CANN SHADES ROBINSON.

NZ Truth, Issue 850, 4 March 1922, Page 8

CANN SHADES ROBINSON.

A good house turned out to witness the clash between Charlie Cann (Wanganui) (bantam champion) and Lin Robinson (Gisborne) (feather champion) at the Town Hall, Wellington, on Friday last. The fight was godd, clean and hard throughout, and resulted m a much better proposition than at first sight would appear . on . paper, and the W.B.A. must be given their full, measure of credit, for once m a way, for the judicious matching of the pair. Fo representatives of different classes the weights as t announced were surprisingly close— Robinson at Sst. 9%lbs. having only an advantage of twelve ounces. At Sst. 91bs. Cann fought at a weight heavier than on any previous occasion on which ho has entered the ring and taking a line on his superb condition it looks doubtful if he will be able to make bantam again and retain his strength. Both men were m the pink and when they shaped up Robinson's decided advantages m heights and reach were most apparent. Cann Is one of the terrier breed and started hostilities with a firm conviction , that he was there to 'give his all and ! take everything that- was coming. He was at all times loathe to break • ground, preferring to stand m and battle at close quarters. It was an evenly-contested battle throughout, Cann holding the margin m the second, sixth, seventh, tenth and eleventh rounds, whilst Robinson took the fourth, twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth, the remainder being more or less even. In the tight stuff Cann put more powder Into his punches than the rangy Robinson, but the latter's loop-tne-loop was dn evidence throughout and strangely enough ' the Wanganui boy could not devise a means of providing an effective block. Robinson's best punches were his fast one, two to the head, alternating with a stiff right prod, to the body. Cann's favbrite punch was his right uppercut as he Jumped m after the break, and he invariably connected. Cann was reprimanded on several occasions for hitting with the open glove, a habit which he would do well to eliminate if he wants to go far m the game. The contest was punctuated with a series of fast, willdng exchanges with varying successes, and Referee Mick Stewart sent the fight along at a merry clip throughout by instantly breaking the contestants the moment the toe to toe operations were concluded. Both men brought off some good ducks and slips but Robinson must , take the honors for consistently good' footwork and evasion. He had Cann maKing futile swishes dnto thin air at tllmes, and It was only Wanganui's tenacity of purpose which kept him m the picture. Robinson appeared to be tiring from the sixth to the ninth under Cann's' persistent body baterdes, but he came with a rattle from the twelfth onwards, and, throwing all his reserve Into the Issue, made a bold bid for the .thick end of the purse. Summing up the whole position there was nothing very much In It at the close but the verdict, for Cann, which met with the approval of the fans, was undoubtedly a good deoislon.