Empire Title Fight OFFERED TERMS TO WRONG MAN

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31344, 14 April 1967, Page 15

Empire Title Fight OFFERED TERMS TO WRONG MAN

The T. George-J. O’Brien British Empire professional feather-weight title bout in Christchurch was not settled yesterday—but is still in the offing.

Mr E. G. Pocock, the president and match-maker of the Canterbury Boxing Association, which is seeking to stage the bout, was under the impression that he was talking to O’Brien’s manager when he telephoned Mr B. Huntman in London on Tuesday. Mr Huntman said that O’Brien would fight in Christchurch for a purse of £2500 tax paid. Mr Pocock subsequently found that Mr Huntman was not O’Brien's manager. When he telephoned Mr Huntman yesterday and Mr Huntman began to discuss an agent’s fee, Mr Pocock ended the conversation. O’Brien Interested Last evening, a cable message from London said that

Mr B. Jacobs, manager of O’Brien, had received an offer for O’Brien to defend his title against George. “Naturally we are interested, but before committing ourselves we shall have to see what terms are being offered,” Mr Jacobs was reported as saying. “O’Brien is prepared to fight anywhere providing we can get the purses we want.”

Mr Pocock said last evening that Mr Jacobs would have received the letter his association had sent to the Empire committee of the British Board of Boxing Control, stating that George was a contender for the title, and asking that it be forwarded to O’Brien.

Negotiations would be continued with Mr Jacobs.