BOXING

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 74, 22 February 1930, Page 2

BOXING

MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP. HAY RETAINS TITLE. In a bout that went the scheduled fifteen rounds Artie Hay (Hastings) successfully defended the middleweight title of New Zealand against the former holder, Lachie McDonald (Auckland; at the Opera House last evening. Hay weighed in at list ljlbs. and McDonald at list. Sllbs. Though Hay won easily, round by round, the fight was a good one, and interest was maintained until the final gong. The house was below expectations. McDonald, wlio appeared to bo suffering from a cold, did not last as well as lus opponent. Hay was slightly tho taller and had the advantage in reach. A terrific punch in the third round sickened McDonald and tho next six rounds were Hay’s. In the ninth tho champion had a knock-out for tho taking, but he held back and the gOng saved McDonald. The Aucklander made a wonderful recovery and, though Hay took the next round by a small margin, the eleventh was even and McDonald won the twelfth, fighting a draw in the thirteenth. The sympathies of the crowd were with McDonald for his pluck. Both boys fought a clean and hard battle. Hay was the more elusive of the two. He had an aggravating habit of poking with his left, then whistling a hard right across to the jaw. McDonald was slower on tho feet, but he showed that he can still take a lot of punishment and packs a hard punch. He shone at in-fighting, having a nasty ri"ht and left arm jab and upper-cut that caused Hay some trouble. CONTEST DESCRIBED.

In the first round McDonald bored in, but Hay was too elusive, and lie connected with a right that steadied the Aucklander. The pair sparred until Hay shot out a left that sent McDonald into the ropes to come back with a heavy right swing. Hay sidestepped, but the blow jarred him behind the ear. The champion was sparring and poking an aggressive left that kept McDonald on the defensive. The round was slightly in Hay’s favour. McDonald used an effective half-arm jab to the body in the second round, following up with a left upper-cut that fell short of its mark. He was stopped short with two long range lefts delivered fast but lacking sting, Hay was boxing his man and avoiding the thick stuff. Breaking from a clinch, Hay scored two sitters with his right. Tho challenger retaliated with a pile-driver to the heart, and Hay contented himself with picking holes and sending his blows through to the head. It was Hay’s round. The third was disastrous for McDonald. Hay went for his man, and two left-handers to the jaw were followed by a smashing right that staggered the Aucklander. He reeled across the ring and Hay followed up his advantage with lefts and rights to the face and body. McDonald went into a clinch, but Hay covered well and escaped with a jab under the jaw. It was Hay’s round. Still suffering from the battering he had received in the previous round, McDonald sparred gingerly in the fourth. Hay danced round, scoring freely to the head with left and right. Lachie went into a clinch and followed up with two full-length blows that steadied Hay. The ex-champion was failing to connect, though Hay did not escape a vicious left. Hav was scoring freelv with left and right deliveries when the gong sounded. It was Hay’s round.

Hay’s left did damage in the opening rally of the fifth. McDonald slipped, but was up without a count and aent into a clinch. A right clipped through Hay’s defence and jolted the champion, but tho latter bored in and had McDonald on the run with a battery of short jabs to face and body. Tho challenger was receiving punishment about the mouth and jaw when the bell rang. It was Hay's round. Dodging a vicious swing, Hay darted in under the Aucklander’s guard to land of fusillade of short-arm jabs early in the sixth. McDonald followed him to the ropes and let a fierce left dale harmlessly past his jaw. Lachie set for a shot, but could not get in and Hay punished his unprotected head. The champion was too elusive for McDonald, whose best scoring blows were short swings to tho body. It was Hay’s round. McDonald showed signs of weakening in the seventh. Hay continued to [>oke with his left, swinging in an occasional right to the jaw, but Lachie’s awkward stace prevented tho blows doing the maximum of damage. McDonald was groggy, but he stuck to it gamely. He battered the champion’s ribs in a clinch and sent a straight right to the eye, following up with a hammer-punch to the body. A right that' would have finished McDonald whistled past his cheek as tho gong sounded. The round was even. Hay took the eighth round, a succession of rights and lefts punishing McDonald’s head. . The ninth was sensational. The crowd were yelling for Hay to go in and finish the ex-champion. A right swing by Lachie went astray, but Hay failed to follow up. A rap on the nose with Hay’s left, followed with a jolt from the right, had McDonald in distress, and he was staggered when a long-range right caught him on the jaw. He backed to tho ropes under a battery of uppercuts and a hard right sent him to his knees to take a count of five. Hay soon had him back on the ropes, watching his chance for a knock-out. McDonald took a lot of punishment, but Hay waited too long with the decisive blow up his sleeve and the gong intervened. It was Hay’s round. McDonald was on the defensive in the tenth clinching and covering liis face. Hay sent him staggering to the ropes once, but the Aucklander was game and took his punishment without flinching. A wild swing landed on Hay’s heart and he hovered around waiting for a chance with his heavy artillery. McDonald seemed to have renewed strength and beat a tattoo on his opponent’s ribs and drew blood with a left uppercut. Hay’s round*. Hay leapt straight into it when the gong sounded for the eleventh, but found Lachie a different proposition. McDonald forced the fight and linked up with a jarring left to the jaw, following with a right to the side of the face and an uppercut that pulled Hay up with a jerk. There was some hard slogging toe-to-toe with the champion’s right inflicting punishment. The round was even with applause for McDonald. McDonald came strongly in the twelfth. He side-stepped a left and drove home a right swing. Hay clinched and scored with a glancing right to the head. There ensued hard slugging with McDonald’s blows telling. He was evidently after a knock-out. It was McDonald’s round and the plucky ex-champion received an ovation. McDonald was boxing better and Hay received a lot of punishment. The thirteenth opened with a series of clinches. Both men appeared to be tiring, Hay, being the fitter of the two. Hay stopped a jab in tho ribs and failed to connect with a pile driver to the Ohin. Lachie came under to send him reeling to the ropes and there was torrid work at close quar-

