Fans angry over defeat

Press, 14 October 1985, Page 28

Fans angry over defeat

NZPA-Reuter Birmingham For the third time in five' years drunken English boxing fans yesterday reacted to the defeat of a local favourite by trying to attack the overseas boxer and his camp. Seconds after Britain’s Pat Cowdell had been knocked out by Ghana’s Azumah Nelson in the first round of their 12-round World Boxing Council featherweight title bout some spectators threatened to invade the ring to stop Nelson’s celebrations with their fists.

As security men tried to control about 300 young fans, who had been drinking heavily all evening, fights broke out among the 10,000 spectators as the few supporters of the Ghanaian were picked on. Nelson’s promoter, Carl King, was caught up in the trouble and had to be rescued by a former heavyweight champion, 1.90 metres, 93kg, Tim Witherspoon, of the United States, who held about 20 young fans at bay while King reached the sanctuary of the dressing room.

Witherspoon’s opponent in an earlier bout, a fellow American, Sam Scaff, was visibly shaken by the crowd’s anger and his corner man, sporting a black eye, said that he had been thrown to the floor and kicked in the face.

“They are bloody animals. Is this how we get treated when we visit this country?” King’s aide asked. Trouble erupted in Birmingham earlier this year when the American welterweight, Don Curry, beat Britain’s Colin Jones. In 1980 Marvin Hagler of the United States was also the target for bottles and abuse after he won the world middleweight title from Britain’s Alan Minter in London.

Nelson took just 143 seconds tonight to retain his featherweight title. He unleashed a swinging left uppercut which hit Cowdell on the point of the chin in the first round.

The 32-year-old went down and as the referee, Octavio Meyran, of Mexico, knelt beside him there was no doubt the fight was over. Cowdell was out cold and it was several minutes be-

fore he was able to rise.

“It was a terrible punch. Cowdell was unconscious. Right on the point of the chin. Just the one,” the referee said, shaking his head in amazement. The knock-out was the American-based Ghanian’s seventeenth in his 23-fight career and he convinced the noisy British crowd that he would be a worthy opponent for Belfast’s Barry McGuigan, his World Boxing Association counterpart. Cowdell, in tears, said: “I am the most disappointed man in the world. It has been my dream to be world champion but the better boy won.”

Nelson said: “I came here to knock him down in the first round because people

here had been saying I was not a good boxer. I wanted to prove to them I am the best in the world and I want McGuigan now."

From the first bell the champion, aged 27, appeared prepared to bide his time as Cowdell, the four-to-one underdog, bobbed and weaved from hispunches. When Nelson did land a punch it was harder and cleaner than anything Cowdell, who had never been knocked out in eight years as a professional, could manage. McGuigan’s manager, Barney Eastwood, was dismissive of the Ghanian victory after the fight. “It was a fair punch, but an ordinary punch. It was just that the man couldn’t take

it,” he said. He said he had no intention of meeting Nelson, “at this point in time” and described the victory as “a flash in the pan.”

Earlier, Witherspoon continued his comeback after a long spell of? inactivity by stopping a fellow-American, Sam Scaff, in the fourth round.

Witherspoon appeared to be toying with the 9.7 kg heavier boxer from Kentucky in the first three rounds.

He moved up a gear early in the fourth to down the lumbering Scaff who vainly Erotested to the referee that e was in a fit state to continue against the relaxed Witherspoon.