BOXING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19702, 1 February 1926, Page 3

BOXING.

MURRAY v. PURDY. WIN FOR THE AUCKLANDER r A FINE EXHIBITION. The professional boxing contest between Los Murray (9st 8£lb), Dunedin, the present light-weight champion of New Zealand, and cfiarles Purdy (lOst Ojlb). Aucriaud who represented New Zealand as an amateur at tlie recent Olympic Games in Paris, drew a very large crowd to His Majesty s Theatre on Saturday night, the building being crowded to the door. The contest was for a purse of £2OO. on a 60-40 basis, and it went the full distance of 15 rounds, each of three Mnutes. lho spectators wore treated to a fine exhibition of clean and clever boxing, and there was no dissentient voice when the referee (Mr Fred Shaw) declared Purdy the winner, the decision being received with cheers. Patrons of the fistio art in Dunedin look forward generally to plenty of hard punching and forcing tactics in local boxing competitions, but on Saturday night they were treated to less of that, and to more clever , footwork and 1 ducking, both men striving to score from points by scientific boxing. Murray was handicapped by the longer reach of the northern boxer. and_ he failed repeatedly to connect with his left leads as a result, Purdy keeping outside this method of attack. Murray was disinclined, except on occasions towards the end of the “gnt, to go in and fight to the body, though he should have' earlier realised that these were the tactics he should have employed against his very elusive opponent, who did not relish what infighting Murray did press for. Murray, moreover, would not force matters when ho had driven Purdy to the ropes evidently fearing that his opponent might unload a surprise packet. The Dunedin man also seldom used his solid right cross. Purdy gave a very fine exhibition, of clever footwork, ducking, and back-moving —indeed his work in this respect was most attractive. 1 In the sixth round ho opened Murray’s left eyebrow • with a ngnt swing, which came down to the forehead, but the bleeding was stopped after a round or two. Murray was very tired and jaded-looking towards the end of the fight, and his admirers - .wore disappointed that he did not invest more aggressiveness into his fighting in the early stages when his condition was enabling him to follow the clever northerner round the ring. Purdy fought with confidence right throughout, and the fair-haired Aucklander hardly bore a mark at the end of the 15 rounds. Purely opened the fight with a light left to the face, and Murray retaliated with a right to the body, Puxdy back-moving as it landed. Purdy made Murray miss badly, scored with a good loft to the face, made him miss again, and then both connected with lefts and rights. Purdy started the second round with a left to Murray’s face, scored with another left, and Murray came back with a clean left to the face. Murray landed three times with light lefts to toe face. Both men showed clever footwork, and Purdy got home with a right swing. Murray missed' with a vicious right swing. The fight so far was not invested with aggressive tactics by either man—it was real scientific leading and ducking. Twice Murray drove Purdy to the ropes Opening the third round. Ho was finding it difficult, however, to connect with a solid punch when he got him there. Purdy went to a clinch. Both scored with lefts. Purdy connected with a right swing, and mot Murray’s left as his head came up after ducking. Murray followed the advantage with a right to the body, and drove Purdy again to the ropes. Purdy smothered in the face of another attack, and the audience cheered as Murray won this round easily. In the fourth round Purdy caught Murray with a loft as he ducked. Purdy showed some pretty footwork, but Murray drove him to, the ropes and scored with a right to the 'jaw. Purdy then scored with a good left to the jaw. Murray connected to the body, Purdy scored with his good left, and. then Murray got Purdy to the ropes again and hurt him with a solid right to the body. Murray was leading with his left, but he could not connect. He then scored with a solid left to the face, but Purdy came back with a good left and right swing to the head. Twice Purdy scored with lefts to the face. There was not much difference in points in this round. Purdy scored freely opening the fifth round with rights and lefts,' and made Murray miss. Murray got home with a left to the face and a right to the body, but Purdy was not there when he swung in his right again. Purdy put in some pretty ring-craft, and caught Murray in the face as he cam© up after ducking. In the sixth round Murray tried, without effect, to reach Purdy with his left, but he scored twice with right swings to the body. Purdy came back with a left to the face, and swung over his right to Murray’s face, cutting open his eyebrow. Purdy scored with a right, and Murray could not reach him with two lefts. Murray got the northerner to the ropes, land connected with a left jo the body, Purdy replying with a left and right to the head. Purdy went into a clinch. ' Murray’s eye was now bleeding. Murray jumped in and scored . with three left rips to the body, but Purdy was carefully watching this blow, and, quickly back-moving, Purdy connected with a right to the body, and both scored with lofts. Purdy fought well in the eighth round, and piled up points, particularly with his left hand, Murray was not able apparently to keep pace with the northerner's clever footwork and quick hitting. Sparring in the first part of the ninth round Purdy missed with a loft hook, and so did Murray. Purdy connected with-his left, and Murray got in four times with his left to the stomach, but Purdy was always back moving as they landed. Purdy got in a solid left to the neck. Murray was not making much use of his right hand. Purdy came in for a clinch as ’Murray played for the body, and, after some sparring, Purdy scored with a left and a right. Murray was finding it hard to get home with a solid punch. Purdy jumped in with his left, and then clinched, and then repeated these tactics, and Murray rushed his opponent to the ropes, playing for the body. Ho also brought his loft over to the jaw. Purdy made Murray miss very badly, and a stentorian voice _ cried, amidst laughter, “Can’t you find him!’’ Purdy smothered as Murray went for the body. Murray again tried for the body, but he could ’ not got to the tricky northerner. Murray connected with a solid rip to the body, and Purdy connected with a left to the neck. Purdy fought over the Dunedin man with lefts and rights, but Murray was fighting just as pluckily as ever. In this round Purdy put his hands low down on his stomach, and looked questioninglv at the referee. “Box on” called Mr Shaw. Murray was looking tfred, and after Purdy had gone to a clinch, he scored twice with lefts to the neck. Murray again tried for the body, and got Purdy on the ropes, but ho was content to let him come off them. Purdy connected with a left hook, and Murray momentarily slipped on the floor. Purdy was cleverly evading Murray's attempts to got in with body blows. Both scored with lefts. Purdy was doing well in the open fighting, and Murray could not break down his defence. Purdy won the thirteenth round well. Ho scored nicely with lefts, and just missed getting the full weight of a right swing on to Murray. Four times in succession the northerner reached Murray with his left. Murray was fighting to the body as the gong went. Purdy out-boxed Murray in the fourteenth round, and the tiring Dunedin man could not force homo his attacks to the body. Twice ho tried to get to dose quarters, but Purdy quickly got away. Purdy was attacking hard with open boxing as the gong went. In the last round Purdy fought very confidently. Ho was quite fresh and had hardly a noticeable mark on him. Again many of Murray’s shots missed, and by back-moving Purdy missed the full effects of the lefte which did land., The men were in a clinch as the last gong went. PRELIMINARY BOUTS. In the preliminary bouts J. Gallon 9.10 J boat Healey 9.10 on points, in a six-round contest. It was a poor fight. In tho catch-weight competition between 11. Kindloy and J. Wilson, tho referee (Mr Don Patterson) stopped the unequal contest in the fourth round, and saved Wilson from a hopeless task.