Boxing in Wellington.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 57, 22 October 1887, Page 3

Boxing in Wellington.

DISGRACEFUL PROCEEDINGS. A boxing match took place at the Opera House on Monday night between H. Laing. o£ Wanganui, and C. Richardson, There was a large attendance. The battle was advertised as for the championship and £5O a side. Eleven rounds were fought, but in the eighth Richardson was palpably beaten. At this critical time someone turned out the gas, and the few minute* obtained before light and comparative order were restored enabled the Victorian to regain his scattered faculties. He fought two more rounds in a very shifty style, several time* going down palpably to avoid punishment —an infringement of the Queensbury rules. The referee was appealed to, and though he for some time declined to interfere, a piece of foul play of the same kind more than ordinary palpable at the beginning of the eleventh round, caused him to decide the fight in Laing’s favour. The display of boxing for the first few rounds was fairly good, Richardson especially sparing in good style; but the whole surroundings were disreputable and disorderly in the extreme. The preliminaries were characterised by wrangling and mutual recriminations occupying fully half-an-hout; one ef the seconds, instead of attending to his duties, apparently wanted to fight everyone on the stage, while the audience was the noisiest and rowdiest that has ever assembled in the Opera House. The entertainment can only be described as a disgraceful exhibition.