Third Title Fight, Third Defeat

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31501, 16 October 1967, Page 19

Third Title Fight, Third Defeat

(N.Z.P. A. -Reuter—Copyright! MEXICO CITY. H. Winstone’s third attempt to win the world feather-weight boxing title from the Mexican, V. Saldivar, failed on Saturday when his handlers threw the towel into the ring during the twelfth round.

It is not often that the towel is recognised, but it had been agreed that the chief second would be solely responsible if he wanted to stop the fight. Winstone’s manager, Mr E. Thomas, undoubtedly did the right thing, and it must have taken a lot of courage to do it. for there was very little between the two boxers at the finish. Scoring on a system at 10 points to a round, one judge made Saldivar only one point ahead. Non-stop Barrage The end came when Saldivar, with blood oozing from an ugly black bruise under his left eye, suddenly became desperate. He let loose a furious non-stop barrage, and Winstone, unable to stem the onslaught, was chased round the ring, taking tremendous punishment. He finally sank on to the bottom rope, rose after the mandatory count of eight, took some more punishment, and. as blood trickled from a cut under his left eye, the towel ended Wiastone’s ambitions of becoming world champion—at least for the time being.

1 He may yet have another chance, because immediately after having his hand raised in victory to signal the seventh successful defence of his title, the Mexican announced that this was his last fight. The fight followed the pattern of their previous two meetings, with the initiative swaying from man to man. And. as in those fights. Winstone suddenly folded up in the later stages. In London, it was the thirteenth round, and in Cardiff last June it was the fourteenth round which heralded the end of Winstone’s challenge.