"A BEEG, STRONGA FELLA"

NZ Truth, Issue 1144, 3 November 1927, Page 12

"A BEEG, STRONGA FELLA"

McDonald Climbs All Over Clines

(By Cable. — From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Sydney Representative.) Lachie McDonald received a dose of Irishman's luck when he made his initial Sydney showing a couple of weeks back.

HE met and defeated Billy Harms, of South Africa, but the referee decided that he had only walloped his Avay to a drawn decision. He was about the only person m the building with that opinion. Last week Lachie left nothing to doubt, and clearly ploughed through to take the verdict over Johnny Clines, a stable-mate of Harms.

A tough fight it w pair of tough customers, and from the opening round McDonald lunged forward m his aggrressive, ungainly way. With both fists flying, he was bent on only the one thing — the annihilation of Clines. Unfortun at el y, Lachie hasn't an atom of polish to his work — he is just a fighter. He knows only to lurch m and push his gloves m the general direction oi the other fellow.

He isnt exactly as hard to land upon as a streak of quicksilver, but as yet no punch that has connected with his flinty features has troubled him m the slightest. His usual mode of attack is jabbing a left to the head, followed quickly by a right-hand drive at the ribs. Then he drops into a clinch and spreads an assortment of half-arm cuffs m a sort of perpetual motion manner that wears the opposition to rags and tatters. In Clines he had an easy target.

Johnny is one of those "beeg, stronga fella" types. He is tough, game and anxious, but is very much below par as far as fighting ability is concerned. Depending solely on a wild, openhanded left-hand slap, he had little chance Avith the lashing McDonald. In the third round his right eyebrow was gashed, and, by the twelfth, McDonald had raised a lump under the same lamp that threatened to close it entirely. At times Johnny bravely tried t o slug with the tough Maorilander, bu t, for a so-called "Tiger," he was minus claws. Nothing he landed upon Lachie seemed to carry enough weight to seriously disturb

him

At the finish McDonald . was still boring and barging m, ripping, tearing, and vainly trying to cave his man's ribs m. The crudeness of his" earnest efforts robbed them of most effectiveness.

He won all right, but he must get some semblance of style and skill before his natural fighting ability will ever place him among the top plane of performers. He weighed 11.3 & and Clines 11.2, an announcement that caused quite a stir, for the American looked to bo clearly the bigger man.