and both scored with both hands to head and body. Fidow opened up t* round with a series of lefts and an occasional right cross, but O’Leary claimed and once more uppercutted at will. Fidow fought out and once more scored with lefts, but O’Leary counterpunched with rips to the body x and head, and the occasional dropped right to the jaw. Fidow caught O’Leary with a vicious right as he came in at the start of the eighth round and followed up with a series df lefts. O’Leary fough back with lefts and rights that steadied Fidow enough for him to rip to the body again. Fidow drove O’Leary to the ropes but O’Leary connected with solid uppercuts, forcing Fidow back. Fidow opened the ninth round by catching O’Leary with lefts to the face as he came in but O’Leary once more scored with a right cross over Fidow’s left leads and followed this up with straight lefts and rights. A spell of toe to toe fighting had the crowd excited and the round ended to loud applause.

Ttoe final round was slow compared with the previous one, although both scored well with various blows. Fidbw scored with many rights but appeared too weary to follow up any advantage. O’Leary scored at the end of the round with left hooks that drew blood, and at the final bell staggered Fidow with left hooks and right crosses. The judges were Mr R. Simpson and Mr R. Withell. Amateur Bouts Results of the amateur bouts were:— Fly-weight: L. Nye (Celtic) beat C. Falloon (Crichton Cobbers) on points. P. O’Connell (St. Annes) beat P. Fitzimmons (Linwood Boys’ Club) on points. Feather-weight: T. Williams (City Gym) beat T. Black (St. Annes) on points. Bantam-weight: D. Green (Crichton Cobbers) beat D Wills (Ashburton) on points. P. Harnett (Celtic) beat C. Harrison (Crichton Cobbers) on points. Welter-weight: B. Williams (City Gym.) beat B. Maunsell (St. Annes) on points. Light-weight: M. Drury (Palmers) beat L. Leath (Ashburton). (Leath suffered a cut eye in the first round and the referee stopped the fight.) The judges for the amateur bouts were Messrs N. Britt, R. Withell and J. Musson with Messrs A. Thompson and R. Withell as referees.