BLACKBURN OUTPOINTED

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 105, 31 October 1923, Page 4

BLACKBURN OUTPOINTED

GREATER EXPERIENCE AIDS

VICTOR

M'COEMICK DEFEATS M'RAE.

The French lightweight boxer, Eugene Volaire, was seen in action again at the Town Hall last evening, when in a fif-teen-round contest under the auspices «f the Wellington Boxing Association, he defeated Clarrie Blackburn, of Auckland. It was a strenuously contested battle with both men putting in a strong bid for the honours, but the bout—at least as far as spectacle was concerned— was marred somewhat by the large amount of clinching in which the contestiiuts indulged. However, neither man "held" to excess, and the close work was both clever and interesting. Volaire, weighing lOst 31b,' appeared to bb just a little on the heavy side, while Blackburn looked in his very best condition, tipping the beam at lOat 141b. Volaire's superiority was apparent throughout the contest, more particularly in the latter rounds,' during which the Aucklander was obliged to smother time and time again to Bave himself from punishment. The 0110 thrill occurred in the tenth round when the Frenchman, with . a heavy blow to the body, snapped Blackburn's wind and almost sent him to the canvas. He doubled up in evident pain, and Volaire stood off for a second or two while members of the^ audience loudly announced a "foul," but the referee rightly ordered the boxers to fight ori. When interviewed after the •fight, Blackburn expressed the opinion that he had been hit low -,n this particular round, though otherwise. he had no fault to find with.the decision.

THE CONTEST.

Hostilities were opened by Blackburn, who led with a light left to the face, Volaire replying with a left hook to the chm. The pair fell into a clinch, and tho Frenchman smashed both hands to the body, Blackburn lifting his right glovo to the jaw and then breaking away. The Aucklandev showed up well in the close work, manoeuvring cleverly for the inside position, and then shooting left and right, to the stomach. Volaire missed by inches with a heavy right swing. .Round two saw Volaire step in with a^left hook to the body, but Blackburn danced^ away, and then came back punching with left and right, and forcing the Frenchman to the ropes. Volarre repeated the left hook to the midriff, and, coining in, the Auckland boy staggered him momentarily with, a left to the jaw.

The Aucklander punched hard with hoth hands in the clinch which opened the third round, but tho Frenchman claimed him, and then forced the fight, landing a left hook flush to his opponent's jaw. Blackburn supported himself on the ropes and met his man as ha came in, volaire utterly failing to penetrate his defence. The New Zealander use# a clever double right-hand punch in the clinch at the beginning of the next round and-as the pair came together again he missed with a vicious right, hook. Volaire failed to connect with a left, swing to the head, but landed V nice right to the' body as he pivoted,back.--Mrioh in-fighting characterised round five, Blackburn making the. pace, but Volaire blocked and ; countered well. He hedged the Aucklander in a neutral corner, and, shooting with both hands, forced him to smother. Blackburn was content to wait for a moment or two, and then he forced his' way from the angle fighting hard as he moved. . A cut. over his right eye seemed to trouble Volaire in round six, and Blackburji did not hesitate to play on the .wound with jarring left hooks. The Frenchman favoured the close work, showing- up well in this department, though Blackburn was always ready to free hia opponent's arms and exchange punches.

A series of left jabs to the jaw added points to Volaire's tally in the seventh round, but Blackburn hid behind his forearm, and .then swung hard to the body. The Frenchman once again rushed his opponent to the ropes, and swung determinedly at him, though ho failed to do any damage because of the Auck lander s clever smother. •

Voluire's left eye also was opened in the early stages of the eighth round, but he was not visibly worried, and, boring in, continually had Blackburn smothering to save himself from trouble, fie used a variety of punches in the close worJf, and invariably found a suitable target for his reliable left, hook as he moved forward, through Blackburn's defence was fairly sound. A heavy right swing narrowly missed Blackburn's jaw in the ninth round, and a left hook caught him on the side of the head. Blackburn used an uppercut well in the clinch, but stopped another left hook on the jaw as he attempted to move away. He ducked nicely beneath . left and right, and took a left swing on his forearm, retaliating with a left uppercut to the. body.

