Sth Korean crashes to bloody defeat

Press, 24 September 1988, Page 29

Sth Korean crashes to bloody defeat

NZPA-Reuter Seoul The South Korean lightweight (60kg), Lee Kangsuk, crashed to bloody defeat against the American Romallis Ellis yesterday but there was no repeat of the near-riot that followed the elimination of a local fighter 24 hours earlier. ./ With the International Olympic Committee (1.0. C. president, Juan Samaranch, looking on Lee and Ellis fought a mid-ring slugging match judged 5-0 in the tall American’s favour.

Throwing caution to the wind Ellis landed punch after punch, forcing the tough Korean to take two standing counts in the second and another in the third and last round. Lee, his nose bleeding profusely, counterpunched and shook the American several times, to the roars of the partisan but wellbehaved crowd who accepted the decision quietly. Thursday’s session was suspended when Korean officials and fans invaded the ring to attack the New

Zealand referee, Keith Walker, after the local bantamweight (54kg), Byun Jong-il, lost a disputed points decision to the Bulgarian Alexander Hristov. The Ellis-Lee fight was delayed for about three minutes after the U.S. team said it thought one of the banned officials was at the Korean corner. The bout went ahead when local officials assured them none of the suspended five was at the ringside. In other second round lightweight bout the Soviet medal favourite, Konstantin Tszyu, made short work of Sean Knight of Barbados. The stocky Tszyu, of Korean descent, waited about 60 seconds for the towering Knight to drop his guard before poleaxing him with a left hook. The referee stopped the fight after the Barbadian was floored twice more in the first round. The unbeaten Soviets have nine fighters through their opening bouts, by far

the best record of the major boxing powers. The United States, which won nine golds at the Los Angeles games, has five through but two have been eliminated. East Germany’s Andreas Zuelow, the bronze medallist at the last world championships, looked below his best against Giorgio Campanella, an awkward, bustling Italian. Zuelow’s piston-like left jab carried him to a 5-0 points victory though he spent much of the bout fending off the crouching assaults of the squat Italian whose baggy shorts ballooned well below his knees. Michael Carruth joined three of his Irish teammates in the third round with a whitewash victory over Japan’s Satoru Higashi. Thailand’s Phat Hongram looked impressive, stopping Canadian Asif Dar in the second round and Puerto Rico’s Hector Arroyo hammered Kibar Tatar, of Turkey, to win a unanimous points victory.