£l500 Offer Made For Mensah-Santos Bout

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31074, 1 June 1966, Page 18

£l500 Offer Made For Mensah-Santos Bout

The Canterbury Boxing Association is to make a direct approach to M. Santos and his trainer, Mr R. Grimmer, with an offer of a purse up to £l5OO for Santos to fight E. Mensah in Christchurch.

Mensah, the Ghanian boxer brought to Christchurch from Britain under contract by the C.8.A., has told the association that he will not fight Santos in Wellington this month unless he has a cheque for £5OO in his hand before he leaves Christchurch for Wellington.

The executive of the C.BA. discussed Mensah's complaints that he had not been fairly treated and that the C.B.A. had not honoured its promises to him, at an emergency meeting last evening. Mr R. Moore said that things had not run kindly for either the C.B.A. or for Mensah. D. Murphy would not fight Mensah, and the association could not drag Murphy into the ring. Mr R. Stevenson, the publicity officer, said that he had listened to Mensah’s complaints after reading them in “The Press.” “Very Excited” "I think Mensah has got some good points. I am not saying he is right, but I can understand the points he makes.

“He is very excited about everything. I think the matching of Murphy with Amarfio for £l5OO is what has put Mensah on the boil.” Mensah had told him that he would not go to Wellington to fight Santos unless he had £5OO in his hand for the fight before he left Christchurch.

“Mensah is willing to go to Invercargill to fight Hagen for a £250 purse, only because he has agreed to do so. He will not fight Santos in Wellington for a £5OO purse as he has not agreed to do this.

“To be fair, Mensah has done everything he agreed to do so far,” he said.

Mr E. G. Pocock, the president, confirmed that Mensah wanted £5OO before entering the ring against Santos in Wellington and that if he could not get this he was going home on June 26 three days after the tentative booking for the SantosMensah fight in Wellington.

Pay His Board Mr Moore said that the association should be fair, if not generous, towards Mensah. He suggested that Mr Pocock be authorised to pay Mensah’s board from his first fight (it having been paid by the C.B.A. up to then) and until he left if his attitude was conciliatory. Mr C. Wellman said that the C.B.A. had not broken the contract with Mensah. Mr Pocock said that Mensah had agreed to fight on a percentage basis instead of £2OO net for three fights.

“We have agreed to pay his tax, and Southland has agreed to do this. Wellington has agreed, but I have not got this in writing.” Mr Moore pointed out that the contract said £2OO net, and this meant that Mensah’s tax would be paid. Mensah Owed £7O In answer to Mr Moore, Mr Pocock said that Mensah had earned £l2O for his bout against Maunseil and £l2O against Wheeler. The C.B.A. had sent £l5O to

Mensah's wife and three children, and had advanced him £2O when he arrived In Christchurch. Therefore the C.B.A. owed Mensah £7O to date.

Mr Moore: Let us see he gets it I think we should be generous to him. It is not his fault our plans have gone astray. Mr Pocock said that he was trying to arrange a bout for Mensah against S. Leuii for this month. Pick and Choose

Mr Stevenson asked what would happen if Mensah had refused to fight Murphy. “Do we let Murphy dictate to us, or any boxer, whom he

will fight? Does the association decide, or do the boxers please themselves?” he asked. Mr M. V. Drury said that Murphy was the association's biggest drawcard. Any boxer could pick and choose whom he fought untfl he signed articles.

“We have Murphy and Amarfio signed up for a fight —and that is one fight on. Until boxen sign articles you can’t say a fight is on. That is a match-maker’s difficulty,” he said.

After discussing the Wellington association's "apparent tie-up” with Santos, the executive unanimously decided to make a direct approach to Santos to fight Mensah in Christchurch for a purse of up to £l5OO. It was resolved that Mr Pocock and two other members of the executive approach Mensah today and “iron things out.”