BOXING

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 September 1945, Page 7

BOXING

MURPHY DEFEATS BOLGER. DUNEDIN? September 17. Laurie Bolger, the Mataura boxer, scaling lOst 5:11b. suffered his first reverse when he met Bos Murphy, of Wellington, scaling lOst 51b. to-night, in a 12 round professional welterweight contest in the Town Hall. Murphy gained the decision on points, after the hardest bout of the season. Bolger fought a strong defensive fight, but Murphy, who gave a polished display, held a slight edge on his opponent, with the exception | of two or three of the earlier rounds.! In the eighth and ninth rounds ( Murphy shook Bolger with heavy h lefts to the head and body, but, after 8 taking considerable punishment in ‘ the eleventh round, Bolger came back strongly in the last round. The attendance, which numbered about 3,500 was the largest for many years. ij COAST AMATEURS WIN.

Five West Coast amateur boxers fought Otago amateurs in the preliminary bouts to the Murphy-Bolger contest, and four of the Coasters won their contests. G. Bowman (Greymouth) defeated Scott (Southland) on points; V. Tuck (Nelson Creek) defeated Bolensky (Dunedin) on points; J. Boddy (Greymouth) defeated Cuthbert (Dunedin) on a t.k.0.; M. Tuck (Nelson Creek) defeated Dee (Mataura) on points; and 1 in the other bout J. Finlay (Grey--1 mouth) lost to Modand (Dunedin) on I points. ! Bowman, M. Tuck and will be fighting at Ashburton next Monday night. Bowman will fight R. Tonks in what will be virtually the South Island middleweight championship. RAYNER DEFEATS FOOTE WELLINGTON, September 18. Clarrie Rayner, of Blenheim, retained the professional featherweight boxing championship of New Zealand at'the Town Hall, Wellington, to-night, successfully withstanding a challenge by Harold Foote, of Wellington. Foote retired at the end of the thirteenth round with a broken nose. Though Foote made a game effort, Rayner was too experienced. MUIR AND ROSS? George Muir, the Greymouth professional heavyweight, has been matched with Bobby Clark, a leading Australian middleweight. The fight is to take place at Wellington on October 1, and the purse will be £2OO. Muir has also been matched by the Hawke’s Bay Association to fight Jack Cossill’, of Wellington, at Hastings on October 15. A cabled offer was received yesterday from Australia guaranteeing Muir £2OO for two fights in Australia, but it is probable that Muir will not be able to make the trip. Efforts are being made to match Norman Ross, of Greymouth, and Jack McCann, of Wellington, at Greymouth on October 23.