BOXING CARNIVAL

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1847, 31 July 1907, Page 46

BOXING CARNIVAL

GODFREY DEFEATS GOSLING. TRESIZE WINS THE AMATEUR - ' CONTEST. The Wellington Boxing Association’s oamiyal at His Majesty’s Theatre on Wednesday attracted a crowded audience, and Sfeveral scores of people were turned away.' His Excellency the Governor (Lord Plunket) occupied a seat fi / the platform. Dr Napier McLean officiated as referee. The programme opened with an amateur feather-weight competition, each heat consisting of six three-minute rounds. GOULD v. SANDERSON. The first heat was contested by R. N. Gould, of Timaru, and E. Sanderson, of Auckland. The men stripped at Bst and 9st respectively. Both men were tricky on their feet and clever at ducking. Each got home once on the face*-and wound up the first round with honours about easy. Gould fought with the more confidence at the opening of the next round, but the Auckland man soon settled down to business, and showed some skill in dodging a fast right. A quick exchange of blows at the end of tne bout gained points for Gould. The latter ' commenced the third bout with some effective uppercuts and choppy down .strokes with the right, but lost some chances by not following up all his advantages. The Auckland man received most of the punishment, though when he did land his body was well behind it. Both went in to hit in the fourth round," the Timaru man doing all the leading. A hot opening saw the men sparring for wind, and nothing desperate marked the rest of the round. In the fifth Gould had lost a lot of liis fire, the other man showing more condition. He sent Gould to the ropes once, but all hits were gentle ones. The Auckland man for once did most of the fighting in the. last round, and got home with some real beauties that sent Gould travelling for wind. Gould, nevertheless, won on points. TRESIZE v. CRAWFORD.

The next heat was fought between W. Crawford, of Ohau (9st 2£lb) and A. Tresize, of Ashburton (Bst 13£lb). The opening round did little more than to snow that the latter was a, solid, heavy hitter, which made up for his adversary’s longer, reach. Holds were too frequent. Tresize was a bit behind on points at the end of the second round. A series of lively encounters in the next bout rather more than equalised matters, Tresize delivering some pretty severe punishment at rapid intervals. The Manawatu man began to tire first, and though he stood up gamely to some dazing blows in the fourth round and delivered one staggering swing to the neck, he began to look iike a loser after a punishing fifth round. The final boat proved that, he was. Crawford put up a gritty fight. THE FINAL. Later Tresize met Gould in the decisive heat. Both of them were sent back to their corners in the first round but little the worse for wear. The next, however, was a hard-hitting one, in which Tresize’s full-length lefts had Gould against the ropes ou several occasions, and on his knees once. Gould was being chased round the ring when the man with the gong came to hi 6 relief. The Ashburton man did such hot, aggressive work in the third round that Gould had much ado to put up with it. Again he was being pursued all over the ring, when time was called. Tresize planted a blow on the chin when they started again. He continued to administer severe punishment, Gould only getting an occasional punch home. Then came a. hot encounter, which saw Tresize on his knees from a right backhander, and a ding-dong “go” finislide the round. Gould livened up, and started the fifth round at a m&rry pace. Some hearty exchanges took place, i'resize placing several smashers on the chin, which had his adversary in trouble, and tamed him considerably. The sixth round was decisive, Tresize winning it all the way. He was awarded a well-earned victory, thus winning the competition.

PROFESSIONAL CONTEST. GODFREY v. GOSLING. A professional fifteen-roun'/ f*;itest between J. Godfrey (Aucklai t/R amateur feather-weight champion of England, 1903, and New Zealand amateur featherweight champion, 1906, and J- Gosling (Wellington), New Zealand and Wellington amateur bantam-weight champion, IStH, and Wellington amateur featherweight champion, 1905, was the chief item on the programme. Godfrey stripped at 9st 21b and the local man 21b heavier.

Gosling opened proceedings by landing two or three to the face in succession. His right was brought into iplay with effect. Godfrey displayed his cleverness at footwork and, watching his opportunities, paid back some of what he got, and hopped adroitly back ©ut of the danger zone. Gosling’s driving *fits had a lot of power behind them. Honours were fairly easy at the end of the first round. In the next the Auckland man went in for more punching, doing some telling work with his rushes and straight lefts. The local man continued to hold his own, but was glad to feint for breath now and' then. He gave and recei red. some ■mashers in the face in the third round which was very willing. Godfrey got m a lot of heavy punishment with his

.right and managed to avoid several seldge-hammer returns by his speedy foot-work. His opponent was proving a hard nut to crack, but Godfrey seemed to have the task well in hand when the fourth round started. The Aucklander raced round his opponent, who stood off and hit out, but n-o damage was done. In the fifth round Godfrey was not alow to retaliate, and kept going in with a stinger and nipping back out of harm’s way. He was unable to avoid a couple of vicious uppercuts, however, and in the last brealc-away a point went to the local man. Up to how Godfrey was leading on points, besides which he was lasting better. Gosling put in less “fancy work,” and was nothing like so quick to move. The sixth round saw Gosling fighting with dogged obstinacy and plenty of pluck. He delivered sevoral heavy blows, but stopped rather more than he gave. Godfrey was particularly deadly with his short-arm thrusts with the right. He c< me up the fresher of the two for the seventh round, which evened with sparring. Getting to business, Godfrey swung his left to the point and the Wellington man went down. He was up quickly and got in one retaliatory blow. Godfrey, however, was too quick and busy, and he had Gosling on the ropes groggy when the gong went. In the eighth round there was some pretty hot work at close quarters, the Wellington man picking up a few points with some powerful left punches, a few of which went well home to the face. Godfrey had more to put up with this bout than before, but he retained much of his alertness and plenty of spirit. The ninth round saw Gosling fighting low for the body, with an occasional smack at the face. Godfrey was clever with his double deliveries, but of the two Gosling got home rather the oftener. Both men now began to show signs of wear, but they came at it with vim for the tenth round. Godfrey’s blow's landed more frequently, but lacked the strength that Gosling put into his. The repetition of some swinging lefts to the cheek, nose, and jaw now began to tell on the local man, and though he stood up to his punishment gamely, he was in sore trouble when the gong sounded. In the eleventh round Gosling again had to take most, though he retrieved himself a little towards the end of it with a hard left to the point. To this stage the fight looked to be Godfrey’s, whose science, head work, and rapidity more than outmatched the other’s strength and reach. It was just a question of whether the Aucklander could avoid getting the benefit of one of Gosling’s powerful hits. This he managed to do. In the twelfth round, taking a lot of blows on the retreat, Godfrey got home a series of stingers that steadied the Wellington man, and weakened liis efforts. Gosling got a light punch with the left to the face at the start of the thirteenth round, and after an interchange of gentle amenities he twice landed to the face with a heavy left. The Aucklander continued to show superior skill, both with hands, head, and feet, and in the fourteenth round put in a lot of effective short-arm work, and at one time sent in a .full-bodied swinging left that left the Wellington man staggering. Towards the end of the round the hottest work of the contest took place at close quarters. Both men went “groggy” to their couriers. The last round was fierce and hotly contested. Gosling got in the most effectual blows with extended lefts straight from the shoulder. Godfrey stood well to his punishment, which was administered too late for the local man’s chances, and was finally declared the winner of a solid contest, spiritedly fought from start to finish.