More Provincial Boxing Sought

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31339, 8 April 1967, Page 15

More Provincial Boxing Sought

ThNgfmatching of three Otago amateur boxers against three Canterbury opponents in the preliminaries to the George-Amarfio professional bout in Christchurch next Thursday is a step towards reviving inter-provincial amateur tournaments, said Mr T. Wildes, a vice-president of the Canterbury Boxing Association, last evening.

The Canterbury association has written to the Otago association expressing appreciation at its prompt response to supply boxers on short notice. “We hope to be able to send up to six amateurs to Otago or Southland later in the season and think that the associations will reciprocate by sending teams here,” Mr Wildes said. “The inter-provincial bouts used to be a strong feature of amateur boxing. It gives up-and-coming boys great experience and grooms them for the national championships.” Canterbury’s two national champions will be featured in the preliminaries on Thursday evening. The featherweight champion and Jamieson Belt holder, B. Kendall, will give away a stone in meeting the Canterbury light welter-weight champion, D. Neylon. The two boxers trained at the same gym for a time last year. Neylon is an improved boxer, and it should be an interesting bout. The Canterbury association will send a team of amateur boxers to Greymouth on April 29 to take part in a tournament to be staged there, the

takings going to the Strongman mine disaster fund. Mr Wildes said the Canterbury association had agreed to pay its boxers’ travelling expenses. The Greymouth association has arranged for their accommodation, so that there will be no charge against the gate-takings.