Santos Underdog In Empire Title Bout

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31319, 15 March 1967, Page 15

Santos Underdog In Empire Title Bout

(From Our Boxing Reporter) WELLINGTON. George Leslie (Bunny) Grant, a 26-year-old Jamaican, holder of the Empire professional light-weight boxing title, is outright favourite to beat his challenger, the Tongan born Manoel Santos, of Auckland, in their 15-round fight at Wellington this evening.

Grant has had 58 fights for 46 wins, three draws and nine losses; Santos 19 bouts for 17 wins and two losses.

Grant took the title from the then No. 1 world lightweight title contender, Dave Chamley, of London, at Kingston (Jamaica) in 1962. He has fought world-class boxers since then. Santos is in only his third year as a professional. He has fought in Australia and New Zealand but has been unable to get world-rated opponents. Sixth Best In World Grant is rated the sixth best light-weight in the world at present, and has been rated as high as number two. Santos is currently ranked thirteenth.

Both rely heavily on their left hands; they fight best when letting their opponents do the leading; both are very fast punchers but neither, as their records show, are knockout specialists. Neither is a colourful fighter—it could be a solid, scientific bout rather than an exciting fight. Both boxers say they are prepared to go the full 15 rounds, but most of the betting in Wellington is on how long Santos will last,

from the sixth to the thirteenth rounds. Santos, not fast on his feet, is open to a straight left, as Brian Maunsell demonstrated in Christchurch before Santos took the New Zealand title from him in the fourteenth round last year. That was seven fights ago for Santos and his Auckland trainer, Mr R. Grimmer, rates him as a much better fighter now.

That Santos can get a crack at the title demonstrates the paucity of top-flight boxers in the Commonwealth. Grant will get £2OOO, tax paid, win or lose; Santos will get £750, and will pay his own tax.

Chamley got a purse of £5OOO when he lost the title to Grant on the eve of Jamaican Independence Day. Grant has defended the title once since, in 1965, against Percy Hayles. “We will be very’ surprised if Grant loses. We did not come all this way to lose the title,” said his manager, Dr. C. Western. But he admitted that Grant is very temperamental. “He is a beautiful boxer, a good puncher and a fast, smooth mover when he is happy and everything clicks,” Dr. Western said.

Grant, on paper, should win, and win easily. However, Barry Brown had fought only 13 professional bouts when he stopped Gerald Dreyer, of South Africa, who had fought 33 times for 28 wins and two draws, in the seventh round to take the Empire title at Wellington in 1954. History could repeat itself, in favour of Santos.