“SOUTHPAW” OPPONENT Beaten boxer surprised

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33010, 1 September 1972, Page 6

“SOUTHPAW” OPPONENT Beaten boxer surprised

The Nelson boxer, J. Rackley, entered the ring for his first-round Olympic bout with the highly-experi-enced West German, Guenter Meir, yesterday unaware that his opponent was a “southpaw.”

Rackley put up a courageous showing, but was clearly outpointed and lost the welter-weight contest on a unanimous decision. It was the first time in a career of more than 80 fights that the 19-year-old medical student had fought a “southpaw.” “We were told Meier was a walk-up type fighter, and someone else told us he was orthodox,” the boxing section manager. Dr D. R. Tipping, of Wellington, said yesterday.

“Everyone seemed to know what type of boxer he was, but no-one bothered to mention he was a ‘south-paw.’ When we were told he was orthodox, we naturally thought he was a righthander.”

In the event. Racklev found he was up against a fighter of great experience being egged on by a fair, but largely partisan, home-town crowd of about 6000. The decision against him was clear-cut.

Meier, bronze medallist in the light middle-weight class at Mexico four years ago, and 1969 European welterweight champion, used a long jabbing right to score heavily and led Rackley in every round. HIGH STANDARD Rackley, however, acquitted himself well in a good clean bout, which produced a high standard of scientific boxing. “He was very disappointed in losing, but not dis appointed with the decision,” Dr Tipping said. Rackley’s loss put him out of the Olympics and ended New Zealand’s boxing hopes. P. Ryan, of New Plymouth, had earlier lost a 1-4 decision in his feather-weight bout against Kazuo Kobayashi (Japan). Record press I (N.Z.P-A.-Reuter —CopyrigntJ Mladen Kuchev (Bulgaria) set a world light-weight press record of 3471 b in yesterday’s Olympic weight-lifting event. It beat his own previous mark of 342 Mb. -