HEENEY v. SHARKEY

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 January 1928, Page 7

HEENEY v. SHARKEY

A DRAWN CONTEST — 1 " I CRITICS UNIMPRESSED (Australian and N.Z Cable A#«ooiation.) (By Cable—Prean Aean.—Copyright.) NEW YORK, January 13. One of the largest crowds -to witness an indoor match, filled Madison Square Gardens, when Sharkey and HVeeney entered the ring for their 12-round bout. Sharkey weighed 1941bs and Heeney 1931b5. In the first round they exchanged blows with great force; clinching several times. Sharkey then outboxed his opponent and succeeded in driving him to the ropes, but the round was even. In round two, Heeney quickly began to force the fighting, playing for the body with both hands and causing Sharkey to clinch, but the American, by speeding up his blows and repeatedly hooking the face and head, succeeded in taking the round by a shade. In the third round both men now assumed different tactics, aiming blows high and landing short chops to the face, and there was no thoughts of defence by either of them. Sharkey was now fighting a,s he did against Dempsey, leaving his stomach unprotected, and Heeney landing two hard rights to the body, took the round. In the fourth round Heeney opened with a cut beneath Sharkey’s left eye, and had all the better of some furious exchanges which filled the last two minutes of the round which. was Heeney’s. In the fifth round Heeney returned to the attack with both hands, but Sharkey was stronger, and troubling his opponent with his left hand to the face. They clinched continuously, Heeney aiming for the body and the American becoming more cautious. Sharkey cut Heeney’s mouth with two lefts to the face, but Heeney sent Sharkey reeling to the ropes with a straight right to the jaw. Sharkey bounced back and hung on to the New Zealander, and followed with a right to the heart. Sharkey began holding Heeney’s left hand, and the crowd booed him. It was Heeney’s round. In the sixth round, Sharkey pounded Heeney’s body at close quarters, the New' Zealander taking upper cuts and left jabs to the face". Heeney drove a hard left to Sharkey’s heart, and the latter swung hard lefts and rights to his opponent’s body. Heeney was missing badly, but only for a moment, slowing up the American with two lefts and two hard rights to the face. It was Sharkey’s round. ’ In round seven, Sharkey outboxed Heeney, but the American was having trouble seeing out of his right eye. Something administered between the rounds was troubling him. Heeney slashed and hammered away at him. but the blows seemed to lack force. This was Heeney’s round. In the eighth round Sharkey assumed clubbing tactics, while clinching, and again the crowd booed him. Heeney punished him with short lefts and rights to the body. Sharkey who had a bad lump under, his own left eye, cut Heeney’s eye [with a light right, but the latter avalanched blows upon his opponent, taking the round.

In the ninth round Sharkey used his left hand, effectively uppercutting Heeney, and making him miss badly, and compelling him to take considerable punishment. This was Sharkey’s round by a wide margin. In the tenth round, during not too spirited exchanges at a long distance. Sharkey drove a hard right to Heeney’s jaw and then fell to his knees as he missed another swing. Sharkey rose immediately and tore into the New Zealander with hard body blows. Heeney fought back, but the American was punishing him. The fight was slow now, and there was too much clinching. Sharkey gained the round.

In the eleventh round the boxers fell into a clinch in the middle of the ring and wrestled about without blows being struck, but in the exchange of blows that followed, Sharkey nearly dropped Heeney with .a left to the solar plexus. They put heads down then and traded body blows. Sharkey’s round. In the twelfth round, although both speeded up and there was more action injected, with heavy punishing, freely ly traded, and Heeney was leading, it was obvious that this so called heavyweight elimination contest had ended with a double elimination, both probably being considered unfitted as Tunney’s challenger. It was a slow uninteresting fight to seventeen thousand .spectators. There was some feeling that Heeney was the better of the two, having carried the fight throughout to the former sailor, and that he should have got the decision on points, particularly in view of Sharkey’s indifferent performance. The latter outboxed the New Zealander, but was unable to outtight him. The decision was a draw. HEENEY’S OWN OPINION. ' 1 LONDON, January 15. Newspapers hail Heeney’s great moral victory, and declare that despite Scott’s failure, Heeney’s grit gives British boxing a chance of supplying a fit competitor for Tunney. Heeney in a special cablegram to the “Evening News” says: “I feel 1 did not do my best. I did not get going until the last few rounds lam sorry I did not win, because if I had won, I intended to spend, a holiday m New Zealand and visit my mothei whom I have not seen for four yeais. 200,000 DOLLARS’ HOUSE GISBORNE, January 16. The Chicago Tribune’s report of the Heeney fight received by Mr. O’Mera bv wireless, shows that Rickard estimated the attendance at 20,000. T. he cross receipts were slightly over two hundred thousand dollars. There was not an empty seat visible from tne ringside when the bout started. Jack Denny was referee and George Kelly and George Patrick were umpires.

TO MEET TUNNEY? NEW YORK, January 14. Heeney and four others will fight an elimin'ation series to determine Tunney’s opponent. Heeney fights on March 20. AUSTRALIAN BOUTS. MELBOURNE, January 15. At the Stadium, Lucia Albe defeated Norm Gillespie on points, in fifteen rounds, after a fast clever contest. SYDNEY, January 15. At the Stadium Johnrn- Sullivan defeated Bruno Frattini. on points in a fifteen rounds contest. Sullivan outboxed and outfought the Italian, who was severely punished.