HIS FIRST DEFEAT

Northern Advocate, 18 February 1926, Page 7

HIS FIRST DEFEAT

TROWERN OUTPOINTS PURDY. WINNER FRUSTRATES THE WIZARD. FIGHTER BEATS BOXER. At the Town Hall, Wellington, on Monday night, a boxer met a fighter within a hempen square, and the fighter won. The fighter was Reg Trowern and the boxer was Charlie Purdy. The fighter kept on top of his man throughout, and allowed him few opportunities to display his wizardry. Now and again the hitherto unbeaten Purdy moved with phantom-like agility, and rattled home punches with both hands, but not onee was his glove “loaded” with anything heavier than a moth ball. Trowern punched hard, but he neve?' onee landed squarely on his elusive target. However, ho quickly got the measure of the size of his opponent’s punches, and adopted winning tactics by keeping in close wherever possible. Trowern, attended by his father, was the first to enter the ring, while Purdy was seconded by Larry Lasher and Merv Williams. Both boxers looked fit, although Purdy was a little on the big side. He sealed fist 121 b, a??d was half a pound heavier than Trow-

THE BOUT DESCRIBED. Purdy opened the bout with a couple of light taps to the head with his left, and Trowern rushed him to the ropes, but Purdy blocked a left hook. Purdy ducked a loft lead cleverly, but slipping inside was grazed by Trowern T: right. The round was a quiet one. Trowern darted in and rap-

ped home two straight lefts to the I face. Purdy tapped lightly on his opponent’s head with a succession of lefts, but they lacked sting. Trowern was now on the attack, and twice hooked a solid left to the side of the head. TROWERN GOING WELL. Trowern rushed, and getting at close quarters worked his hands like piston rods at the beginning of the third, lie ripped home a beautiful right to the body, and rattled Purdy. The latte? did not seem to have his usual confidence, and his timing both in hitting and getting away- was not .at its best'. Trowern was keeping on top of his man all the time, and allowing him no peace. Trowern’s left was unloosed witlq lightning rapidity. The fourth round saw Purdy going better, but he was prone to uso the illegal “rabbitkiller.” He blocked cleverly and ducked Trowern’s right, but his punches carried little weight, and could not keep Trowern off. Purdy boxed prettily at the beginning Mf the fifth, but Trowern was detfermned to make Mur fight, and kept in close, using both gloves to the body. The sixth opened with a clinch. Then Trowern rushed his man to the ropes, but Purdy smothered well, and warded off punishment. Purdy ducked a “loaded” right hook, and tapped lightly to the head.

PURDY LIVENS UP. Purdy was going better in the seventh than in any previous part of the fight. He was measuring the distances better, and in the clinches rapped Trowern on the ear with a [ quick-moving fight. He ducked Trowern’s leads, and played merrily with a light left glove on his opponent’s face. The eighth opened with a clinch which broke with nothing gained by either side, and Purdy connected with his left. Trowern missed several timds with his left, but got homo with a solid right in Purdy’s corner. The ninth was quiet. Trowern hooked his right to Purdy’s chest as the latter ducked, and both traded a series of light lefts to the face. Purdy slipped inside cleverly at the beginning of the tenth, and hooked his right to the ear. He was now forcing the face, and making Trowern miss badly. Purdy landed, back moved to the ropes, and cleverly smothered Trowern ’s swinging right. There was ■ now little between the points of the respetive boxers,‘with Trowern leading if anything. NOTHING BUT AIR.

Swish! Trowern’s right swung through the air, but its- mark had swayed out of danger. Purdy played a merry tattoo with both hands to the face, but Trowern retaliated with the same kind of treatment. Purdy was warned at the end of the round for trying to throw his man. Purdy again displayed great cleverness in the twelfth. He made his man miss ti??ie and again. Trowern did not have the speed of his opponent, but he had more aggressiveness. Trowern rushed Purdy to the ropes at the beginning of the Devil’s session, but with a phantom-like movement the latter wisped out of the way. There was a, great deal of clinching in the middle of the ring, in which Trowern was the stronger, but in open warfare Purdy was carrying too many _guns. Four light taps opened the attack for Purdy in the fourteenth, and then Trowern rushed his man, and made the fight close. Twice the referee had to break them. There was far too much tugging and pushing in -■ the clinches. Purdy ducked a couple of swings on the ropes, but Trowern caught' him a nice one with a right hook. Purdy hung on tenaciously, and prevented furtherpunishment. TROWERN THE WINNER. The final round was the most exciting of the evening. Purdy opened by shooting out his left hand and following up with his right. Trowern forced a clinch, and Purdy fought harder at close range than he had done before. He connected with a left to the face and a right to the body. Then Trowern forced a clinch, and rushed Purdy to a neutral corner. There he cut loose with both hands, and his mark was Purdy’s body. The latter slid along the ropes out of danger, but Trowern pounced on him again, and the crowd were on their feet as Trowern pummelled his opponent. He sank a right to the stomach, and Purdy hung on for the rest of the round. Trowern was rightly declared the winner, and the large house continued their applause for several minutes. — “New Zealand Times.”