HOW PETERSEN LOST

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1935, Page 3

HOW PETERSEN LOST

STRUGGLE AGAINST NEUSEL

Jack Petersen, the British heavyweight champion, fought the greatest battle of his career at Wembley Stadium last night, when to the bitter disappointment of 60,000 people, he was forced to surrender to Walter Neusel, of Germany, at the end of the tenth round (wrote the Boxing Correspondent of the London “Daily Telegraph”) on June 24. The crowd was the largest ever to attend a fight in this’ country; yet heavy rain during the afternoon and evening probably cost the promoter £lO,OOO. Another deluge fell for half an hour before the light started. There were about 4,000 spectators in the expensive seats at the ring side, all without shelter. .

Hundreds of men and women in evening dress and without hats or raincoats were drenched to the skin. Many women went home; but many more stayed to watch one of the most thrilling and dramatic fights ever seen in this country.

To Petersen this fight meant his whole future in the ring. He had to avenge a defeat by Neusel last February if he were to have the slightest chance of a fight for the world’s title. He was beaten, and so he fades out internationally.

However, he has probably made more than £30,000 from a careen extending over four years, and although he will be only 24 next September, it will not surprise boxing people if his marriage in the autumn is followed by retirement from the ring. If it should happen that Petersen never fights again, last night’s contest will always remain in the memory of those who saw it as one of the fiercest ever witnessed. At the end of the tenth round Petersen tottered to his corner, fell into the ropes by bis stool and shook his head. That headshake told his father that he could go on no longer, and Mr. Petersen needed to be told nothing more.

He threw in the towel. It was lh< wisest thing he. has ever done. Tin gallant. Welshman was finished. Petersen had fought a losing bat th for eight 'ounds and he had fough the last three mechanically—dazed am shattered fly punishment, almost blind cd in both eyes, muttering at lime and even laughing in his agony.

WITHIN A PUNCH OF VICTORY The tragedy of it was that more than once he seemed within a single punch of victory, for this tight turned from one opponent to the other in amazing fashion. For ten rounds the Welshman had been slashing at Neusel. Il was like hitting a railway engine. Nothing stopped Neusel from moving on. and even during those movements when he was all but done, and when bis collapse seemed imminent. no punch that Petersen could dclivc ■ caused him to i tep back an inch. The second round was the vital one. Neusel had shown shrewd tactics at

the beginning, for. knowing that Petersen would go for a quick knock-out. he himself came from his corner at the first bell and took the offensive. He crowded into the smaller man • Neusel was some 181 b. the heavier and never allowed him to set himself tor a punch. Petersen kept wonde; fully cool, in fact, he has never boxed with such care a.- he did last night.

and ip the second round he saw his chance and flung all he had into the battle.

He landed a dozen heavy blows—left hooks and right swings to the jaw. Neusel began to falter and to fall into his opponent and Petersen and the crowd scented victory. In two minutes of this round Petersen staked his biggest effort and it must have been heartbreaking for him when Neusel weathered the storin': One felt then that Petersen had lost aiid that it would be only a matter of time before the slow-footed German wore him down with heavy punches to the body. Before that round ended Petersen’s left eyebrow was cut open. The old wound which had caused his only two defeats once more seemed to be the vital factor.

One expected the end to come quickly when, in the fourth round, Petersen sustained a cut in the corner of the right eye. Both cuts were bleeding freely and for a few seconds the Welshman was completely blinded.

Then we saw how relentless the German could be. He opened his guard for Petersen to land a dozen punches in order to sink one himself to the body. But Neusel, though few suspected it, was himself in bad shape. And in the sixth round the light swung round.

Petersen, fighting back grimly, suddenly sensed that Neusel was hurt and tired. The Welshman summoned his strength and fought like fury for a knockout. Yet in the seventh round Petersen was so weak that we hoped for the end to come quickly. He fought desperately, but his defence was gone. Neusel punished him with great severity and I half expected a towel to appear at the end of that round and again at the end of the eigth.

