AT CHRISTCHURCH.

NZ Truth, Issue 915, 9 June 1923, Page 12

AT CHRISTCHURCH.

McCleary Defeats Heeney. A Poor Contest. (By "Truth's" Special.)

Brian McCleary, list 131 b (Christchurch) .defeated Jack Heeney. list Gib (Glsborne), on points In a flfteenrourid contest for a £200 purse at Chrtetchurch laßt Saturday before :t cvowded audience. Both stripped well, and although McCleary was slightly taller and longer Jn the reach, the difference In the poundage was hardly apparent. The early stages saw some good hard knocks taken and given by both men, the Northerner using his left effectively. McCleary took the fight to Heeney In the third round and repeatedly rattled him with hard lefts to the jaw. -followed- Immediately by solid rights to the heart and ribs. Heeney was smothering up before the end of the roundr-and when ho unshipped the left once or twice it lacked Its former sting. . .-..,--■ In the fourth the local man again did the leading, and his right to the ribs troubled Heeney, who took a lot of punishment. In the lifth McCleary had his man well measured, and it seemed just a matter of how long Heeney could stand it. Ho was fighting gamely but without force behind- the goods. In the sixth and seventh the Olhhorno man twice got through to McCleary's face with surprisingly solid lefts, and m the eighth, after a poor opening, he suddenly took the offensive and shaped well for a spell, but the effort soon snent itself and the remainder of tjie fight was tame and uninteresting. MoCleary simply maintaining his margin of points and quietly boxing. The contest again proved that whilo the Chrlstchureh man is a nuJek and clever boxer he is sndly lacking m the punch which real champions must possess. If McCleary has such n punch In his nrmament he had ample opportunity of using It on Hoeney. but ho failed to get there with stuff solid enough to onrt the fight. The big event was prefaced by throe stirring preliminaries. A. Thompson (Christchurch), lOst 21b, bent .7. Nelson (Greymouth), lOst 51b; N. Moulin (Christchurch), 9st 21b. beat C. Peniipllv (Christchurch). 9st 21b; a. Black (Christchurch). oflt Slb, beat Q. Terrlss (Ashburton). 9«t.