Williams ready for return to the ring

Press, 28 August 1979, Page 32

Williams ready for return to the ring

By

JOHN COFFEY

Kevin Williams, who has already achieved prominence at rugby league and cricket, will return to boxing, yet another of his sporting pursuits, early next month. The strongly-built Williams will make his comeback in the ring as the Papanui club’s representative in the heavy-weight division of the Canterbury championships, at the Caledonian Hall on September 9.

Mr M. V. Drury, the Canterbury association’s match-maker, said yesterday that it was proposed to bring a Fijian boxer from Wellington to oppose Williams. “Williams has worked out at the Papanui gymnasium for some time. His timing might be a bit rusty, but he is certainly a tough customer,” Mr Drury said. It should not take Williams too much time to get back into a boxing groove. He was the New Zealand junior champion in the 43kg division, as a virtual novice, in 1966, and won the junior light

welter-weight (63.5 kg title three years later. A Canterbury rugby league representative' nine times at full-back between 1974 and 1977, Williams has in recent weeks reverted to the second-row for the successful Papanui premier side. He has also been a very

effective all-rounder in the Bumside West-University first cricket XI. He made his senior debut in 1973, has taken 74 wickets at moderate cost, and has scored 855 runs. Boxing officials will no doubt hope that Williams

attracts a spectator following similar to that which brought full houses when Mark Broadhurst was in action last year. Broadhurst retired with an undefeated record to concentrate on rugby league, and justified his decision when he played in all throe tests against Great Britain earlier this winter. Another valuable acquistion to amateur boxing in Canterbury is Tony Atwood, who won a bronze medal at the Oceania Games in Dubbo (New South Wales) this year. Atwood, formwly of Timaru, has transferred to the boxing section of the Woolston Workingmens’ Club, and is being guided by the New Zealand team trainer at the Oceania Games, Mr Ron Mitchell. It is possible that Atwood will clash with Peter Warren (who has moved from Southland to Timaru) in the featherweight section of the championship tournament on September 9. Warren was Atwood’s sternest challenger for national selection.