MOST DRAMATIC ROUND. Then came the most dramatic round of all Neusel sagged again and Petersen. having recovered his senses, fought as fiercely as his tired body would permit. His recovery was amazing, but it was his last, effort. In the 10th round he could do nothing and Neusel in his turn summoned enough strength to settle the issue. The bell saved Petersen from being crashed to the floor.

Whether Mr C. B. Thomas, the referee, would have stopped the light in any event I cannot say. Neusel himself was so exhausted that the referee must have come to the conclusion that, so long as he could stand up, Petersen still had a chance of winning.

Hut the plucky Welshman was finished. He knew he would not last a minute, even if he managed to get up off his stool. The ■‘slugging" match was over and it was settled solely by the superior strength and physique of the Herman.

After this magnificent exhibition of courage 1 am more convinced than ever that if Petersen were a stone heavier he would be among the world’s best. A clever boxer might have given Neusel ISlb and beaten him. but Petersen is a lighter pure and simple and a fighter of only !.'! stone Mr. Thoma--, the :el •■fee. said to me alter the light: "Paul Dam-ki. Neu. < 1 manager, won the tight. Petersen put all he had into the ninth round. He did his utmost to knock out Neusel, but it was not. enough. In the tenth round Petersen was thoroughly exhausted. Neusel. on the other hand, was still in good condition. He hud

recuperated well during the minute interval. Advised by Hamski of his opponent's condition, he went in to finish the fight. He waded in. punching from ail angles, and there you have the

story. Petersen could not continue.” i The takings were over £lB,OOO. This sum will yield a profit"of about £3,0()0. I learn that Petersen, though he Iqst, will receive a purse of about. £4,01)0. Neusel’s share will be £3,000. Mr. A. J. Elvin, managing director of Wembley Stadium, who gave me the figures of the takings, said that;he estimated that the weather reduced receipts by quite £lO,OOO. “We should probably have attracted another 25,000 people in fine weather,” he told me. “It is remarkable that there were 2.500 cars in our car pai’ks easily the largest number in the history of the Stadium. The strain and the general expense of running my first big open-air boxing tournament have made me pause before rushing ahead with another.

LOUIS MAY MEET BAER. NEW YORK, June 25. Will Joe Louis, the Detroit negro, eventually become the second coloured man to hold the world's heavyweight championship? This was the question people were asking last night after Louis had thrashed Primo Camera, the former champion, in a bout described as a world eliminating contest. Louis, who is 21 years old, flattered Camera into complete submission. The Italian stood up to a vicious attack for five rounds, but crumpled under a barrage of terrific left and right hooks in the sixth. He was down four times in this round. On the fourth occasion the count had reached four‘when Camera, leaning helplessly against the ropes on one knee, looked appealingly at the referee. as though he had had enough. The referee, Mr. Arthur Donovan, then stopped the contest. The round had lasted 2min. 32sec. Louis had no mercy on his huge rival, lie has written "finis” to Carnera’s career as a contender for the world’s championship. The gate receipts are officially announced as 328,000 dollars (over £65,(1(10). <>f which Camera gets nearly £20,000 and Louis £lO,OOO.

Louis’s next big fight, according to the promoter. Mike Jacobs, will not be a championship bout with Jimmy Braddock but another elimination contest against Max Baer—in September, over 15 rounds. Jacobs added that there were a number of tights pending lor Louis. "He might even take on Jack Doyle later,” he said. Louis lias lold Jacobs that ite would be willing to light once a month. —Reuter.

| JACK DOYLE WINS. NEW YORK. .lune 23. Jack Hoyle, the Irish heavy-weight, 'made an auspicious American debut Ibero to-night when he knocked out | Phil Donato of New Jersey in the first round of a bout scheduled for !<' rounds. Donato began the fight by landing a left hook to the head Doyle replied with lefts and rights to the head, and Donate went down for a count of nine. When be got to his feet again. Doyle put him down tor ih<‘ full count with ;1 h-P I-' the ,ju. ftdioued by a right ; hoc), ' Tie- tight lasted Imin C>se< . It was ~ver .-.o - eon that it gave the critics I little t ime to foi’m an opinion of imvle’s ability. However, he was cool in nice of the American's opening rush. — Reuter.