GOOD BOXING

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 10, 12 July 1922, Page 9

GOOD BOXING

I DEMSKY DEFEATS PRESTON IN GREAT FIFTEEN ROUNDS Paul Demsky, the young Australian light-weight boxer, made his debut in the ring before a New Zealand public at the Town Hail last night in a contest with "Billy" Preston under the auspices of the Wellington Boxing Association. The reputation of the two men drew a full house of expectant enthusiasts. Demsky's appearance in: exhibition spars had created a very favourable impression of his skill in the art. The referee was Mr. Earl Stewart, the judges Messrs. J. E. Staples and P. W. Woods. The! weights were announced as: Demsky 9st 61b, Preston 9st 9.1b. Both looked exceedingly fit. THE BIG CONTEST. In the first round Preston got to the body with a right and again with a light left to the face. Demsky tried an uppercut which failed to make contact. Demsky caused Preston to miss and defended his body well. Preston was, aggressive right through and had the best of it except in the close stuff. ■■ The second round saw Demsky's clever defence and waiting tactics. He nearly got Preston with a nasty uppercut The crowd roared. On the ropes he got Preston a beautiful right to the jaw and again with an uppercut coming out of clinches. This was Demsky's round. Demsky's exceedingly pretty ' de'fencs was again evident at the opening of the third round when Preston came in with left swings. Demsky guarded all but the light stuff—mostly light lefts to face. In the infighting Demsky went right in and. shook up Preston with three successive nppei'cnta and another coming out of the • clinches. It was Demsky's round.

The fourth round brought points to Preston at the start with a right and left to the face, but the blows v were without sting and Demsky's return was more effective and a couple of beautiful left hooks, left Preston shaky. Coming out of clinches Demsky got him again with a great left swing. Again D emskv's round. In the fifth round Preston was rather on the defensive with Demsky in the centre biding his time. Preston ducked very nicely and avoided serious trouble from Demsky's rights. . Demsky' missed badly with the right when Preston sidestepped, but he punished Preston in the' infighting with little right uppercuts, and on the ribs. The round was still Demsky's but not by such a ma,rein. ,Demsky pursued his clever tactics in ' the sixth round, wasting, no blows idly and getting some lefts, home, and right upper-cuts at close quarters. Preston!s defence was better, and skilful side-step-ping and ducking eluded the nasty jabs and hooks. The seventh round showed Demsky piling on points in the infighting, and eluding, guarding, and parrying Preston's lefts with the glove. The Australian was steadily pursuing the offensive unostentatiously, but in a -very workmanlike manner. Preston showed up better with long-range stuff, keeping out of Demsky's dangerous infighting. He was applauded for a more even round altogether. In the eighth, Preston found it paid better to keep off, and his clever footwork succeeded in avoiding trouble, while he got some light lefts on to Demsky without much effect. Demsky showed a wonderful defence with his gloves, and when he did get to close quarters he came in left and right to Preston's face. The round was not uneven. ' With the contest more than half over for its fifteen rounds, Demsky had already had much the best of it, but Preston's olusiveness had won him back some of his lost points. In the ninth ■, round he got home a left, hook to jaw, and again a straight left. Preston was cheered for lefts to the face, but Demsky was unperturbed until Preston got a really beautiful right on to him. Then Demsky smiled and up and chased Preeton all round the ring left and right until he got him on the ropes, and there be punished him. Preston got away with the gong. It was a beautiful piece of boxing, and the crowd cheered their delight. Interest was now at its height, for Preston came into the tenth round keen and lively, and got a fine right in on Demsky, who . retaliated • with a fierce upper-cut which Preston covered. The fight waxed furious now, and Demsky seriously pursued his advantage. Preston eluded two more vicious upper-cuts by clever ducking. Demsky had failed to gain the knock-out, and Preston won applause by his cleverer side-stepping and ducking of a most dangerous opponent.

It was now .the eleventh round. Preston was blSe'ded p.6_js.lv about the nrontlij but lie kept off arid todK retiring a.'swinging"left frdjii Dehisky, which] did him no halm DemSky was always aggressive j and got a left to the jawy but hot effectively, Preston retiring' before tile blgw, He ducked another right, Demsky missing completely. The infighting when it came was all to Deinsky: j Demsky did not worry much about Preston's lefts to tho head, but steadily pursued his opponent, punishing him oil the body in the clinches. Preston had chances with his right, but failed to use them. Demsky battered Preston all the time in the infighting on the ribs a.nd flank. ' Demsky finally got Preston with a right chop, and following up nearly had him on the rope 3, when the gong went. Tile thirteenth and no decision yet was a tribute to Preston's fighting qualities, for he was having all the worst of it. Occasionally he got a left on Demsky, but the stren^h was gone. Deinsky could not get in his blow, as .Preston kept on the, move and took what was coming to him retiring, by which he saved himself. Occasionally he tapped Demsky on the faoe with a left, but towards the end of the round Demsky drove a left to the midriff and shook Preston. The welcome gong went. It was wonderful how Preston had lasted through the punishment of the body in the infighting, but. his skill in ducking the deadly swings and hooks, and slipping back from the uppercnts saved him. Preston was now trying to stand out tlie full fifteen rounds, a.nd he was told by the referee not. to hold. A nice left showed aU was not over, at tho end of the fourteenth round. It had been a splendid exhibition of clover boxing and determined fighting, and the fifteenth round ha<3 been reached. Demsky jumped in with a tigerish spring and a right none rout, and "missed, and again with a left swin£ and missed, Preston ducking. Relentlessly Demsky pursued his opponent, but' lifted him up when he had slipped with a half blow, amid cheers from the crowd. Preston was nearly done, but (Tamely carried on with clever hendwork avoiding the coun de .grace. Would he last out the round? Demsky drove a savage right and miased, and the song went. Preston had stuck it out. ' Demsky got the verdict. THE PRELIMINARIES. jln the welimiuavy amateur bonts of | four two-minute rounds. N. M'Arthur, N.O, met V, Crera.r, ..12. .n th, b_nt_ms. Crerar was mors- of a novice than his opponent, and foit?lit with th?. open glnve too much. M'Arthur got the decision easily. In tho lightweight class H. Robinson, 1.8.4, met H. 21. Hobsfin, 9J^ v$ had

| the better of the first three xvunds, shaking Hobson up early with a jab to the | breast. Hobson appeared to suffer from cramp, but in the last round got home to the face with three good lefts. Tho verdict went to Robinson. Tlie middleweight contest was much better. J. M'Arthur, 11.4, met V Gunnion, 10.11. At first the fight, looked to Gunnion, but M'Arthur got in a couple of rights to Gnnnion's jaw in the first round which shook him np badly. Next he followed with another and Gunnion was very groggy. Lucidly the gong wont- before M'Arthur could administer the coup de grace.' Early in the second round Gunnion went down to a couple of rights, and though he got np at eight, he was so bad that the referee (Mr. Earl Stewart) stopped the fight, the verdict going to M'Arthur. Messrs. A. W. Press and H. HnD were the judges for the amateur bouts.

A special six-ronnd Heavyweight boxing bout in Oamaru last night between Arthur Smith (Oamaru) and Hooke (champion of South Canterbury) resulted in the latter being knocked out in the second round.