N.Z. move to have title taken away

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33739, 11 January 1975, Page 3

N.Z. move to have title taken away

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON. The Wellington Boxing Association wants the Commonwealth light welter-weight champion, Hector Thompson (Australia), stripped of his title.

In a move to have the championship declared vacant, the W.B.A. has written to the Londonbased Commonwealth Championships Committee.

The letter states that Thompson was to defend his crown against Ali Afakasi

(Auckland) in Wellington next month, but that he will now not be able to do so. Repeated attempts by the W.B.A. to stage a ThompsonAfakasi title bout have fallen through. Thompson’s manager, the Brisbane promoter, Mr Reg Layton, agreed to the fight taking place in early February after Thompson had been guaranteed $7OOO tax free and three return air fares —the highest inducement offered for a fight in this country. The W.B.A. also agreed to a request from Mr Layton that there be a neutral referee and two judges, of which one would be an Australian. Knee injury Thompson has pulled out of the proposed contest, however, because he is suffering from a knee injury suffered in a bout in Brisbane last month with the Mexican, Javier Ayala. Ayala was awarded a third-round knock-out decision when Thompson withdrew because of the injury. The W.B.A. states in its letters to the London body that the Australian had been instructed to defend his title before October 31 of last i year. It asks that, in declaring the title vacant, the committee recognises Afakasi and Joey Singleton, who recently relieved Pat McCormack of the British light welter-weight title, as contenders. The W.B.A. would then make an offer to the Liver-pool-domiciled Singleton to meet Afakasi for the championship in Wellington. “It is our contention that Thompson, for one reason or another, has tied up the Commonwealth championship long enough, to the point indeed where it is virtually becoming a non-title,” says the W.B.A. letter.