Comfortable win in welterweight bout

Press, 1 July 1985, Page 3

Comfortable win in welterweight bout

Lance Austin (Richmond W.M.C.), who showed a far more positive attitude than his opponent, Paul Baker, of Auckland, was the comfortable winner of the feature light welterweight bout in the Richmond Working Men’s Club boxing tournament yesterday. The tall, lean, Aucklander spent most of the first round trying to stay out of the way of a bouncy Austin and hardly threw a punch. In the last two rounds Baker spent far too much time leaning back on the ropes and though, in round three, he decided to go on the attack it was too late.

Once he got within range of Baker, Austin was able to pick up points consistently, scoring especially well with left rips to the body. The other main bout, between the light middleweights, Kevin Rickerby (Bells-Kearns Motors) and Chris Scoles (Gore), was also clear cut, in favour of the local boxer.

Scoles, a former New Zealand representative, looked a dangerous puncher and he was effective in the close clinches, but Rickerby’s jabbing left generally kept him at bay. Rickerby scored with long lefts both to the head and the body and in the last half of the bout he was landing some particularly solid combinations. When the unanimous points decision was announced the visiting boxer

showed his good sportsmanship by clapping his gloves together in tribute to Rickerby. Altogether there were 12 contests on the programme of the Lion Breweries-spon-sored tournament and some of the lesser fights were better entertainment value than the “feature” bouts.

Dave Allen (Crichton Cobbers) and Royce Ellis (Bells), matched for the second time in two months, turned on another three rounds of non-stop action, with the referee, Mr Mick Drury, having to do some bobbing and weaving himself at one stage to get out of the road. Allen embellished his growing reputation with another good win, though it was he who ended with all the blood on his face.

Both fighters landed plenty of good punches with Allen, equally strong with both hands, scoring best with powerful right leads. One of Allen’s rights missed completely and he ended, mildly flustered, on the ropes. Hemi Newson (Papanui) and Roydon Leath (Ashburton), both good, little boxers, also had an excellent bout, at times throwing left and right combinations simultaneously. The opening bout, between Shane Gordon (Bells) and Paul Whiting (Crichton Cobbers), was a vigorous toe-to-toe encounter with Gordon prevailing on a

unanimous points decision. Only one bout finished inside the distance, Dave Sullivan (Bells) being too strong for Tom Heath (Woolston W.M.C.). Sullivan’s powerful combinations found their mark and after two mandatory eight-counts were applied the referee stopped the contest in the second round. Results: Shane Gordon (Bells-Kearns Motors) beat Paul Whiting (Crichton Cobbers), points; Danny McNally (Crichton Cobbers) beat Damian McKeowen (Richmond W.M.C.), majority points; Anthony Woolcott (Hicksons) beat George Baynes (Crichton Cobbers), points; Pari Hunt (Hicksons) beat Mark Auckram (Papanui) points; Dave Sullivan (Bells-Kearns Motors) beat Tom Heath (Woolston W.M.C.), r.s.c. 2; Kerry White (Fidows) beat John Manson (Crichton Cobbers), points; Scott McDougall (Southland) beat Brendon Gallagher (Woolston W.M.C.), points; Dave Allen (Crichton Cobbers) beat Royce Ellis (Bells-Kearns Motors), points; Royden Leath (Ashburton) beat Hemi Newson (Papanui), majority points; Jeff Blackburn (Crichton Cobbers) beat Brent Benfell (Woolston W.M.C.), points; Kevin Rickerby (Bells-Kearns Motors) beat Chris Scoles (Southland), points; Lance Austin (Richmond W.M.C.), beat Paul Baker (Auckland), points.