Split decisions in Games boxing

Press, 30 January 1981, Page 4

Split decisions in Games boxing

1 PA Wellington i ! Boxing fans got their money’s I worth at the final qualifying] (night of the New Zealand. Games: at the Upper Hutt Civic Hall last! j evening. Two fights in particular! ibrought the biggest crowd to; (date at the Games to its feet.i iand earned the boxers deserved; I applause. I A light-middleweight bout be-i i tween Shaun O'Sullivan iCanada): land Ba Kyong Min iSouth Korea:] (was a barnstorming affair front (start to finish. 1 O’Sullivan fought with his! I guard down from the start, and. ; Ra was quick to take advantage! | with, a succession of jabs. But , I the Canadian showed no ill(effects, and was quickly counter- | attacking. I In round two both fighters* landed good punches with O’Sul-1 livan rocking Ra with a straight I right as the bell went. , The third and final round was; la real bruising effort, and in it I iO’Sullivan was almost out on his(feet with exhaustion, and Ra! ' little better. ; The decision went O’Sullivan’s] wav bv a majority. I New Zealand’s Johnny. Taupau! took a split decision in his light-i 'heavyweight bout with Lonn.v* (Epps (United States:, with both' men making it a crowd-pleaser.. In round two Taupau landed! manv good punches, and though the American was jabbing stead(ily. the Kiwi looked much i stronger. Both fighters were ’tired at the end of the second 'round, and they threw every- < thing at each other. . i The final round was a realir

| slog, with both men. almost out on their feet, and holding each other up. ( A tremendous ovation greeted ’the final bell, and Taupau took ,-the split decision as Epps shook his head In disbelief. I Kenya's Patrick Waweru was (too strong for the South Korean, I Kim In Changa In tile lighti weight division. Waweru took a unanimous win • with a fine display, particularly :in the last round when -he ] rocked Kim with strong rights ] to the head, and rips to the ' body. - In the bantamweight class ] Barry Housman (United States! , won his match with Brendon ' Slater (Australia: when the referee, Mr Lee, of South ■ Korea, stopped the fight Jmin : 21s into the second round. This I 1138I 138 after Housman had been hitting Slater almost at will. | Another New Zealand victory | came when Kevin Pvne out- ! pointed Patrick Colombe (.Ver , Caledonia) in the liglit- : middleweight division. Pvne i boxed intelligently, refusing' to ;be drawn in and waiting for . openings to show. He then exI ploited them quicklv. j A last round rally was insulfi- ; cient to save the bout for the - Canadian. Rick Anderson. He | succumbed; to Kim Dong Kil (South Kofear In. a light-wetter-j weight match. Anderson took counts of eight in. both the .first and second rounds before attacking strongly In the final one. Kim had done enough to win the bout in Ihe early- founds, taking a unanimous decision.