THRILLING FIGHT

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 65, 10 December 1930, Page 13

THRILLING FIGHT

Morgan Outpoints Fairhall REFEREE DECIDES Triumph for Youth Virtually out on his feet in the third and fifth rounds, Ted Morgan, of Wellington, gained the verdict, on the casting vote of the referee, at the Town Hall last evening, oyer . Tommy Fairhall, professional welterweight champion of Australia. It was a gruelling, slogging match, in which the ex-Olymplc champion slammed his way to victory in the last three ‘ rounds, the Australian being in a bad way in the last two rounds. It was a triumph for youth. Fairhall, who was the first to appear, received a warm welcome from the crowded house, and there were, hearty cheers for Morgan when he arrived, attended by Sammy Chapman and Llew Edwards. Jack Donpelly was in the Australian champion’s. corner. The weights were announced as Fairhall, 9st. 12i1b., and Morgan, lOst. TTie Australian opened up with the greatest confidence, walking straight in, and planting left and right to the head. Fairhall was confidence personified, and before the first round had closed rushed Morgan on to the ropes to score with both hands to the head. In the second round Fairhall made play to the body with the left, but Morgan rushed the Australian to the ropes, and scored well with the left. Just before the gong went, Fairhall landed a beautiful right which rocked Morgan. Morgan Down for Eight.. In the third round Fairhall landed three rights to the head in rapid succession and followed up with a left hook to the head. Then a beautifullytimed right caught Morgan on the side of the head and he went down for eight. On rising, the Australian went in to finish his man, but Morgan managed to keep clinching. Fairhall rushed, and when Morgan ducked the Australian went hurtling over his recumbent form heavily on to the mat.

Morgan made a good recovery, and sparkled up for the first time in the fourth' round. He met the Australian’s attack with solid left hooks and scored twice well with these blows. Morgan rushed the Australian to a neutral corner and plied both hands to head and body, Fairhall hailing to dodge nimbly to escape.. Dodging out to midring, Fairhall toward the close of the round hurled a succession -of left and right swings to Morgan’s head and body, and only the gong saved' the local lad. Morgan Regains Confidence. •Morgan did well in close opening the sixth round, and scored well with the left when the pair stood off. Fairhall, however, dashed in, and landed heavily to the body. Morgan was now doing well, and some heavy work was seen in mid-ring, m whoeh honours were fairly even. Fairhall’s right eye'was showing signs of the attention its had received from Morgan’s left when they came out for the seventh. Twice Fairhall went hurtling over Morgan’s body, as the local man ducked, and a little later Morgan rushed the Australian through the ropes. Morgan had now found his feet, and was hopping about on his toes, chockful of confidence. Morgan landed two solid lefts early in the -eighth round, but Fairball replied with left and right. The Australian was the faster of the pair, both, with hands and feet, but Morgan appeared to be lasting Well, and improving as the battle progressed. Fairhall opened the ninth with an intensive bombardment, which so roused Morgan that he rushed the Australian through the ropes. A solid right to the nose caused Morgan to fly red signals of distress. In ■ the tenth Fairhall beat his man to the punch, scoring left and right, and followed this up with a good long-range right to the head. Fairhall swung a vicious right and almost spun off his feet when it missed. He repeated this performance a moment later, Morgan ducking well. Just before the gong went Fairhall rushed and belted his man across the ring with a fusillade of right and left swings. •There was a good deal of clinching.in the eleventh before Morgan scored with a snappy left uppercut as Fairhall came in. The Australian then started to move fast, but once again the New Zealander rushed him through the ropes. Some Somersaults. i Opening the twelfth Fairhell showed surprising speed and twice darted in to slam the right to the head. Once again Fairhall somersaulted over Morgan as the latter ducked. Morgan scored a beautiful left as Fairhall crouched in attempting to dodge a rush. \ The “Devil’s Round” was fought to a roar of cheering, as the pair at last started fighting in real earnest. They hurled blows from every conceivable angle, and uo sooner had the right come across than it was followed by the left. A fierce round saw honours about even. In the fourteenth the Australian attempted to end the argument by the short route, but Morgan was boxing coolly and well and met his man halfway. A snappy., right to the face went down to Morgan’s account, and he scored again with the same weapon a moment later; The round ended to thunders of applause. There was great excitement as they came out for the last round. It was realised that if Morgan could only hold his own, he, had a chance of firmly planting his feet on the boxing ladder. Both men went to business in earnest, but the speed at which the battle had been fought had exacted its toll of stamina, and there was a good deal of clinching. The referee was kept busy separating the pair, and did his job summarily. Amid a roar of cheering from the supporters of both sides, the battle went on to a torrid close, from which the Australian champion could scarcely totter to his corner.

