COCKTAIL COSTICA !

NZ Truth, Issue 571, 27 May 1916, Page 11

COCKTAIL COSTICA !

Roumanian's Wretched Performance. 1 Paralysed With Fear of Champion :■■ ' ■■■''■'■ Darcj .. ■ ; ; ■ . - : AH Over m Throe and, a Half Rounds.

: Alex. Costica (Costica Alexandrescu),' the Roumanian middleweight who was Imported specially to fight Les Darcy, champion middleweight ; of the world, essayed that operation on Saturday "night, May 13, arid left the ring covered with ignominy and sore' spots. He lasted considerably less than four rounds and was m a ghastly yellow funk all the time. ■■.■■.,.■'.". . • When Costica landed m Sydney he was the cock -surest cove that ever shot i his mouth 1 . He Informed people that he had never been knocked down" and that there was no man he could not knock out If he got his wallop on to him. To hear him talk one would think that he looked upon, the trip to Australia as a little picnic that would result In his going back to Yankeeland as champion of the world, and with a couple of grips ! full of gulden googles. •".- ...■-;>■/. Well, ft magnificent crowd rolled up to the Sydney Stadium to assist at, the extinction of Darcy— -which, needless to say, they no more expected than they expected ttie resurrection—and they saw about as sorry a spectacle as was l ever seen m a boxing ring. I There must b,ave been fully eight thousand people present when the bell rang to call the pair together. When Costica stood up and walked forward to meet and shake hands with Darcy, he presented a sorry spectacle. He was lean to a degree that made one Gaiiipoli hero say, "He a fighter? Why he looks like A' starved Turk that has conic m to, surrender, for the sake of a feed." His legs and arms were mere strings of muscle and tendon, . covered with a smudgy yellow skin, while his knees trembled under him as he walked. It seemed a shame to leave so wretched a (creature alone m the ring at the mercy ;of a health?, wickedly-smiline, vigor-

ous and cheery big boy like Darcy. Then the bell rang, Arthur Scott shouted "box on," and Costica's troubles began. There is no need to go into details' further' than arc set forth m the account of the fight by rounds, as given below. If the Roumanian ever know anything about boxing— and he surely must have, to beat Summers, Basham, Tom McCormick, Badoud. and suchhe forgot it all the moment he had to face the terrible Darcy, He was all but helpless, paralysed through fright, and -he quit m the second round, after holding on most of the first; but the bell rang the termination of the three minutes while Costica was lying on the canvas, where he had thrown himselt to evade the stinging blows Darcy had rained upon him. He. had the same rotten luck m. the third, leaving his liedown act till too late, and again the cruel bell defeated his fixed intention to be counted out. He made no such silly mistake m the fourth. Prevented, by Darcy's vigor and the referee's alertness, from hanging on to those dreadful flailing arms, Costica went down under a rain of short Jolts up to the face. He rolled on his backhand seemed to intend to stay there, but angry hoots and ironical laughter stung him Into rising again. Instantly, Darey stepped m. and leftuppereut the down-cringing face, twice, and the pallid and bleeding warrior from far Roumania slid down the ropes, an inert yellow heap. Then Inspector Jones stood up, just as Scott reached the count of three, and signalled cessation. The referee, with a look of disgust on his face, placed his hand on Darcy's head, and a very sour-looking flock of seconds hopped m and bore the limp form of the defeated and disgraced Costica to his chair. ■ The weights were: Darcy list 41b, Costica list o%lb. Arthur Scott was referee. ROUND ONE. Costica looked very unhappy when he was left alone m the corner, and he shook hands m the most perfunctory fashion. When they shaped up, he dived into a hold at once, and both played for the body with the right. The same thing occurred, Costica diving In and taking hold with his right hand round the waist, and trying his left to the body. He hung on desperately, and Darcy looked to the referee to separate them. As he came m again, head down, Darcy, thoroughly angry, uppercut him very heavily to the face, and the house rocked with applause. Again Costica. hung on. and would noi step back. The moment they were separated, Darcy hooked to the jaw and half uppercut to the faoe, A arid again the Roumanian : got hold, and would not step back, although Darcy released him, and remained absolutely inert. The crowd was hooting the foreigner already for clinging on. Releasing his hold, Darcy uppercut with both hands to the face three times, and Costica bled at the mouth. As he came hurling m again, head down, Darcy met him with a right uppercut to the face. As the ball rang. Scott Walked across and said something to Darcy, and the house bbo-hooed him very bitterly, although the crowd knew nothing about the circumstances. ; - ROUND TWO Darcy led a left and the Roumanian essayed a cross, but was blocked. The"n he Jed a heavy right, but Darcy blocked it neatly»J? Costica stuffed the left to the throat and again got Into holds, slowly pushing Darcy round the ring. He simply would not stand off and box. They worked round the ring twice. Darcy occasionally put m a short uppercut to the face, and was cheered for so doing. Several times Darcy walloped the loin with the right while Costica held on with his left, and he also brought It up inside the holding arm to the mouth. Gosticu showed considerable cleverness with his head m evading Darcy's punches m the open^ but the moment they got together Les banged the head off him; A heavy left rip to the body made Costica lie down m the middle of the" ring, evidently done; but while he lay OnjJthe ground the bell rang. His seconds carried him to his corner. There was a terrific hubbub, the crowd scenting a quit. ROUND THREE. Costica crouched m; his corner and did hl3 usual slow glide m into grips. Then he went round the ring with Darcy m hot pursuit. Les swung left and right to tho face, tapping the claret freely. Costica ducked a right, and Darcy swung ro.und with It, and the foreigner hit him on the back of the head, a downward punch like a man with a hammer. iDarcy laughed, and proceeded to knock his head off. Whatever attitude the Roumanian took up Darcy hit him with one hand or the other, and Alex, hung on ; round the body for clear life. : Just on the bell Costlca went down again/ He was utterly done, and It was a fair quit, but the bell again "saved" him, and Patsy Burke bore him bodily to his corner. ROUND POUR, Costica stood off and Darcy jabbed his nose three times as he backed round the ring. Sledgehammer punches at close quarters had Costica's head rocking. If he could think at all he must have thought he" was at the brick cleaners' ball. Again Castica was fought down, the last punch being a terrible left uppercut. He got up at eight with a hang- dog look In his eyes, only to be floored again, close m front of Police Inspector Jones, who immediately rose to stop the (jount, but was anticipated by referee Scott, and Darcy , was declared the winner.