Briggs beats Elisara on points

Press, 22 May 1978, Page 3

Briggs beats Elisara on points

By

JOE HARNETT

Eric Briggs was a narrow but worthy winner over Sopo Elisara in a hard and bruising 10-round professional boxing contest at the Caledonian Hall yesterday. The result was a reversal of the outcome of their last fight 18 months ago when ithe Western Samoan, Elisara, (was a handy winner. | From the outset, this bout (was a fast, hard affair, with i no quarter given and none jasked. Briggs was a little jmore match fit and a littlei (faster to the punch, these; qualities earning him a( unanimous points win. i The fighters stormed into each other in round one, with Briggs moving forward and scoring with a hard left (rip to the heart, followed by la telling right-cross punch to lElisara’s jaw. Briggs won the (round. Elisara levelled the fight in round two, scoring well (with several two-handed I combinations to head and body. Early in round three Elisara scored with a long over-hand right to Brigg’s (head, but Briggs replied with three good straight lefts and a resounding right Ito the jaw. The fourth round opened (with Elisara delivering three

forceful left rips to the body but Briggs came back with a solid right-cross to the jaw of Elisara and two often telling flurries. As the round ended Briggs scored with two good left hooks to the jaw. He had by then vaken a slender lead. Elisara scored first in round five with a good combination of short rips. Briggs was quickly back with two good rights to the head. The shorter Elisara seemed to score better when he concentrated on body punches.

I Elisara missed with a (feracious uppercut in round six. In this and the following -ound Briggs was marginally the better boxer. The pace slowed appreciably as

round seven drew to a close

Round eight was very; even, with the most effective punch being a hard right from Briggs to the jaw of Elisara. Elisara attacked dodgedly in the ninth rou-.d and put pressure on the coasting Briggs.

In the last round both fighters opened up with all they had, Briggs once again having slightly the better of the encounter. Elisara was tired but kept the pressure on Briggs in an attempt to save the fight. In the main amateur bout, Clive Bishop, the popular New Brighton boxer, made an overdue but expected return to winning form when narrowly beat the Woolston southpaw, Tim Casher,

Through the astute use of a zippy left-hook. Mark Fulla (Woolston Working Mens Club) narrowly beat Mark Breton (Barry’s Gym) in three rounds of excellent, non-stop boxing. In a rough-and-ready contest marred by much holding and a scarcity of straight punches, John Phillips (Woolston Working Mens Club) beat Kevin Birch (Papanui).

An acrobatic Robert Tulia (Woolston Working Mens Club) took the fight to the cool Robert Gibbs (Barry’s Gym) but did not have the class to beat his rival.

Robert Taau (Woolston Working Mens Club) opened his fight with Brian Keys

(Fidows) by knocking Keys to the canvas with a vicious overhand right-cross. In round two, Keys grew in confidence and subjected the tough Samoan to a standing eight count. The last round was a toe-to-toe affair, with both boxers given of their utmost. Keys won narrowly. Brian Witheridge (Barry’s Gym) based his attack on a I splendid straight-left when

he beat Craig Sutherland (New Brighton R.S.A.). Michael Pimley (Papanui), a rather primitive fighter with a rudimentary boxing style, was too strong for the less experienced Jim Carlyle

(New Brighton R.S.A.) and the referee stopped the bout in the opening round.