Thrills, Upsets In Trial Bouts

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30389, 13 March 1964, Page 16

Thrills, Upsets In Trial Bouts

A crowd of more than 3000 last evening saw some upsets, excellent boxing and hard-hitting when New Zealand’s top-flight amateurs fought elimination bouts for a place in the New Zealand team to box the visiting Japanese at Wellington on March 23.

T. O’Donnell (Canterbury) first toppled the reigning national light middle-weight champion, M. Emerson (Oamaru), by knocking him out in the first round, then massacred B. Mason (Mataura) to earn the right to fight the Japanese representative in that division. L. Ny (Canterbury) won the right to fight in the bantam-weight division. The reigning national champion, J. Wills (Ashburton), had to retire half-way through the first round of his fight with Ny when he hurt his hand. Ny then beat L. Hunter (Dunedin) convincingly. Hunter had previously had a very hard fight to win a points decision over J. Wright (Palmerston North). The biggest crowd at a boxing tournament in Canterbury Court cheered the action-packed bouts. One of the biggest cheers was for Wright, who proved himself a game loser. Bantam-weight Wright, Bst 31b, gave Hunter, Bst 61b, a bustling time in the first round, and scored well with left and right hooks. However, Hunter had the more weight behind his punches and boxed more scientifically. In the second round. Wright’s hook became wild swings but he connected on a surprising number of occasions. In the last round, Wright continued to bore in gamely, but Hunter’s punching was straighter and he won a unanimous points decision. Both boxers had cuts round the eyes. There was an upset in the second bantam-weight bout when Wills, Bst 71b, the New Zealand champion, injured his right hand in the first round against Ny, Bst 711 b. Ny had a slight lead at this

stage. The referee (Mr E. G. Pocock) stopped the bout and awarded the bout to Ny on a t.k.o. Wills sprained his hand when punching and said afterwards that his hand had been sore for some time before the bout. In the final, Hunter had the cut above his left eye patched up but it began to bleed again in the opening round. Hunter scored points with light lefts and a right cross,

but Ny counter-punched with hard straight lefts. Hunter left himself wide open to straight lefts to the face, and Ny put him down for the compulsory eight-count. Ny again scored with hard lefts to the face in the second round. He had Hunter on the ropes, and was punching him at will with lefts and right hooks when Mr Pocock stopped the fight. Light Middle-weight O’Donnell, list 2%1b, provided the second upset when he knocked out the New Zealand champion, Emerson, list 41b, in the first round. Emerson attacked from the opening gong and looked to have O'Donnell's measure. But southpaw O’Donnell, very fast on his feet, shook Emerson with a solid left hook. Emerson was on the retreat for a time, but then returned to the attack. O’Donnell jabbed him hard on to the ropes with two rights to the body, then dropped him for the count with a whippy left hook. In the final, O’Donnell fought B. Mason (Mataura), lOst 131 b. Mason jogged easily round the ring in the first round, with spectators calling “Come on, Peter Snell.” O’Donnell pinned Mason in the corners and hit him with solid straight rights and hard left hooks. Mason had a solid right cross, but was too slow.

O’Donnell hit Mason at will in the second round. Mr Pocock stopped the fight when Mason was glassy-eyed and said he had had enough. O’Donnell won on a technical knock-out. Kind Boxer

In a catch-weight amateur contest, H. Bullmore (Linwood Boys' Club), Ost 41b, beat L. Small (Fidow’s Gym), 9st 101 b, on a technical knock-out in the last few seconds of a three-round bout. Small proved to be the kindest amateur of the evening—whenever Bullmore became overheated, Small cooled him with gentle swings.