BOXING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18591, 27 June 1922, Page 6

BOXING

HEAVY-WEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP.

STQTJARRIE BEATS M'CLEARY.

SENSATIONAL KNOCK-OUT.

Hie boxing contest at His Majesty’s Theatre last evening for the Heavy-weight Championship of Now Zealand provided a sensational ending. Early in the contest it looked as if M'Quarrie (12.7) had failed to come back, and that M’Cleary- (11.9) was going to win easily. The well known sporting saying that a good big man will beat a good small man seemed likely t,o be dominated by another old saying that “Youth will be served.” It is eight years now since M’Quarrie fought and beat Matheeon in the Garrison Hall. He is now in his 34th year, whereas M‘Cleary is _ in the full vigour of the early twenties. ’ Moreover, there was no comparison in the boxing ability of the two men. M‘Cleary overshadowed M'Quarrio here, and won every round, till the fatal thirteenth, on points. M'Cleary, in fact, had the science, but M‘Qnarrie bad the punch. Had M“Cleary bad weight behind his blows the contest would never have reached the thirteenth round. M’Quarrie would have been down and out before then. M'Quame realised that he was up against a far cleverer man. and that his only hope was in a knock-out, Tn the middle rounds he tried several times with a vicious right swing to end the fight, but M'Cleary dodged nractically every one of them, or else was back moving and they did not get home •with full effect. The end came in rather a remarkable manner. It was noticed that at the end of the ninth and tenth rounds the referee (Mr Kilmartin) went across to M'Quarrio and spoke to him. He spoke to him again at the end of the eleventh round, and walked across the ring to the master of ceremonies (Mr S. S. Myers), wh6 then -announced that M'Quarrie had broken his hand, and that they would get a doctor to see it later. From Mr Myers’s remarks -—which were subjected to ‘many interrup tions —it seemed teat the fight had ended, and that M“Cleary had won. M Oleary, in fact, actually left his corner and went over and shook hands with M Quarrie. M'Quarrie then intimated to the referee that Be wanted to continue, and, after a moment’s hesitation, the referee said All right. Box on.” The gong sounded, and the twelfth round was started. M'Cleary came in hard to finish the nght with his right in the twelfth round. He .could not, however, secure a knock-out. In the thirteenth round M'Quame smothered, and M“Cleary hammered away at the head and body. M'Quarrie broke clear, and M“Cleary came through with a straight left to the face. Then M Quarne put all his weight behind a right swing, caught M'Cleary under the side of the jaw near the point and secured a clean knockout, M’Cleary falling full length on his - back. It vaa a few minutes before the ex-Dunedin man recovered suflaeiently to leave the ring. The knock-out was received with loud cheers. In the first round M'Cleary jumped 111 for a clinch, and got home well to the fcodv with both hands. M'Cleary continued these tactics, and M'Quarrie several times locked his opponent s left under his right arm to save himself. In the second round M’Cleary again jumped in for a clinch, and scored repeatedly in the infighting, M’Quarrie locking his opponent left arm again. M'Qnarne got 111 a right ■' awing to the head, but M’Cleary came back / with two straight lefts to the face. I M’Quarrie was failing to connect with a ‘ iot. V his blows. The third round saw M“Clean- draw his opponent s defence and score with a good left to the chin. He I also held the advantage in the infighting i being very clever in this department. Hifootwork and ringcraft were also fa superior to that shown by M'Quame. At I the commencement of the fourth round f M'Cleary was badlv beating M Quarne in 1 tee infighting, and up to this stage, of the I fictet M'Quarrie had hardly got in one ‘ sSid punch. In the fifth round M Cleary I outpointed his opponent, scoring time and I again with a straight left to the face and a I riitet to the nbs. Had M Cleary had a t knook-ont punch, the fight would probably 1 WTended here. M'Cleary , did practically all the leading in the sixth round* M'Quarrie not having the quick footwork \ necessary to save himself. The seven h i round saw M'Cleary again quite outpointing I ids opponent, forcing him round the ring. I M'Quarrie was very tired when tlie gong ‘ went M'Quarrie connected with a solid right to the ribs early in the eighth round M'Cleary replying with his favoimte left to the face and right to the ribs. Fou. times in succession he drove home this attack. It was M“Cleary’s round all the way M'Quarrio missed a lot with a straight let! and a right swing in tee ninth round, and • he was too slow to get out of the wav ot i M‘Cleary’s attacks. In the 10th and 11th i rounds M'Quarrie had to smother to save ( himself, but he was saving himself from the ' infighting by turning his shoulder to Al'Cleary as he came through for the punch. 1 At the end of the 11th round it was staled [ teat M'Quame had broken lus hand, but 1 he elected to go on. In the 12th, M'Quame ■ went hard for the. knook-out. He got in two right swings twice to fhe head—but not with full force—but he had to take a lot t of punishment, M'Cleary piling on the points with his straight left. His nngcraft had M'Quarrie quite puzzled. In (ho 13th round M'Quarrie quietly smothered. He then broke away, and M'Cleary came m with a straight left to the face. Like a flash, M'Quarrie swung in his powerful right. He got home with his full force, and M'Cleary went down to a dean knock-out and took the count. The purse was for £ls0 —£100 to the winner and £SO to the loser. M'Quarrie also ■ received £ls expenses and M'Cleary £2O. The contest was scheduled for 15 rounds of three minutes each. Mr Kilmartin was referee. and Messrs C. Balt and F. Campbell judges. The theatre was crowded to the doors, and the attendance was ad in c thing like a record for Dunedin. A PROTEST LIKELY. ■ It is understood that the secretary of the / association (Mr H. Divers) has been re--1 quested by M'Cleary’s father not to pay over the stake money to M'Quarrie, as a protest is likely to be lodged. The protest, if lodged, will bo on the ground that M'Cleary was virtually declared the win- '» ner at the end of the 11th round. PRELIMINARY ROUND. ' The contest between Mitchell (9.5) and Macdonald (9.13) proved a sterling go. The men had met on two previous occasions, and had one win each. In the first round Mitchell scored several times with his right and left chop, but Macdonald got in some solid blows, including a right to the body and a left to the head just before the gong went. Macdonald scored heavily in the second round, his longer reach enabling him to drive Mitchell back, and he got homo well with a straight right and left. Macdonald again clearly outpointed Mitchell in ■' the third round, the lighter man coming in : repeatedly for the clinch. Mitchell was not fighting with his usual aggressiveness or cleverness. In the fourth round Mitchell went down for five seconds, but then came strongly. He went down again immediately after from a clinch. He sprang to his feet as the referee (Mr Kilmartin) counted eight .seconds, but the referee then stopped the fight and declared Macdonald the winner. Up to this time Macdonald had been in ■ front in every round.