Five Boxing Contenders

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32265, 7 April 1970, Page 17

Five Boxing Contenders

(By Our Boxing Reporter) E. Briggs, the Canterbury bantam - weight boxer, must surely be nominated by the New Zealand Boxing Council for the Commonwealth Games team. Briggs has met all challengers nominated by the national boxing selectors, and has improved with every bout. He turned 17 in January. In the final trials at Wellington last Saturday, Briggs was baffled at the start by the changed style of the experienced R. Barber (Wairarapa). Briggs had beaten Barber, on a split decision, in a previous trial bout His trainer, Mr W Darrell, said yesterday that Briggs was kept on the defensive and found Barber an elusive target until 20 seconds before the unfortunate end of the bout in the first round. “Briggs had things worked

out and hit Barber with some good straight rights and lefts. He threw a left hook and right cross at Barber and connected with one of the punches. Barber was turning to get out of line when he went down, dislocating his knee-cap. He made a bad mess of it,” Mr Darrell said Double Winners

The final trials proved that B. Kendall, the featherweight contender, will be the first nomination and that M. Afakasi, the Auckland light welter,- will be No. 2 in the nominations. Both won two bouts in the final trials and both are clearly outstanding in their weights. J. Jackson (Auckland), who is only 20, won both the light heavy-weight and heavyweight titles at the national championships last year, the first time the double had been achieved. He lost to A. Fa’aumu (Wellington) on points (a split decision) in the final trials in the light heavyweight division. However, Jackson looked “lifeless” and said he had been feeling

“dead all day,” Mr Darrel! said. J. Rackley (Nelson), an 18-year-old light-weight, had also won all the trial bouts he .was called on to fight, and should be given the chance to go to Edinburgh. Previous Success In 1966, four New Zealand boxers fought in the Com monwealth Games ait Jamaica, winning a gold and bronze medal. Kendall is undoubtedly the best feather-weight here and in Australia, and Afakasi the most promising boxer-fighter to appear on the amateur scene in New Zealand for many a year. Briggs is a natural boxer who is learning with every outing; Rackley is in the same class and Jackson is a durable fighter who must improve. All three are young, and all would reap great benefit from the experience of boxing at Edinburgh. Five nominations is not an unduly large number—five were nominated in 1966.