Propping mates and sparring partners
By
KEVIN PAGE
The Papanui boxer, Doug Thompson, had some unexpected help in his training recently for an attempt at the Canterbury heavyweight title on Sunday. It came from the former New Zealand rugby league representative, Mark Broadhurst. No stranger to the ring himself, Broadhurst climbed in for an impromptu spar and work-out session with his fellow Papanui league forward. “I just went down and sparred with him one night,” Broadhurst said earlier this week. “I think he intends completing this fight and then he’ll retire... just to be able to say he’s done it.
“I think he’ll go alright,” he added. Broadhurst would be one of the few people in Canterbury qualified to go a few rounds with Thompson, albeit in a sparring match. He fashioned an impressive heavyweight record in the late 1970 s before giving the sport away in favour of a career in rugby league. Broadhurst the boxer developed into one of the biggest drawcards for the Canterbury Boxing Association when he stopped several opponents inside the distance. Crunch time for Broadhurst came one unfortunate week-end when the rugby league grand final, to have been played on a Sat-
urday, was postponed until the following day. That day Broadhurst was to have fought Brian Keys for the Canterbury title. Despite the fact that he had beaten Keys within one round a few weeks beforehand, Broadhurst chose the rugby league game and went on to play for ManlyWarringah and Illawara in Australia and Hull Kingston Rovers in England. Thompson’s path to boxing has followed the same lines as that of his more well known friend. He represented Canterbury in two rugby league games in 1983 and added two appearances for South Island to his personal honours list that same year. Thompson’s connections, after some initial difficulty, have succeeded in matching him with the promising 18-year-old, Richard Currie, for the Canterbury heavyweight title. Currie is captain of the High School Old Boys under 19 rugby team and was a member of the under 16 New Zealand team that met Australia in Christchurch three years ago.
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Press, 2 August 1985, Page 8
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352Propping mates and sparring partners Press, 2 August 1985, Page 8
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