Four New Zealand boxers through to semi-finals

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33446, 30 January 1974, Page 8

Four New Zealand boxers through to semi-finals

(By

MILTON HAYES)

Four New Zealanders will contest semi-finals of the Games boxing at Canterbury Court in the two sessions today.

Hie Nelson middle-weight, Les Rackley, became the fourth New Zeaiander to qualify for the semi-finals — and to assure himself of at least a bronze medal —- when he recorded a sensational first round knock-out win over Mustapher Wasajja (Uganda) in their bout yesterday. It was the first appearance at the Games for Rackley and followed several postponements of the bout. Rackley will join his fellow New Zealanders Bill Byrne (light heavy-weight), Lance Revill (light middle-weight) and Robert Colley (lightweight) in the semi-finals.

It was a bad day for the Jackson family. The New Zealand light 'welter-weight, David Jackson, was beaten on a split decision by Anthony Martey (Ghana), then in the evening session his older brother, the welterweight, Ron Jackson, suffered the same fate after engaging in a great battle with Steve Cooney (Scotland).

Searing right

Rackley felled Wasajja with a searing right rip to the body followed by a left hook. The end came as a surprise, only Imin 50sec into the opening round.

Rackley had kept the tall southpaw on the back foot before delivering a coup de grace, jabbing it crisply and blocking most of the Ugandan’s counters. Tire New Zealander is not recognised as a heavy puncher, but according to the team’s assistant trainer, Mr Bob Elley, the Nelson boxer has shown great determination in training.

“He badly wants to do well for his father,” said Mr EUey after the fight.

Zambian next

Rackley is the second son of the New' Zealand trainer, Mr Les Rackley snr, and the younger brother of the 1972 Olympic boxing representative, Jeff. In the semi-finals, Rackley will meet the Zambian, Julius Luipa, who stopped Titus Simba (Tanzania) in their quarter-final yesterday.

Simba, who had shown out earlier in the Games, went, down under a flurry of blows to the head after 2min 13sec of the second round. He beat the count but was obviously not eager to carry on with the bout.

The other middle-weight semi-final could well be one. of the highlights of the Games boxing. Frankie Lucas, the only St Vincent representative competing at the Games will meet Carl Speare (England).

Grudge match

The bout has all the makings of a grudge match.

Lucas, who has lived in . London for nine years, is the 'English amateur middiei weight champion. having beaten Sneare in the final in the English championships last year. Lucas was a shock omission from the English team for Christchurch and his club arranged for him to represent the country of his birth here instead. Both are clever boxers. Lucas, a southpaw’, stopped Kingsley Idani (Nigeria) in the first round of their quar-ter-final last night and Speare coasted to an easy points win over Simon Kent (Kenya).

The fight between Ron Jackson and Cooney was one of the best of the Games. Both showed their ruggedness with prolonged toe-to-toe exchanges which had the crowd in an uproar.

The broad - shouldered Cooney tied Jackson up whenever possible as he ripped punches into the body, but Jackson tried to counter the Scot’s every move by replying in kind. It seemed likely that Cooney had inside information as to what to expect from the Wellington boxer. In

the Scot’s corner as assistant trainer was the former Scottish representative, Mr Hugh Baxter, who now lives at Lower Hutt.

Mr Baxter helped greatly as a sparring partner when the Jackson brothers were preparing for the Games. David Jackson found the Ghanian Martey too experienced and lost on a 4-1 split decision.

Martey, a strong and aggressive fighter, looks a distinct possibility for the light welter-weight gold medal. The New Zealand 18-year-old made darting attacks with a crisp left jab and two punch combinations in the first round but Martey, tremendously powerful around the shoulders, slowed the youngster with solid over-the-top right crosses.

The relentless Ghanian was prepared to take Jackson’s jabs and combinations in order to work in close and force the New Zealander on to the ropes—something he did frequently during the bout.

The Ugandan, John Byaruhanga looked a great prospect for the fly-weight gold when he scored a knock-out win over the tough little

.Scot, John Lawless, after 2min 50sec of the second round after displaying some devastating punching. It was Lawless who, earlier in the Games, had stopped the English A.B.A. champion, Roy Hilton, in the second round.

Yesterday Lawless had no answer to the punching power of Byaruhanga. The Scot took an eight count when sent sprawling on to his back by a right cross after 2min 13sec of the second round. The same type of blow landed Lawless in the same position shortly afterwards and this time the referee put an end to proceedings. The second-disqualification of the Games came during last night’s session. The Australian referee, Mr P. Haynes, disqualified Gerald Hamill (Northern Ireland) for leaning late in the second round of his bout with Samuel Mgugua (Kenya). . Hamill, at the time he was disqualified, seemed comfortably ahead on points. Several times during the opening round the aggressive Irish boxer had staggered Mgugua with two-punch combinations.