BOXING.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume X, Issue 16, 2 January 1920, Page 5

BOXING.

UREN BEATS CLABBY. A FINE DISPLAY. MILL LASTS 15 ROUNDS. Long before the doors of the Hastings Municipal Theatre were opened last night, on the occasion of the fight between Tommy Uren and Jimmy Clabby, for a £5OO purse, the street «p--proacnes to the gallery doors, were occupied by an eager throng of enthusiasts* in queues, waiting admission. Before the proceedings commencod, every particle of space available on the stage and in the front of the house was occupied by a sporting audience, who gathered from far and near, all over the Dominion, to witness a battle which held promise of being a brilliant demonstration of boxing; as a science—a promise which wa* amply fulfilled by the tactics of both men. t Prior to the opening of the - programme the president (Mr. H. M. Campbell, M.P.) announced that MrW. G- Stead had donated £5O from his winnings at yesterday’s- races to the winner and the purse had been still further increased by the association, 'until it was worth £5OO (loud applause), Die preßent fight would be for the Middleweight Championship of Australasia. BATTLE OF GIANTS-

After a series .of amateur bout* had acted as a curtain raiser to the big> event, the two giants entered the ring and took their corners amidst loud applause from all over the house, preparatory to their straggle for the possession of the championship, as well as for the glory of defeating an opponent of recignised- calibre in ringside circles. Tommy Uren was born 1894', Australia. He is in height sft. 7lins. aiid weighs. lOst. 91bs. He is ex-Wei ter and Middle-weight Champion of Australasia and winner of the Australian £lOOO tournOm >nt.

Jimmy Clabby was born July 14th, 1890, at Norwich, Conn., U.S.A. He measures sft- 9ins. and weighs list. 21bs- . , It will thus be. seen that Clabby had the advantage in 'height and weight and the balance of reach seemed to, be also in his favour. Both then stripped-as fit as fiddles and in the pink of condition, to do or. die for the bubble reputation, not forgetting the monetary make-weight. From the moment .the gladiators stood up to each other,' it was evident there was going to be .a battle royal, and a display of superb boxing, lasting over the full fifteen rounds, was submitted, such as ha* never before been witnessed in Hawke’s Bay—if indeed in New Zealand. - The first round opened briskly, no time being lost on reconnoitring, as each had met-and lost to the other before, and so fire was opened at point blank range.- When the' gong went Uren was labouring Clhbby’s ribs in infighting and, when Clabby went to his corner, his left eye was puffed. As early as the second round both boys made no secret that they were seeking the gentle upper cut, which was to settle the little argument without any unnecessary delay and some swipes charged with sudden death were made, which, had they only performed the mission they were dispatched upon, the affair would have bid fair to rival the Carpentier—Beckett encounter. But then they didn’t, and therein lay the beauty and artistry of the contest between two athletes so evenly matched. From first to finish “each was looking ' for the fatal opening and Uren’s.footwork in avoidance was dazzling in its rapidity, the applause being loud as some of his rival's smashes died, spent and ineffective, on his very lace. Although there .was much Open, and spectacular action,' there was also a. great deal of in-fighting in which there were interchanges of hard punishment, under which Clabby's fairer skin showed red about the ribs and, in these intimate relations both lads sought the potential point in short deadly jabs, which were, to a great extent “duds’ Clabby receiving them on his gloves and Uren, avoiding with flashing twists of his mobile head and eel-like body. ■ In' the tenth round Clabby showed the wear and tear of the contest much more than his opponent and he appeared tired but, if that was the case, he quickly recovered himself, because when the gong was sounded in the eleventh, he hopped from his corner with vitality—and to spare—whilst at the end of the fight the two men looked good for another'five rounds. In the second to last meeting very, strenuous endeavours were made to finish the battle on the knock ' out. Uren attacked and went for body punches and, in reply, Clabby feinted ineffectively and Uren got in with hi* left. After getting away from qlose quarters Clabby sent a left swing on to the Australian’s body, which made a noise, if it did nothing worse. The latter part of the round saw desperate 1 efforts for the finish and it closed amid loud applause. The final set-to showed both going strong. Clabby sent one in on the Australian’s jaw and Uren replied with a right to the Irish-Ameri-can’s face, but the gong went leaving none the worse.

At" the conclusion the referee (Mr- TTracy, of Wellington) gave the fight to Tommy Uren, amidst applause from the audience.

There was some difference of opinion at the ringside as to the verdict, some of Clabby’s supporters maintaining that he had won, whilst , many pf them considered that a draw should have been declared. The referee himself said that the margin was very narrow, totalling only a couple of points, but this writer, while agreeing with Mr. Tracy’s decision, holds that Uren’s win was outright on a fairly substantial margin, certainly for more than a couple of points- Clabby, of course, put up a game fight, but he could never really get home on the Australian, who has the trick of vanishing at the right moment, or else fading before spent rights and lefts.

Both men attacked well and the fight, throughout, was clean, sportsmanlike and in every way wholesome—a demonstration which will go a long way towards popularising the sport, as a science.

THE AMATEURS. . The amateur mills each consisted of five rounds, of two minutes,' and, whatever may be said regarding the science displayed, the contestants were very much in earnest and their willing efforts provided fine sport. Feather-weights.—J. Keenan (Auckland) 8.13 met G. Gunn (Hastings) 8.7. This was a very merry mill, both being all out. Keenan secured the award, cheers being givpn for both. Light-weight’S.—A- Musson (Hastings) 9-11, tried conclusions with J. McKinley (Wellington) 9.12. This was a more finished encounter, in which Musson showed marked improvement on his form the last time he met the Wellingtonian. Musson proved himself the better man throughout and secured the verdict amidst applause. Welter-weights.—A. Havill (Ashhurst) 10.0 and R. Gray (Takapau) 10.8 had a very earnest go. Havill made determined attacks against a calm defence. In the second round the man from Ashhurst went down to a vicious left swing, for a count of eight and, rising pluckily though quite rattled, he went down again to straight rights and lefts, taking the full count. EXHIBITION SPAR. W. Heeney (Gisborne) and B. McCleary (Dunedin), heavy-weights, gave a very interesting exhibition, consisting of three 3-nunute rounds- Some solid work was put in, without any love taps, both men receiving hearty applause at the conclusion of their display. The whole arrangements were admirably carried out, reflecting every credit on the hon. secretary and Ms

executive, whilst vteo di** ,' charged their dutM* «ap»bJy- ’ ' Following acted 0* officiaHjl—second*; Messrs. W. G- JaeffOr aad'Ui Landels; announcer, Mr. J. p. D<to* van; stage manager: Mr. G- %G. »>*- ■ rotate t Mr. T. Tr*ei (WoL lington); itimektepenr. Mom. ■EUingfaam and G. Hartshorn. -