. Volaire missed by a foot with a left swing in round ten', and tho right which he brought over was taken by Blackburn on his glove. The boys faced each other in the centre of the ring, and Volaire, feinting with his right, smashed his left to ;the solar plexus as' Blackburn attempted to swing away. The Aucklandev doubled up, and seemed about to collapse, while many members of the audience cried ," Foul," but " box on " was the referee's order; and the boxers shook hands and continued with the business in hand. Blackburn's wind obviously had been snapped, but by dint ot much clinching and holding on he was able to weather the storm until the gong sounded a welcome relief.

A left hook tj the chin hurt Blackburn in round eleven, and a right cross and then another left hook did not improve him at all. He moved in close and " stalled " for a spell, but did not endeavour to make'the fight, remaining on the defensive.

The Frenchman missed badly as he came in in the twelfth, but followed up and forced Blackjburn, to the corner. The Aucklander hid behind his gloves, and then slipped away, though he did not endeavour to come in and fight. The round ended with Volaire on the aggressive.

Blackburn took a left hook to the midriff at the commencement of the " devil's number." and, moving away, saved himself from the full force of the right smash which followed. He loosed an occasional uppercut in the clinches, but seemed more concerned with keeping himself out of trouble, and was obviously still suffering from the effects oi tho body punch in round ten. Volaire shot an uppereut to the chin at the beginning of round fourteen, and then pushing Blackburn away ripped his left hand to the body. Blackburn landed several light lefts to the face, but usually missed with his right on the rare occasions upon which he used this weapon.

The kit round .was moderately exciting i but was characterised, like many of its jU'edEgcssoi-fj by Biack cliiii-hjiij. JJj.e

gong sounded with both men fighting hard in the Frenchman's corner.

The unanimous verdict of the judges went to Volaire, who won quite comfortably.

PRELIMINARY BOUTS.

The first preliminary came to rather a sensational ending early in the first round, when J. Gurry, Bst 131b, caught IS!. M'Arthur, Bst 91b, on the chin with a right cross and dropped him for the count.

_ Three hard rounds were provided by ! YV, Pearce, Bst lib, and Mark Carroll, /st 131b, holder of the North Island bantamweight title. Pearce showed exceptional cleverness on the ropes, and put up a strenuous resistance against the champion, but Carroll used both hands well, and, his greater experience standing him in good stead, won' by a decisive hut by no means large margin of points, it was a. good, clean bout, in which both boys fought hard all the way. In the second round of a wild en counter between W. Brown, lOst 81b and J. Bradley, 9sfc 121b, the heavier boy dropped his man with, a swinging right, and upon Bradley rising he again sent him down, whereat the referee crowned Brown in token of victory. There were plenty of thrills in the special six-round bout between C. M'Rae, 14st 71b, of Wellington, and H. M'Cornuck, 12st 71b, of 'Ashburton, amateur heavyweight champion of the Dominion. M'Rae towered over his shorter and much lighter opponent, and when the pair were introduced it seemed that M'Rae, with so much in his favour, must win. M'Cormick, however, showed that whatever he, lacked in height he made up for -with aggressiveness, and, though badly punished in the opening rounds, lie soon settled down to his task, and, boxing in under the long arms of his opponent, frequently connected with a heavy right swing to tJie jaw. M'Rae danced: about confidently, but. he could not stem off the determined assaults of the smaller man, who was awarded the decision, amidst uproarious applause. Mr. Earl Stewart acted as referee, and the judges of the professional: contest were Messrs. J. E. Staples and P. W, Woods. The amateur preliminaries were judged by some of the visiting delegates to the conference yesterday Messrs. A. Bevan, G.- Paldridge, G. H Blanchard, G. Bush, A. G. M'Kay J Russell, and H. L. Young.