Irish start with win

Press, 4 May 1984, Page 4

Irish start with win

By JOHN COFFEY Northern Ireland began its amateur boxing tour of this country by winning five of six bouts against a New Zealand invitation team at the Richmond Workingmen’s Club last night. Johnny Wallace, the Southland bantamweight, enhanced a developing international reputation when he gained a 32 majority points decision over an equally agressive character, Roy Nash, in the opening bout. Wallace was quicker into stride, scoring frequently with strong rips to Nash’s body and winning the first round. But the Irishman got through with enough punishing blows to Wallace's head-gear to level the scores before the final round.

It was all toe-to-toe action during the last 3min, with Wallace lasting just the better in a real test of fitness. The difference on four of the five judges’ cards was only one point.

Brendan Catney levelled the team standings in the next event, and was always on course for a unanimous points victory at the expense of the Otago lightweight, Eldon Clifton. It was a scrappy affair, with more clinches than straight punches, and Catney’s stronger physique comfortably carried him through. The snappy left-handed punching of Billy McClean steadily accumulated too many points for a game with Tom Turner (Dannevirke) in the light welterweight bout. Canterbury’s welterweight representative, Paul Graham, gave a creditable display against Brendan O’Hara, but his lack of recent boxing told as lrishman finished much thestronger. A southpaw.

O’Hara caught Graham with some stinging left-handed blows in the last round. Graham won the vote of one judge. Stephen Nicol (Manawatu) took the fight to the highlyregarded Irish light middleweight, Sam Storey. His courage was worthy of praise, though no match for the undoubted class of Storey, who forced Nicol to take a standing eight-count in the third round. The Storey brothers completed a double when Sam’s elder brother, Gerry, gradually at first, then more steadily, opened a points advantage over the Wellington middleweight, Rocky Fou. The Irish featherweight, Brendan Lowe, was forced to withdraw from his matching with Peter Warren (Southland). Lowe was ruled medically unfit after suffering a stomach complaint and losing 3kg in weight. International bouts (Irish names first) — bantamweight: Roy Nash lost to Johnny Wallace, majority points; lightweight: Brian Catney beat Eldon Clifton, points; light welterweight: Billy McClean beat Tom Turner, points; welterweight: Brendan O’Hara beat Paul Graham, majority points; light middleweight: Sam Storey beat Stephen Nicol, points; middleweight: Gerry Storey beat Rocky Fou, points. Matched bouts: Hemi Newsome (Papanui) beat Karl Blythe (Clearwater’s), majority points; Dean Calvert (Woolston) beat Jeff Shanks (Ashburton), points; Robert Gibbs (Barry’s-Monier) beat Malcolm Clarke (Crichton Cobbers), points; Chris Bell (Bell’sKearna Motors) beat Hemi Dempsey (Fidow’s), points.