BOXING Broadhurst wins narrowly

Press, 12 June 1978, Page 18

BOXING Broadhurst wins narrowly

By JOE HARNETT Mark Broadhurst, the New Zealand rugby league trialist, made a successful debut as an amateur boxer when he beat the Woolston Workingmen’s Club southpaw, Robert Taua, in the feature bout of the Canterbury Boxing Association’s tournament at tlie Caledonian Hall yesterday afternoon.

Fighting in the colours of the Papanui club, Broadhurst, who had a two-stone weight advantage, started badly, being beaten to tne punch repeatedly by the faster Taua. Broadhurst was stilted in his movements and did not look comfortable in boxing gloves and appeared not to be punching with the full weight of his massive shoulders and body.

The second and third rounds were kinder to Broadhurst and he seemed to loosen a little and take the fight to his opponent. Taua took a compulsory eight count in each of these rounds, and although he was still the cleaner puncher, it was these counts which denied him the winning of the fight by a mere point on each of the judges’ cards.

Taua is to be commended on the courageous way he attacked his formidable opponent and Broadhurst to be congratulated on a narrow but good win against an awkward and tough adversary. Robert Gibbs (Barrys) and John Phillips (W.W.M.C.) turned on

three rounds of boxing mayhem as they pounded each other to a veritable standstill in the most exciting bout of the afternoon. Phillips was slightly the harder puncher but Gibbs w-as marginally the better boxer and in the end it was the boxer who gained the narrowest of split decisions.

Alan West (Barry’s Gym.) survived a first-round knockdown to comprehensively outclass the strong but technically-unsound Brian Mathieson, of Richmond W.M.C. West was by far the better boxer and had Mathieson in serious straits In the last round. Steven Cole, of Temuka, used a stabbing straight left with great effectiveness to clinch his out with the lighter Anthony Hart, pf Ashburton. Although well beaten, the lighter Hart »1wavs fought back manfully. Steven Ross, the capable Woolston flyweight, had to pull out all stops to earn his win over the wiry Lloyd Griffen, of Oamaru, in an action-crammed three rounds. Despite Griffen winning the last round, it was the over-all aegr»sslon of Ross that was the deciding factor. Both boxers are well grounded in the basics and should have good futures in the ring.

Temuka’s Mark Vincent used a snappv left-right combination to the jaw to build up enough points to beat the fast and rangy Kevin Ribkerby. of Richmond W.M.C. Vincent has a wide array of punches and offers to be a

champion in the making. In an excellent paperweight bout, Mark Fuller (W.W.M.C.). boxed with speed and authority to thoroughly earn a points decision over Aukilani Toomalitai, of Barry’s Gym.

Both young men are first-class boxers and Toomalitai was not disgraced in losing.

David Anderson, of Ashburton, and Wayne Jones, of New Brighton R.S.A., were two tiny but extremeiy-busy boxers. The two were very well matched and it was only by the narrowest of margins that Jones was declared the winner.

In a bout devoid of any fistic finesse, Bill Bedford (Woolston W.M.C.) was a narrow winner over Andrew Wallace of Ashburton. What they lacked In ring craft, both boxers made up for in durability and energy. In a lively paperweight con- ■ test, Shane Everest, of Barry’s ’ Gym, a very active southpaw, * gained a narrow points win over ’ -cu-areous Keith Gemet, of Ash- ’ burton.

Other results:— Kevin Jones (Temuka) beat ’ Peter Freeman (W.W.M.C.), Mai- ’ colm Platt (W.W.M.C.) beat ' Michael Luft (Westport), Paul Tarrant (Temuka) beat Paul Tulia (W.W.M.C.). Michael Pirn- ’ ley iPananui) beat Willie Asamiliona (N.8.R.5.A.). The referees were Messrs D. Wilson, J. Hayes and M. V. Drury and the judges were Messrs Wilson. Hayes, Drury, E. Platt and H. Lloyd.