OPEN-AIR BOXING

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 May 1946, Page 5

OPEN-AIR BOXING

PROPOSAL FOR’BOUT AT GREYMOUTH ■

“Times were difficult last year, but other towns had open-air bouts on Saturday afternoons and we should have had one,”'said Mr T. P. Ryan, at the annual meeting of the West Coast Boxing and Wrestling Association last evening. “At the last annual meeting,” he continued, “we recommended that such a bout be arranged, but nothing was done and the matter is not mentioned in the annual report. I don’t think there has been due consideration or weight behind the proposal' to obtain an open-air bout which would have been good for the town and a great help to the association. “When Muir was in demand he would have fought on a Saturday afternoon, and this would have helped to keep the association going,” added Mr Ryan, “and I hope that next spring or early in the summer we will have a Saturday afternoon fight, and one cheaper for the patrons than the evening bouts.” “We tried one once,” replied the president, Mr A. Beban, “but the heavens opened and the men fought in the Town Hall.” “That was 40 years ago,” said Mr Air Beban pointed out that the match committee sorted out the boxers and made recommendations to the executive. The association had made ,a mistake last time when it had-not signed McCann on the dotted line and he secured a bigger purse m Dunedin. Mr Beban added that the incoming committee would consider the proposal.