TORRID BOUT FOR TORRES

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31066, 23 May 1966, Page 3

TORRID BOUT FOR TORRES

(N.Z.P.A.‘Reuter —Copyright). NEW YORK.

J. Torres, of Puerto Rico, retained his world light heavyweight boxing championship at New York on Saturday with a smashing, two-fisted attack against his Californian challenger, W. Thornton. Torres, aged 30, showed he had fully recovered from the illness which had kept him

idle for 14 months. It was the first defence of the title he took from W. Pastrano. Smashing Thornton to the floor with a left hook to the kidneys early in the first round. Torres set a fast pace and took the decision on points by a wide margin. After the fight, Torres revealed that he had been unable to see for nine rounds. United Press International reported. “Thornton butted me in the first round and I couldn't see again until the tenth,” he said.

“He did everything in the book to me. He held, he butted, he grabbed my nose.”

Thornton said later: “Torres hit me in the first round and 1 never got over it. It was a punch in the kidney. I thought that was illegal here. “Pastrano had warned me about the kidney punch. He said he got hit there by Torres and saw yellow spots. 1 saw them, too.” Asked if he realised he was fouling Torres. Thornton said: “Yes, 1 knew it. I would have hit him with the stool if I could. This was for the title.”