Judges Disagree,

There was a hush as the judges’ verdicts were collected. It was apparent that opinion -was divided, and the referee had to give his casting vote, which went to Morgan. . .. , Mr. B. A. Guise was the third man in the ring, and filled the position with credit, though he was rather disinclined to permit in-fihting. Messrs. G. P. Aldridge and E. Perry occupied the judges seats. ; AMATEUR PRELIMINARIES The middleweights, N. Croft (lOst. 101 b.) and L. Strickland (lOst. 101 b.), were well matched as to weight, height and reach. They made matters willing, Strickland sending his man outside the ropes with a snappy right in the first round. In the second round, Strickland went on to the broad of bis back in a mix-up in midring. Strickland was the cleverer -Of the pair, making effective play with both hands, while Croft relied mainly upon right swings, which were seldom allowed to land. Strickland took the judges’ verdict by a fair margin of points The two bantams, L. C. Higgs (7st. 111 b.) and K. Webb (Bst.), put up a bright little spar. They were fast, two-handed fighters, and made spirited play In the opening round. Higgs, who is a most promising boxer, assumed a decided superiority in the second session, and severely punished his man with both bands to the head Higgs practically did as he liked in the third round, and Webb had again to withstand a severe bombardment, but took his punishment very gamely. Higgs won by the proverbial street. The lightweights, Harold Thomas (Bst. 101 b.) and A. Jones tOst. 101 b.), hopped off at a lively gait Thomas showed all his well-known pace and aggressiveness, but the ex-Southlander kept boxing In, and did some clever head-weaving, which made him an elusive target. The second round was a thriller, Thomas making pretty play with the left, while Jones kept boring tn to slam both bands to head and body. The third round had the big house in a continual roar of cheering. Both men kepboth hands working overtime, but Thomas

could not keep his pugnacious opponent nff Tbev went -sprawling over each other In one extra willing mix-up. The verdict of a draw met with uanimous favour, and the lads left the ring amid salvoes of apP, The‘Masterton representative, M. Ford (list 31b.), was seen in a middleweight clash with W. Chalken (lost. 101 b.). A well-set-up athlete, with an upright Jem Mace stance, the Masterton ’ man boxed very coolly, and had the advantage of the open-ing-round. Chalken, however, is a rugged customer, and his rushes took some stopping. The third round was a continual series of rushes on Chalken’s part, but Ford got in sufficient effective work with the left to earn him the verdict by a narrow margin. E. Oxley, of Pahiatua (9st. 41b.), met George Thomas (9st. 41b.) in a lightweight contest of four two-minute rounds. Oxley had a peculiar shape-up, but proved that he could use both hands, and early in the first round rushed Thomas clean through the ropes. They, got to work iu earnest in the second rotAd, getting home n turn with either hand to head and body >n will ing exchanges. Thomas r “ round like a fury, and punished Oxltj n a corner, but Oxley end’of nicely-judged blows toward hamthe round. The fourth mer and tongs all the ® y ’ the c i oge and came with a rattle t a 6t(r . which had the house in high good humour. reJfvree , and the