Bout arranged after boxer vacates title

Press, 26 December 1986, Page 22

Bout arranged after boxer vacates title

NZPA-Reuter New York

Mark Breland will fight the South African, Harold Volbrecht,. for the World Boxing Association (W.8.A.) welterweight title vacated on Tuesday by Britain’s Lloyd Honeyghan in a personal stand against apartheid. A spokesman for the promoter, Dan Duva, confirmed the pair would meet in Atlantic City on February 6 and Shelley Finkle, Breland’s business agent, said that the American, like Honeyghan a black boxer, had no qualms about fighting the white South African.

“Breland has to go and get his title. It is the only choice he’s got,” said Mr Finkle, who accused Honeyghan of taking the “easy way out” in vacating the crown instead of

defending it against either Breland or the South African.

Volbrecht, the W.B.A.’s top ranked contender, and second-ranked Breland were due to meet in a final eliminator for a shot at undisputed champion, Honeyghan.

But their elimination bout was transformed overnight into a world title fight after the Briton’s decision to relinquish a portion of the undisputed crown he captured from the American, Don Curry, in Atlantic City in September. Honeyghan, unbeaten in 28 fights, surrendered the W.B.A. title — saying he had no intention of defending the title against Volbrecht — less than an hour after announcing his first defence of all three titles against an American, Johnny Bumphus, in

London on February 22. “There is no way I would have been able to look at myself in the mirror each morning if I agreed. I have to think of my people,” said Honeyghan.

“It would not have mattered how much I was offered or whether the fight was in London or South Africa. People would have said that I was not denouncing apartheid.”

But Mr Finkle said, “I don’t believe that was the reason Honeyghan ghve up the title. If he held only the W.B.A. title, I believe he would have fought that fight.

“But he held three and didn’t want to fight either Breland or Volbrecht. It was an easy way out. I think it’s just a fashionable thing to say.”