BOXING.

NZ Truth, Issue 148, 18 April 1908, Page 3

BOXING.

— » _ — . JIM GRIFFIN y, TED NELSON. The Maorilander Springs a Surprise. — — — ,- x Nelson Knocked Out m the Twelfth Round. Jim, Griffin and, Ted. Nelson fought at the Gaiety Club, Sydney, on the night of April 7 last. The following account of the fight is taken from the Sydney "Sportsman"— Jim Griffin and Ted Nelson "were introduced by Jim Barron, who officiated as referee. Nelson was esquired by Snowy Sturgeon, Manus, Sid. Russell, and Charlie Newland. Griffin's brigade consisted of Jim and Larry Gaflney, Johnnie Moroney and Tim Burke. Jim Barron announced the weights: Nelson 10.9, Griffin 11.5. Griffin came with scrcwod-up face and ferocious mien at the opening. He looked m the pink of condition, and full of deadly business. Ted backed, always alert and. ready, Griffin lashed m a right swing to the jaw, which connected, Ted replied with a jab, on the boko. Sonic sparring and clinches, then Grif- 'sent a left hook to the ribs, but Ted wasn't there. Griffin was still pressing aggressively at the bell. « In the second, Griffin came sparring m, snorting like a steam, engine. Nelson evaded with beautiful cleverness on a couple of occasions— Grif's terrific swings whizzing harmlessly through the air. Ted suddenly launched a right swing to the jaw, but.it fell a bit short. A second later, during a mix, Jim near as demmit got Nelson, wfth a malevolent right swing to the point. Grif socked a couple home as they were battling m the corner. It was Griffin's round. Griffin opened the third with a left rip downstairs, and carried on by the impetus of his blow, went to the floor. Nelson landed a clean beauty m turn to the pantry a moment later. Nelson evaded cleverly, and the Maorilander attacking fiercely, was the order of the remainder of the round.. " \ Nelson began to screw his face up m fierce fashion, as he came m the next. His facial contortions appeared to disconcert the Maorilander, who paused. They fooled and fiddled for a while. , Then car4e a bolt from the blue. Ted suddenly lashed out a right, which landed with terrific force on the eye. Again and again Ted sent hot stuff into ribs and jaw, causing the house to rise up and roar like tigers. It was a hot. and deadI ly round, during which Griffin had a parlous time. In the fifth Ted caused another roar by landing a beautifully-timed right again lon to the sore eye. Jim was fighting a bit more cautiously now, although he showed himself a very much improved fighter all through. Several times he led, but ftho will-o'-the-wisp Nelson was seldom there. Once Griffin socked one m downstairs, and a second later, as Ted ducked, he copped him with an uppercut m the vicinity of the chin. Griffin then kept pressing till the bell, . and did best business. The sixth was openeS by Griffin performing a weird .frog-jump. Somecomie'al sparring, then Nelson charged- in, and Gnffled before the onslaught. As Grif came m turn and pressed, they embraced, and almost speared on to their nappeirs. Griffin brought a yell >by swinging a fearful right which missed Ted's jaw by only an inch or two, as he lay back on the ropes. But Jim, not to be denied, kept attacking, and landed a solid couple to the face, bringing the claret from Ted's cheek, Ted was first to score m the next, with a short jolt to the jaw. Griffin sent some destructive thuds on to his foe s dial, and, gaining confidence, came lashing m. Ted was copping niost of the punishment, but m a mix, just on the bell, he got Griffin with a left hook to the jaw, dropping him for a second. Ted essayed a blithering left rip to the point, as the eighth opened, but Gril warded it cleverly. Later Ted went down for a sec, half from a body punch and a slip. After some more tricky sparring Grif scored to the shirt front. Later Nelson connected with a rip to the jaw. Nelson came m with a lot of fooling m the ninth. Griffin expended a lot of usefuf steam by hitting the atmosphere. A couple of clinches, then Ted jabbed bis foe on the tater trap and got home a.gain to the same spot a second later. Ted. broke. .ground m the next by sending a left rip downstairs, but caught a bang m the melon m getting away. Then Grif lashed a beautiful lash to the jaw which Ted stopped, and ditto a second later. But Nelson came back with a lightning-like upper-cut that connected with the chin. , Griffin kjpt pressing strenuously right up to the™ ell. Ho wal full of fighting devil, and during this (the tenth) round gave Nelson something to go on with. & /r , Tl ?^7 o P en ed up the next rather tamely. (Griffin gave the house a bobby-dazzler free show for a while.) The New Zealander kept pressing, but beyond a few ineffectual punches from both combatants, and a series of clinches,, there was nothing m the round. 4iT h + ei J?« ca "2£ m a startli ng fashion m the twelfth. They circled around for a time. Griffin lashed and landed on to Ted s rapidly-swcllmg cy 0 . A second later he released a left hook-one out of the box— which landod square between the eyes, and hist previous vanquisher went down autf out, almost tailing through the ¥opes. It was some tir'nu before Nelson revived^