DULL BOXING

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 20, 25 January 1928, Page 7

DULL BOXING

TAYLOR BEATS GRIFFITHS FIFTEEN DREARY-ROUNDS J When two bantamweights face each other inside a boxing ring one does not expect so ranch a display of big hitting as an exhibition of fast, snappy boxing and frequent exchanges of punches at long range. When, however, such a panclinch like a pair of third-rate heavyweights they make a dismal showing indeed. Such was the case in the contest between Tommy Griffiths and Johnny Taylor at the Town Hall last night. In spite of the orders of the referee, Mr. Earl Stewart, to make a tight of it, and in spite of the pointed attitude o" the spectators, the boys seldom livened up, and clinched and lapped away for fifteen rounds. Taylor was the victor. He was certainly the more aggressive. Griffiths marred his boxing by incorrect hitting. In the preliminaries, A. Cleverley, the New Zealand amateur light-heavyweight champion, and J. O'Sullivan, the bantamweight champion, were given further tryouts in order to test their fitness to represent the Dominion at the Olympic Games. Cleverley won against a strong boy named C. G. Gardiner, of Christchureh, but O'Sullivan was beaten by H. Larsen. Neither champion showed Olympic form, but Cleverley was the more impressive. BOUT DESCRIBED. Although they were billed as featherweights, Griffiths (Bst 51b) and Taylor (Bst) entered the ring under the bantamweight limit. Both were fit. The initial round was quiet, and almost one continual clinch. Taylor had the longer reach, and he landed with a straight left. Both paid attention to the body in the second; and the tactics were monotonous; at long range they showed a great respect for each other. Taylor was the stronger hitter in the clinches. Griffiths landed snappily with both gloves to the body in the third, but Taylor ripped his right to the ribs and then followed up with a left to the side of the head. Griffiths hooked a left to the body and. back moved from the counter. A left to the head and a right to the body stung Taylor in the fourth, but in the ensuing clinch Taylor got the inside position and hooked his left to the ear. Taylor was doing most of the leading, but Griffiths was countering effectively. They exchanged two solid rights just before the gong. In the fifth "go on, get in," came from the referee. The boxers momentarily livened up and cut loose in a clinch, but soon dropped into a steady but uninteresting gait once more. Griffiths ripped his left to the body twice in rapid succession just before corners. The safe boxing in the sixth was followed by a silent crowd. Griffiths was inclined to use the heel of his glove and also lost effectiveness with a right to the pit of the stomach by slapping. Griffiths countered with a welltimed right swing to the head immediately before the bell. Caustic comment came from several quarters of the hall in the seventh, and some of the audience went home. The session was deadly tame. At the beginning of the next round the referee brought the boys together and ordered them to get a move on. A right rip to the stomach hurt Griffiths, and he hung on until ordered to break. There was a little more life in the round—but just a little. In the ninth Taylor could not land a punch, and Griffiths was cautioned for using the open glove. The Otago man ouce connected with a solid right to the ribs. Ironical cheers greeted the boxers in the tenth, and then Griffiths bowled in swinging both hands to the head. Taylor appeared a little shaky on the legs when they broke clear, and Griffiths went for the body, but was inclined to slap instead of punch. Griffiths dropped his guard when going away in the eleventh, and Taylor hooked his left to the chin. There were more ironical cheers from the crowd as they embraced each other again. More people went home. The chief feature of the twelfth was the counting out of the boxers by the optimistic portion of the crowd that had remained. Taylor shook Griffiths with a straight left in the thirteenth, and the spectators urged the Aucklander on as he tore in. Griffiths hit back with a straight left, and evaded Taylor's leads. Griffiths's head got in the way of a right lippercut in the fourteenth. Then the monotony started again. Slapping by both boxers in the fifteenth was caustically accompanied with an obbligato of sarcastic clapping. The boxers struggled away in monotonous clinch that lasted until the dreary end. THE PRELIMINARIES. A. Cleverley (list 61b) carried too many guns for the Christchureh light-heavy-weight, C. G. Gardiner (list 101b) in the first round, and the southern man hardly landed a punch. Cleverley after missing with his left hooked with that glove to the side of the head, and lipped his right to the body. Gardiner was continually weaving'and boring, and was an awkward target. In the second round the visitor made a better showing, but was unable to hit cleanly when in close, and the bout, though it appeared to be hard-fought, contained little of the clean boxing one expects from top-notchers. In the third session Gardiner forced the pace, but he seldom got inside Cleverley's defence, and his wild swinging lost points for him. Cleverley did not finish strongly, and this was the cause of hooting by a section of the crowd when he was awarded the decision. His victory was clear cut. J. O'Sullivan (Bst 2lb) got into his stride immediately against H. Larsen (7st 13%1b), and from a wide open stance swung punches from all angles. Larsen took several of these, but fought back strongly. In the second round Larsen steadied the Aucklander with a right to the ear, and in the in-fighting was beating his man to the punch because of his straighter hitting. O'Sullivan did not seem to have a straight punch in his kit. In, the third it was an even break until half-way through the round. Larsen kept on top of his opponent all the way and finished the stronger of the pair. The decision went his way, and the crowd recorded its approval. Larsen was the better puncher. J. Crowley (Bst 71b) and J. Cotterill (Bst 121b) started off at a smart pace, and Crowley connected with two left swings to the side of the head. Cotterill used a right uppercut effectively when in close, and forced his man to break ground. Clever head work save Crowley in a couple of tight corners. Indiscriminate slamming made the second round somewhat uninteresting. The voice of the referee was heard frequently. There was little between the boys when the gong went with the margin in favour of Cotterill. In the third round Cotterill swung both hands to the side of the head and beat his man to the punch. Crowley waa hardly strong enough, but twice got home with left hooks to the body. Cotterill won. D. Cleverley (9st), a younger brother of the Olympic candidate, met an experienced boy, G. Thomas (Bst 131b). Thomas punched snappily with both gloves and soon had Cleverley on the defensive. The latter, however, kept poking out a useful straight left. Thomas adopted the "southpaw" stance and ripped the left to the body. Cleverley got home with both hands in the second session, and Thomas lost some of his confidence. The third round provided rather a tame finish. Cleverley started off well with his long left hand, but a left swing "to the side of the head steadied him. Thomas wa9 awarded the verdict.