ters. Three vicious stabs to the chin sent McDonald into a clinch, but ho landed a powerful right in the stomach before tho referee ordered a break. The round was even. Sparring cautiously at the start of tire fourteenth, Hay got under McDonald’s defence to land a fusillade of short-arm jabs which, however lacked sting. A right sickened McDonald and ho clinched. The referee parted them and Hay went into it again, dodging the ex-champion’s blows. It was Hay’s round. The final round opened quietly. McDonald broke from a clinch to lash out with a flailing right that whizzed past the champion’s head and Hay left his body open, but McDonald s connection lacked power. Hay went into it like a tiger and knocked his opponent through tho ropes, but McDonald climbed back to steady the champion with a vicious stab to the jaw. Hay answered with a right uppercut and the pair clinched as the gong sounded. . . Air Earl Stewart’s decision in favour of Hay was well received. THE PRELIMINARIES.

Middle-weights—C. Ford (Palmerston North) 10.10, v. L. Pike (Feilding) 10.10: There was little between tho boys in the first round and the honours were fairly even. Ford made the fight and was willing to mix it, but Pike had a handy left and right hook to the body that steadied tho Palmerston North boy. Ford failed to follow up his advantages and Pike landed some telling long distance blows. The referee awarded a draw, and the decision was well received. , Featherweights.—M. Candy (1 almerston North) 9.8 v. T. Alston (Wanganui) 9-9. Alston had the advantage in reach, though Candy was nuggety and tho fitter of the two. The latter scored with head punches, but loft himself open, and Alston cannected with rights to the jaw. Alston took the first round. Candy was game and he pierced tho defence to check Alston with vicious stabs to the body and a right to the side of the head. The Palmerston North boy’s condition told in the final session, and he went for his man. Alston was knocked off liis feet and came up to receive a sickening left in the body and a right to the jaw. He had all the fight knocked out of him when the referee stopped the bout, giving the decision to Candy. Welter-weights.—G. Jnmes (Manganui) 9.13 v. F. Heffernan (Feilding) 9.111. The pair sparred cautiously in the first round with Janies dodging the Feilding boy’s long range deliveries. In the second James scored with both hands to the chin and rocked Hefferman with a volley of punches to the body. Heffernan staggered under tho fusillade in the third round, James mixing it willingly. Heffernan was glad when the gong sounded. The decision was to James. M’elter-weight.—A. Kartell (Palmerston North) 9.7. v. W. Clarke (Wanganui) 9.12. Karten got homo with body blows and did damage to Clarke's head with a stinging right uppercut. The Wanganui boy was missing badly, but linked up once with a hard right to the heart. In the last round Karten made the pace a merry one, but Clarke steadied him with a succession of shortarm jabs to the body. The decision for Karten was a popular one. Welter-weight.—A. Candy (Palmerston North) 10.1 v. J. Corliss (Wanfanui), 10.5. This bout was to have een a return between Candy and C. McMahon (Tailiape), but the latter wired that lie had injured his hand in training, and sent a substitute. Corliss was no match for the nuggety Palmerston North boy, who soon had his opponent’s measure. Corliss stood off, but took a lot of punishment in the second and third, when Candy bored in with both fists. Corlfbs contested himself with ail occasional barrage on his opponent’s ribs in tho last round, but was badly battered when the referee stopped the fight and awarded Candy the decision.

SARRON NOT TO MEET DONOVAN. Per Press Association. NEW PLYMOUTH, Feb. 21. The Taranaki Boxing Association yesterday received information by telegram that Pete Sarron would not fight Tommy Donovan as arranged here on March 1. To-day the association’s solicitor took steps in connection with the association’s claim against Sarron for £9O damages for breach of contract and on tiro ground that it was believed Sarron was about to leave for Australia a warrant was issued.