WRESTLER RETURNS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23085, 9 July 1938, Page 13

WRESTLER RETURNS

FORMER TITLE-HOLDER DEAN DETTON IN AUCKLAND MATCH WITH PAT MEEHAN Making his third visit to New Zealand, Dean Detton, former holder of the world's heavy-weight wrestling title, arrived in Auckland yesterday oil. the Monterey. Detton is accompanied by his wife and two children. Since he last wrestled in New Zealand in 1934 Detton won the world's title by defeat-» ing Dave Levin on September 28, 1036 and, it is stated, earned the reputation of beingthe busiest champion the mat game has jet. seen. It was tiis willingness to meet aU« comers that eventually cost him the title. - One typical week's activity shows howr Detton worked. He wrestled at the New lor]? ? Hippodrome on the Monday, and on the next day went by transcontinental aeroplane to San Francisco, and wrestled that night. Hq wrestled at Los Angeles on* the Wednesday, ' and on the Thursday at Long Beach. Then he travelled another 400 miles to defend hia title at Oakland on the Friday, and on the Saturday travelled a further 770 miles to wrestle at Salt Lake City. Sunday was spent travelling back to New York, where he wrestled again on the Monday. This strenuous week brought Detton's weight,.down from. 2101b to ISOIbi and he could not regain condition before he met Nagurski and lost the title. .

In tiic title match, Detton was thrown over the top ropes, landed in a row of chairs and fractured a vertebra in his back, and had to have a three months' spell from the gainst In the State of Minnesota there is no Wrestling Commission, otherwise Nagurskl would have been disqualified. A few weeks before Dettor, left for New .Zealand he met Nagurski, and, after a solid hour of wrest* ling, the decision was a draw, both men gaining a fall.' Detton has built up since he last wrestled in New Zealand, and is in perfect condition." He considers his hardest matches to have beert' against Nagurski and McCready. Asked hia choice for the Nagurski-Londos world's tit-la-match to be staged in Los Angeles thia month, Dettcn considered that Nagurski ; would retain the title.

Detton has met Biomfield on one occasion. This was when the New Zealand champion was just breaking into the game, and Detton ." is eager to meet him again. He states that Biomfield made a great name for himsell" when he wrestled in America, and that he is -1 being freely spoken of as a coming cham- : pion. Detton introduced the drop-kick into. New Zealand, but his match winner is tho step-over toe-hold. This hold won. the title for Frank Gotch, and Detton is acknowledged to-day tho master of it. : Shortly before leaving for New Zealand,". Detton said that he was asked to meet Max Baer in a mixed match—Detton to wrestla and Baer to box. Detton offered to take the match without payment, but Baer wanted-; 25,000 dollars for his share. Detton claimed that any competitor in a sport claiming tij. be self-defence should be prepared to compete for nothing, with charity getting tlie gate, but Baer had other ideas, and the promoters did not complete the arrangements.*"' *■»- Detton's first match in New Zealand will bo against Jack Kennedy at Wellington. Ho will have his first Auckland match next Saturday, when ho will meet the Cana'dian star* Pat Meehan.

APPEARANCE OF LOPEZ BOUT ON MONDAY NIGHT All wrestling enthusiasts are keenly antict patingr the match between Vincent Lopez, tha big Mexican, and Pat Fraley at the Town Hall next Monday night. Lopez will be making his local.debut and considerable interest will be taken in his performance. So much has been heard of him that the public ia anxious to see whether. he measures up tq all that has boen claimed for his talent; Lopez is regarded highly in America.- He first came into prominence during the international tournament in California, when tha finest wrestlers competed for the title previously held by Jim Londos. Several exponents with big reputations were regarded as likely winners of the tournament but, when "Strangier" Lewis went out, attention concentrated on his conqueror, Lopez. Lewis himself was so impressed, that he took Lopez in charge and taught him much of his own knowledge of the sport. Lewis was rewarded by seeing his charge go through and win the final without a defeat. As Fraley has also shown that he deserves to be ranked with the best of wrestlers, Monday'» bout should provide a great contest.