CLOSE BOXING

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 228, 23 June 1936, Page 2

CLOSE BOXING

Profitable Aggression By

Harold Reeve

KID FISHER BEATEN Evidently believing that it is better to give than receive, Harold Reeve, of Pahiatua, attacked almost constantly iu his professional boxing match with Kid Fisher, of England, at the Wellington Town Hall last night and won on points after a close and rather fast contest. Reeve met a man who exploited economy of energy, placing his blows with deliberation and evading punishment cleverly, but the New Zealander established a long lead over the first half of the match, despite the fact that many of his left and right leads fell on the gloves or arms of his opponent. good crowd rewarded the promoting effort of the Wellington Boxing Association. The New Zealander weighed list. 81b. and the Englishman list. 61b. Reeve, beside the advantage in weight, was taller and had the longer reach, but Fisher was compactly moulded and appeared in great trim. , Cautious Opening. The pair were cautious for the first round, which was slightly to the advantage of the visitor. The New Zealander was more enterprising in the second, in which he shook his opponent with left leads to the head, but the Englishman was clever in covering up and quick in counter-attacking, and was the faster puncher in close. Reeve slammed two strong lefts to his opponent’s ribs early in the third round, but I’isher scored with a strong right to the head. The pair were energetic, both attacking frequently, though there was contrast in their methods, the New Zealander favouring long-range punching, while the Englishman preferred close work. »

Though Reeve scored with his swing to the body in the fourth, Fisher made him miss .leads and uppercuts by clucking -and back-moving, and he kept up point-scoring taps to the ribs. Fisher began to attack in the fifth, But Reeve shook him with heavy punches to the ribs and two to the head, though Fisher again evaded two/and blocked others. Fisher’s face began to show markings from the effects of the strong lefts of his opponent, but he was not materially distressed and was fighting coolly and with confidence. ■ The Englishman, using the ring, kept away from a flurry of blows early in the sixth, but toward the end attacked with lefts to the face, generally followed by jabs to the ribs as the boxers cam e together. The referee had to order them to break seven times in the sixth and seven times again in the seventh. Reeve, doing most of the leading, scored with his left both to the head and the body, and had his opponent on the defensive most of the round. The New Zealander’s right crashed into his opponent’s jaw early in the seventh, and his long drives to the body went home three times, causing the visitor to mutter, which, from the course of the bout, seemed to indicate with him that he was not pleased. Reeve kept attacking. generally launching one or two long-range blows and then moving in, the pair then exchanging taps in a clinch till the referee broke them or one pulled back with an upper-cut on the retreat. Fisher blocked and dodged many punches, but the merits of aggressive forcefulness were with Reeve. Visitor’s Late Attack. Reeve was still fresh at the end of .the ninth, which followed mainly the course of the earlier rounds, with some of tne crowd appealing for action from the Englishman. He, however, was still on the taking end in the next, in which Reeve again scored, , for the fourth time in the contest, with his right-hand counter to the visitor’s momentary adoption of the southpaw stance, Fisher receiving a hefty swing to the ribs as he came in. * A man in the back of the hall summed it up by loudly telling the visitor he would have “to fight hard to win,” but. with five rounds to go, he still preferred in-fighting to open-handed attack from a distance. Reeve kept boring in. but retired from one milling of gloves with a bleeding nose. The Englishman, sensing favourable circumstances, attacked hotly, driving home a strong left followed by shorter blows with both hands, being rewarded at the end of the round with the most enthusiastic applause of the night. Fisher was again more aggressive m the next, and kept scoring in the in-fight-ing, but Reeve shook him every time'his left landed.

AVith three rounds to go the visitor looked better and was shaping better than in the earjier rounds. Reeve kept on advancing, and though many of his blows were taken on the arms and gloves, he kept his opponent busy, Fisher bad gathered up much of the leeway lost iu the first half of the niatch, and still seemed to be unworried. The pace quickened in the secona to last round, both adopting forcing tactics. Fisher scored with his straight left, and Reeve punished his opponent with oiows to the jaw. Both attacked again in the last round, but Reeve was still sliglitlj the stronger, though Fisher was fighting more freely and effectively at the (ini-h than at the start. There could not have been much between the boxers, and a section of the crowd did not approve of the decision.Before the contest Joe Hall, featherweight champion of Australia, was introduced from the stage. He arrived in NewZealand yesterday, and will meet Clarrie Rayuer at Hastings on July 10. Johnny Leckie, former featherweight champion of New Zealand, who beat Pete Sarron, now featherweight champion of the world, in Australia, was also presented, as were IV Pearce, Ralph Aitken, and Billy Aitken. Members of the Australian soccer team were iu the audience. Amateur Bouts. Four four two-minuto-matches, staged as preliminaries, provided good entertainment. , ~ , T. Dunn (Aloera), 8.6, beat J. Parker (Newtown), 8.8, iu an even and clean bout fought at good pace. After two even rouuds the winner forced the pace, using his height and reach to advantage, and punishing his rival. The contestants were loudly applauded. P. Hughes (Tracy’s), 9.10, beat L. Parris (Tartan), 9.9, the referee stopping the bout in the fourth round. Hughes a very scurdily-built youth, who punched quickly and solidly, knocked his opponent down five times, and was altogether too strons* W Luddon (Newtown), 10.8, beat G. Imlach (Berhampore), 10.5, in an even and exciting contest. Both men took considerable punishment. Imlach led over the first two rounds, but Luddon knocked him down twice in the third and fourth rounds, and the referee stopped the fight when it was evident that the loser had injured an ankle in falling. F. Martin (Aloera), 10.1, beat J. McCann (Tracy’s), 10.7, on a foul. The •bout was fast and even for three rounds, with slightly the better of it being had by AleCann. He knocked .Martin down in the last round, and, following up as soon ns his opponent rose, accidentally fouled him. Nine one-minute bouts were staged between members of the. Aloera and Miramar clubs. The matches were whirlwinds of action. Aloera won seven, and two were drawn. The results were:—J. Scott (10.0) beat M. Wareha'm (9.10), with a knock out; J. Martin (9.2) beat R. Coveny (9.0) ; D. Reynolds (9.0) beat AV. Trillo (9.2) ; L. Feeney (9.10) beat J. Canute (9.8); D, Morgan (7.0) drew with H.

Thomas (7.12) ; A. Byrne (8.6) beat B. McNamara (8.12) ; H. HoSie (8.12) beat D. Sindall (8.5) ; L. Edney (8.3) beat V. Hnfchard (7.0) ; P. Dunn drew with J. Eagar (6.2), Air. Earl Stewart refereed both the professional and amateur contests.