Olympic Boxing Trials

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31655, 16 April 1968, Page 17

Olympic Boxing Trials

Three Olympic trial matchings will be the highlight of 15 amateur catch-weight bouts to be staged by the Canterbury Boxing Association, at Canterbury Court, tomorrow evening. The most interesting of the three should be between J. Wright (Manawatu) and R. Carstairs (Canterbury). Both are hard, attacking punchers and are likely to give an exciting exhibition. Wright lost a split decision to the New Zealand featherweight champion, B. Kendall (Canterbury) at the national championships at Greymouth last year, but will get his chance to fight Kendall later in the year. These two will probably fight out the featherweight nomination for the New Zealand Olympic team for Mexico. The Wellington boxer, R. Redden is also a contender. Kendall is to fight the New Zealand light-weight, R. Puleago (Wellington). Puleago

was runner-up to Carstairs, the national light-weight champion, at Greymouth. The third Olympic trial bout will be between W. Graham (Wellington), the national light welter-weight title-holder and winner of the Jamieson Belt at Greymoutb and G. Mockford (Otago). Graham has been beaten only three times and this will be

his sixtieth fight. His losses have been tc P. Domney (Wellington), R. Skuse (Australia), and P. Gibbs. The Canterbury association has tried to get the national welter-weight champion, S. Nomura (Southland) to fight Graham but Nomura was not available, said the association’s president (Mr E. G. Pocock).