FIERY LONDOS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22197, 6 December 1946, Page 8

FIERY LONDOS

PACE AND POWER HUGE NEGRO BEATEN SYDNEY GREEK RALLY Jim Londos, Graeco-American world wrestling champion, retained his title at the Stadium in a violent struggle in which for nearly threequarters of an hour he overcame the wiles and the strength of Scelic Samara, massive American negro, who outweighed him by 25ib, states Jack Munro, describing, in the Sydney Morning Herald, the recent bout in Sydney. Londos triumphed because of his almost incredible swiftness and amazing versatility, against which Samara s power, determination and ruggedness were ineffective. Londos obtained a fall when the fifth round was five minutes old. Samara, shattered by a back slam and a scries of Boston crabs, moved from his corner at the beginning of the sixth, grimacing with pain. Londos pushed him to the mat effortlessly. Referee Harold Norman ended the bout immediately. The 49-year-old Greek—the “Gorgeous Greek” of a decade ago, the "Magnificent Greek” of to-day—was Samara's master throughout the struggle. The contender for the championship, however, went down with. dignity. Often he caused the champion great pain as when, in the fourth round, he clipped his adversary in a scissors that came near to paralysing Londos. Greens Rallied The excitement of the night—and of 12,000 spectators —was terrific. The entire Greek , colony, including the children in arms, had, it seemed, rallied at Rusiicutter Bay. They were not the least vocal of a howling crowd that raised a dm unprecedented in my knowledge of the Stadium.

Heavy rain prevented a capacity house; sometimes it detracted a. little from the tnrill of the event., were times when, in its crashing tattle on the Btadium’s corrugated iron root, one couldn't hear the wrestlers sruan--I!lriighlight of the battle, apart, of course, lrom the decisive its spectacular preliminaries, was Samara s total failure to hip-throw the relatively small Greek. . . . With Londos’ head clamped m his arms the negro struggled valiantly to throw wundos oil his leet. The Greek piroutted and swivelled ancl held as firmly as the pillars of the Parthenon. Aftei three -or four attempts Samara abandoned the elfort in mild dis°USamara opened cauliosly in the first It suggested he was awaie that Londos has proffered his £3,000 diamond and silver champioship belt to one who would conquer him and was consequently being wary of any deck who came bearing a gift. They elasned; Samara strove and Londos avoided with consummate showmanship. Negro’s Onslaught Samara drew the tribute of a gasp from a startled audience when he really opened hostilities .by tin owing Londos to the mat with a armlock and for an uproarious second or two it seemed that the Greek was about to be pinned. .. . „ However, the crowd was then given its first introduction to the Greeks astounding evasion. He wriggled like a live eel on a smt—with movements too fast for the eye to appreciate and he was in the clear. Loudos’s only comment was to throw the negro with a wristlock which, with relative ease, he converted to a Japanese armlock —his three-star SP Thcre y ' was a furious medley of sound as Samara broke through it with the panting and groaning of a General Sherman tank, by sheer force of effort and a 16-stone personality. There were some mild tlsticufls in the wild second round, but only enough to remind the crowd that wrestlers, after all, are human and have tempers. Samara created a . breaking a reverse wnst.ock Wlt well-placed right to the jaw. The Greek rocked.

Succession of Holds

Londos’s wrestling now was really superb Toeholds, foot-twists, rocking toeho Ids, analocks, literally flowed from him towards Samara in an endless stream. Samara, of course, was not idle. He was, at this stage, getting out of impossible predicaments with his tank technique. . Round 3 followed, in geneial pattern. its predecessors, except tnat Samara worked Londos into a leg splits painful enough to draw tears down the face of a statue. L ° nd ° s limped a little, rested, came back refreshed to wrestle the Afro-American off his feet— literally and figuratively. Samare began to tire in the jutn probably he was amazed when, thrown toward the spectators, Londos ,® pr . himself against the copes laterally, ancl hung there by finger and will power. Londos came back, back-slammed Samara after the negro had been hurled from the ring, and then went into his Boston Crab routine Samara had no chance of evading the fall. After the bout efided the negro was attended for five minutes in his corner by his seconds and ambulance men before he was able to go to ms dressing room. , . Samara was not disgraced by m defeat. He was overcome by one who must take his place in the annals oi wrestling among the greatest exponents of the art.