BOXING

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 November 1944, Page 3

BOXING

PATRICK DEFEATS CALTAUX

SYDNEY, November 5

A crowd of 15,000 people, the largest at the Sydney Stadium for 10 years, on Saturday night saw the Australian light and welterweight champion, Vic Patrick, beat the New Zealand welterweight champion, Vic Caltaux, by a technical knock-out in the eighth round. The bout was almost a pugilistic massacre, but Caltaux put up a plucky showing, and for a few minutes in the third round it looked as if he might win. He caught Patrick with a solid right to the jaw. The ropes saved Patrick from going to the canvas. Caltaux attempted to follow up his advantage, but the Australian recovered quickly, and for the remainder of the bout Patrick was all over a winner. In the second round, Patrick, with a left swing, opened an old cut over Caltaux’s right eye. He concentrated on this injury so effectively that, in the fifth round, the eye was completely closed, and Caltaux’s face was covered with blood. At this stage the New Zealander began to cover up, and, at the end of the round, the referee, Joe Wallis, asked him if he was willing to stop the fight. Caltaux refused. During the next three rounds Caltaux was punished unmercifully, so that the bout was stopped and the decision was awarded to Patrick. Caltaux, at lOst 611 b, had a 711 b weight advantage over Patrick, who was superior in height. and reach. The New Zealander was beaten so severely because he too frequently attempted to box the scientific and hard-hitting Patrick, instead of fighting in his natural style, and carrying the attack to his opponent. The crowd yelled to the referee to stop the bout in the fifth round, whereupon Caltaux cried to the crammed house: “Shut your mouth!” Caltaux’s chief second. Jack Dunleavy, one of the most experienced boxing tutors in Australia, left Caltaux’s corner at the end of the fourth round, and Dunleavy stated afterwards that Caltaux had refused to allow him to attend to his injured eye.

After the fight Caltaux said: “I knew my eye would be hurt early, but I believed that I could wear Patrick down. I wanted to continue the fight when it was stopped.” Caltaux is reported to be seeking a return match with Patrick, but his showing on Saturday night gave no prospect of his being likely to reverse the decision.

HANSON DEFEATS DUNN.

CHRISTCHURCH, November 5

In the professional welterweight boxing match last night, Tommy Hanson (Wellington), 10.3, defeated Tommy Dunn (Auckland), also 10.3, on points in 10 three-minute rounds. Hanson owed his win to superior ringcraft and experience, ' although Dunn attempted to force the fight.