Return to ring for Bishop

Press, 31 March 1989, Page 34

Return to ring for Bishop

By

JOHN COFFEY

Two prominent Canterbury amateur boxers of recent years, Clive Bishop and Danny Morris, are to return to the ring at the Richmond Working Men's Club on Sunday.

Bishop retired moments after his greatest triumph a unanimous points victory over Au Fala (Manukau) in the final of the New Zealand senior lightweight championship at Timaru 18 months ago.

Then only 22 years of age but with a background of about 120 contests, Bishop had made five previous unsuccessful tilts at national intermediate or senior titles. But he had been a New Zealand representative, claiming a silver medal at the 1983 Oceania tournament in Sydney. In being matched against

David Wickenden, of Auckland, Bishop has not been given an easy assignment in his come-back fight.

At the same New Zealand tournament in Timaru which gave Bishop his most memorable success, Wickenden beat Carl Bradshaw, of Timaru, in the intermediate lightweight final.

Morris, a former New Zealand intermediate welterweight champion, is back with Peter Bell’s gymnasium after an overseas working holiday which did not include any boxing. Morris has been pitted against a promising Hutt Valley competitor, Paul Lovelace.

Another inter-provincial pairing on the 12-bout programme is that between Costa Peter (Hutt Valley) and Tony Johnstone (Richmond Working Men’s Club).