Title Retained

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31657, 18 April 1968, Page 11

Title Retained

(N.Z.P. A. -Reuter—Copyright) DALLAS. The American Negro, Curtis Cokes, retained his world welter-weight boxing title with a fifthround technical knockout over Willie Ludick (South Africa) in a scheduled 15round bout yesterday.

The referee stopped the fight with Ludick out on his feet after taking a compulsory count of eight. Cokes landed a stunning right just after the fifth round had opened, and then put the South African down on his back with a flurry of lefts and rights to the head Ludick was still dazed when he got up, and CoKes waded into him with more solid punches to the head The referee jumped in be tween them to save Ludick from further punishment. Ludick attacked from the! opening bell, but was bleed-1 ing freely throughout most • of the fight after Cokes | caught him on the nose. Also, | a cut was opened near the South African’s eye in the second round. Afterwards, the former

world heavy-weight champion, Rocky Marciano, described Cokes as a figb’er with a superb right hand. He said that in the final flurry Cokes had shown tremendous accuracy in his punching and must have hit Ludick with 10 or 11 good, solid shots to the head. Cokes now has won 53 fights, lost eight and fought two draws.