MURRAY BEATS M'COY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10896, 10 May 1921, Page 3

MURRAY BEATS M'COY

THE FIGHT STOPPED AGE AND SKILL GIVE WAT TO YOUTH. McCOY’S PLUCKY STAND. The Town Hall was filled last night when Herb. McCoy, once a, star of the Australian ring, met Les. Murray, a promising Dunedin light-weight. How McCoy would shape was a matter of considerable doubt,' as he had not been in the ring for some years. Murray had been spoken highly of by men such as Dare Smith, and he was said tp be a hitter. The fight opened rather wildly, but livened up considerably in the concluding 'rounds. McCoy did well for the first three rounds, and then Murray, gaining confidence, began to pile utp points. He was clearly ahead on the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. McCoy rallied in the eighth, but his condition gate otht in the ninth and the tenth, when Murray was particularly aggressive. McCoy went to the floor three times in the last round, and hung desperately to his opponent to escape a knock-out. He was taking a very solid hiding when the fight was stopped and the verdict given to Murrav. Murray won easily towards the end. His youth stood to him, but McCoy showed a rare degree of gameness, and, considering the length of time he has been out of the ring, gave a remarkable • exhibition against the sledge-hammer New' Zealander. The crowd cheered the winner; it also cheered the loser, who took his hiding so gamely. CONTEST DESCRIBED. A SPIRITED FIGHT. The weights were given as 9.7 each. The fight opened with McCoy the moro aggressive of the pair, bat both were feeling their way. Murray was careful of his man. and McCoy took the reliance to do the leading. Like the Tn\st round, the second was very even, but Murray opened out a little more A counle of direct bits were scored on both sides. The third round was tame, but the fourth was Murray’s all the way. He landed half a dozen times on McCoy’s face, and though none of them were full-arm blows, they carried a fair amount of power. Murray was on top again in the fifth round. He landed more frewriently and with greater power than McCoy, whose tapping was very light. Round six was decidedly Murray’s. He scored three times direct to Hie Jaw with powerful blows, and McCoy was steadied to a Very slow pace before the gong sbunded. Similarly, round seven favoured Murray, but in the eighth McCoy came again and before the finish of it Murray did not look too happy. His blows had weakened and McCoy was landing occasionally. THE END IN SIGHT. Early in the nineth Murray drove McCoy to the rap|s. McCoy rallied awhile, but for the last half of the round Mnrray subjected him to a rain of blows, which the Australian took while smothering as best he oould. In the tenth and last Tound Murray was busy fro mthe start. He dropped McCoy, but the latter was up when three had been counted. Keeping on the aggressive Murray drove in blows to the face and head, and again his weakening opponent went to the boards: A while later McCoy was down again, this time for five, but gamely he. rose to-meet the inevitable drubbing. Murray drove him to the ropes and there continued the punishment. McCoy got in as close as he could to his man and hung on in the hope of avoiding a knock-out and seeing the round through, but shortly before the gong was due to go McCoy’s second passed the word to the referee and the fight was stopped. Murray had won. AMATEUR BOUTS. CLEVER 'AND HUMOROUS. Before .the professional contest there were several amateur bo-uts. Proceedings opened with a fly-weight bout between R. Harris (6.4) and G. Nicholas (6.7). Nicholas was the more aggressive, but Harris got in telling returns and gained the verdict. A feather-weight bout between G. S. P. Macgregor and A. Narker sent the house into roars of laughter. It was a poor affair as a boxing contest, but great as an entertainment. There was little boxing in it, but an inexhaustible quantity of ducking and diving, windmilling and beating the air. Narker opened full of steam and enterprise, hut his rival evaded the would-be knock-outs, and the bout went the full four rounds and wound up with something like a fight. Narker was aggressive in the opening portion of the final roiind, but Macgregor weathered the brief storm, and in a while had Narker on the ropes, there to thump him till the referee stopped the proceedings. Macgregor won. ‘ GOOD EXHIBITION BY MADDOX. The feather-weights, C. Pearce (8.51) And J. Rusterholts (8.2), were matched for four rounds. This was an excellent bout. Both boys were hard at it from the commencement. Pearce was the more muscular, and this helped him throughout. He scored well in the earlier rounds, but in the fourth round Rusterholfcz piled up points with clean hits to the face, and he _ had Pearce almoet “gone.” The decision, which appeared to be a little in doubt, went to Pearce. C. Maddox (8.3), of Hastings, and B. Kerr (8.7), of Wellington, were matched in a five-round affray. Maddox is the feather-weight champion of New Zealand, and although he was meeting an opponent bigger and heavier than himself he won easily. 'He gave a delightful exhibition of 0001, collected fighting, combined with a cat-like quickness of hands and feet. The work of Maddox was the best item of the evening. O’Keefe, who was to have met Desmond in a five-round bout, was unable to be present, and the gap was filled by B. Daly. Daly and Desmond boxed a three-rounds no-decision bout. Daly gave quite a good showing for a substitute.