BOXING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 16 January 1928, Page 6

BOXING

HEENEY AND SHARKEY MEET A tS7 Eloctrlo TalG^apb-Cwriskt) fAnstraliau & N.Z. CabLs Association, , NEW YORK. 13th Jan. One of the largest crowds to witness an ■ indoor match filled Madison Square Garden when Sharkey and Ileency entered the ring for their twelve-round bout. • Sharkey weighed 1941 b and Heeney. 193 lb. : , , . • "-First round—They exchanged sliort blows with great, force, clinching several times. Sharkey then outboxed his , opponent and succeeded in driving him to-the'ropes, but the'round was even. ' Second round —Heeney quickly began 'to force' the fighting, playing for the body with both hands and causing Sliarkejrcto clinch, but tho American, by speeding up his blows and repeatedly hbokirig to the face and head, succeeded . hi taking the round by a shade. V => Third round—Both men now assumed different tactics, aiming blows high and landing short chops to the face. There weCe no'thoughts of defence by either • bftheiff. Sharkey was now fighting as . lie . did against Dempsey, leaving his stomach unprotected, and Heeney landing'" two hal'd right.'to the body took tho found. ‘ ; Fd’nrth round—Heeney opened a cut beneath Sharkey’s left eye and had all Hie bettef of some furious exchanges . yfhich filled the last two minutps of the " round, which wap Hecney’s. , _ i . ' 'Fifth round—Heeney turned to attack ■with 1 both'hands, but Sharkey was the stronger End was troubling his opponent with his left hand to the face. They clinched continuously, Heehey aiming for ■ the body, the American becoming more f; . cautious., i Sharkey cut Heeney’s. mouth with two lefts to the face'but Heeney ’ sent Sharkey feeling to the ropes with ii straight right to,the jaw. Sharkey bounced back aiid filing on. The New v Zealander followed with a wight to the heart/ ’ Sharkey, began holding Heeney_s left hand and tho crowd booed him. It was'Heeney’s round. ;. Sixth round—Sharkey pounded. ' ‘Heenevs’ body at close quarters, the New Zealander taking uppercuts and ' : left' jabs to/the face. Heeney drove a liafd 'left to Sharkey’s heart and the latter swung hard lefts, and rights to • v Ins‘opponent’s'body; ; Heeney was miss- : irig badly but only for a moment, slowing iip’the American with two lefts and / two, hard rights: to the face. This was ■Sharkey’s round.' . - \ Seventh Tound—Sharkey outboxed Heeney" but the American was having • trouidp-ageing out of his right' eye. • Something administered between ..the was 'troubling him. Heeney , sia-dled add hammered away at him, but his btpws seemed to; Jack force. Heeney s • ' found. • . . , , Eighth round—Sharkey assumed clubbin? tactics while clinching, and again the: erdwd booed him. Heeney punished .' ' him‘'with sliort lefts and rights to the body and Sharkev who had a had lump i> under bis own left eye, cut Heeney’s eye with l a light right hut the latte'r avalanched blows upon'his opponent, taking Ninth round—Sharkey used his left hand effectively, uppercutting Heeney and- making him miss badly, and com/ polling: hint to lake -considerable pumshhietit; • Sharkey’s found by a wide margin! ' ' .., , ; • Tenth round—During not too spirited exchanges at long’ distance Sharkey drove a hard right to Heeney’s ]aw, then fell to his knees as he missed.another • swing. Sharkey: rose -immediately and , tore ihtoitbe New Zealander with hard 7 body .blows. Heeney fought back hut the American was punishing, him. The ’ fight was sloto now and there was Too much 'cUhcfmg. Sharkev’s round.' ; - Eleventh rOTnd—The; bOkers fell into a clinch in the middle of the ring and •wrestled about: witbout blows bemg «truck, but' in an exchange of blows that : - followed Sharkey nearly dropped v Heeney 7 with'a left to the solar plexus. . TheV' put their ' heads down 1 -then and ‘ traded" hodv blow’s. ‘ Sharkey’s round, j Twelfth both spfeed; ed hhu'nd 'mbfe 1 action: whs injfected with lieaw' punching 1 freel^- 7 ttadfed' 'and ittfebey WdJ%: ■ Th¥s.'f|ie twelfth rouiic} of the so-chlled heavyweight'climiriatiOn cohost ehded' With climiilfrtion, bdtiilprobably ‘being considered unfitted thallerigers: It was a slow ■ mhviteresting’fight to the 17,000 specta'tofs. •. , ‘ _ - There was some feeling that Heeney •was the better of the two,\ and should have got the decision on points, particularly. iil viifiv 'of ’ Sharkey’s’ indifferent performance. Tlie latter outboxed the New Zealander but was unable to outfight him.'. The decision was a draw. •

MESSAGE' FROM HEENEY

' (Roceived 16th Jan., 9.5 a.m.) .< • ‘ LONDON, *lsfh Jan. Newspapers hail Heeney’s great moral victory and declare 'that despite Scott’s faifiiVd, H*en&y’s grit gives British boxing a chance ©T'snpplyihg a fit' cbmpclitbr for Turthey. Heertey’drt ’ a special cable to the ■ “BVieifing News” says: “I feel I did not d£'fny’'best. I did not get- going ■until the last"'few rounds. " I aid sorry jl'didnot win because - if I had won I intended to'spend a holiday in New Zealand and visit my mother, whom I have not seen for four years.” GISBORNE, This Day. : The “Chicago Tribune” report of the HCeney-Shatkey fight received by Mr O’Meara by wireless, shows that Rickards estimated the attendance was • 20,000 and the gross receipts slightly over 200,000 dollars. There was not an empty seat visible from the ringside when the bout started. Jack Denny was referee and George Kelly and George Patrick umpires.

HEENEY’,S METEORIC RISE

Tom Heeney’s meteoric rise to world’s championship class has been one of the outstanding events of the fistic year of 1927:'’ :

■When Heeney left New Zealand shofCs for foreign climes only four personal friends were present to see him depart. On other occasions, in recent years, boxers have been farewelled by officials of the boxing association. Yet Heeriey, leaving without a send-off, has been the' only one to reach world’s championship class. His opponent, Sliarkey, has five yeai’s on the New Zealander in the matter of age, and although beaten by Dempsey, he can still be considered a formidable proposition in any company. • When the full story of Tom Heeney's 7'ise to fame is told it will read like highly-coloured fiction. According to a Wellington friend of the boxer, he was penniless when lie left England. Since i lie' has been in America he lias sent j £15,000 to his parents in Gisborne, and / has accumulated a further £20,000. It, seems tod good to lie true, hut there seems no doubt at oil that Heeney v < regarded as Gene Tunneys’ greatest 1 menace at present.

DECIDING TUNNEY’S OPPOXT7 XT

(Received I6tli Jan., 8.50 a.m.J NEW YORK, 14th Jr m . Heeney and four others will fig/ .it, an elimination series to determine Tunney’s opponent. Heeney' fights ot a March, ; •' '