BOXING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20798, 17 August 1929, Page 14

BOXING.

SHACK BEATS DELANEY. The professional boxing contest between Sammy Shack, of America, and Bobby Deianoy, of Australia, drew a large crowd to the Drill Hall last night. The fight, which was for a purse of £2OO, went the full 15 rounds, and the referee (Mr Don Paterson) declared Shack the winner—a decision which met with general approval. Both men weighed 9.7, and the difference in their styles was at once noticeable. Shack adopts the erect stance, whilst Delaney fights with a crouched attitude. The pair had met in the Sydney Stadium .some time ago, when Delaney got the decision'. So far as the fight last night is concerned, it did not provide many spectacular incidents. The first seven or eight rounds failed entirely to arouse the enthusiasm of the spectators, but thereafter the boxers put more vigour into their work, and Shack won at the finish by a good margin of points.- Shack proved himself a very clever boxer. He kept cool throughout, and did not take undue risks. As a matter of fact, .both men were inclined to break away from each other in the earlier rounds when opportunities for striking effective blows were clearly available! Shack’s timing at the start was poor, and so, for that matter, wag Delaney’s, but the blocking and back-moving of both of them were excellent. On last nights performance Shack was clearly the better boxer, and his methods at times appeared to puzzle whose work generally was not ' Cl 'y finished, although he often carried the fight to his opponent to some- purpose.

Fo.lowei's of boxing in Dunedin have been used to seeing clean hitting in open work, but there was not much of that last night. There was little open fighting at any stage, neither man desiring to try this style to any extent. As staled, the spectators watched the first rounds with some impatience, wondering when the men were going to do some solid boxing. THE ROUNDS. Xlie first blow- struck' was a low, sweeping left to the body by Delaney, audit may be stated that several times during the fight Delaney’s left to the body was placed low. Delaney then connected with a light left to the heasi and one to the body. Shack being content to tap his opponent with lefts to the face and break back. Shack at last connected with a good left to the head. Delaney was allowing Shack to lead to him with his left towards the end of the round and showed some clever ducking. Delaney jumped in with a left to the face commencing the second round, and after some infighting Shack did some clever blocking and back moving. Nothing very serious happened in the round. Infighting and some light taps with Shacks left hand marked the commencement' of the third round, and then both men showed clever, ducking and footwork, Delaney making Shack miss a lot. The pair engaged in some solid infighting in the fourth i-ound, Delaney forcing Shack ,to : the ropes in one rally, and there was not much damage done in the next, the spectators getting restless and calling on the men ,to go in and fight. Peianey got home with a good right swing to the head in the sixth round, Shack coming back with two clean left shots to the head. Infighting followed, both men punching bard to the body with their rights. Delaney jumped in with another ' left to the face, and repeated the blow immediately after. Move infighting, and a good right to the head from Shack. The seventh round did not provide anything startling, being marked with a lot of ducking, blocking, and back moving, Shack especially proving himself a hard man to hit. The contest livened up in the eighth round, Delaney trying unsuccessfully to break into his opponents’ defence. Delaney just-clipped Shack’s chin with a left swing, Shack retaliating with a solid right uppercut to the body, and the pair went together, both punching hard "with lefts and rights. Shack connected with a short left hook as they broke away, and then chopped his right to Delaney’s head, the latter falling, and Shack turning and walking to his corner. Delaney was up in a flash, and after the American, but the gong went. Shack was satisfied to-take‘matters coolly ,in the ninth round, and let Delaney come to him; but the Australian at last forced Shack to the ropes, a good rally, close in, following. Shack was- doing- the better work, and commencing to dominate , the fight. Delaney opened the tenth round with a left rip to the body, and Shack cleverly ducked a right swing to his jaw, and after some open work Delaney bored in for a clinch. Infighting, and on the break away Delaney scored : with a left to the body and a right to the head. A hard rally then took place, both men fighting strongly, with honours even. This was the best round so far. Just after the start of the eleventh round Delaney appeared to get a short right hander ae he broke from infighting. He went to the floor, but the referee considered he had not been hit, and odered him to stand up and fight. Delaney at once rushed in for close work, but Shack was holding him well and getting in a good right to the body In the twelfth round the men engaged in a lot of range fighting, Shack especially showing himself very clever in this stylo of contest. Delaney then got inside his opponent’s leads to smother and block his opponent’s blows. Shack ’got in a solid left to the face, and Delaney fought him fiercely to the ropes with short lefts and rights, and kept him there, the gong going. Delaney ran from his corner to start the thirteenth round, but lie could not get through Shack’s defence. Both men missed a lot, but at last Delaney swung his left twice to the head, and followed it with a right to the body, Shack also scoring with a right to the body. Delaney once again drove Shack to the ropes, but a right upper cut to the chin from Shack steadied his opponent, and he then blocked cleverly a further attack. Some clean hitting by Shack was seen in the fourteenth round, but they did not appear to hurt Delaney. Delaney then scored with a fine right to the jaw. Shack retaliating .with'two welltimed shots with his left, band to the head. In the final round Delaney attacked strongly, but Shack did the better, work with both hands. He then planted a solid left in Delaney’s face, Delaney coming back with a good right swing to the head, and the gong then went. ' Neither man was distressed at the finish.

PRELIMINARIES. J. Bryce 9.5 beat G. Adams 0.7,

The pair started off at a great pace, and punched each other hard with both hands. Halfway through the first'round Bryce connected twice with solid rights to the jaw, and Adams went down for the count.

J. Craik S;3 beat J. Hood 5.2,

In the first round the pair showed some open fighting, with Graik the more aggressive. Craik did most of the leading, and got home more than once with a hard right swing, to the head. In , the second round a right to the head stung Craik, and he fought back fiercely, driving his right to the body and connecting also to the head. The timing of both youths was at times weak. Craik was fighting over his opponent when the gong went. Craik forced Hood round the ring in the third round, and was always holding the upper hand, using a good right to the body and.the head,. Hood connected onee or twice with a loft to the face, but he could not hold off his solid opponent. In the final round Craik was always the dominant force, and had Hood mostly pn the retreat. The winner had the advantage in every round. T. Walker 9.7 beat F. Hood 9-8. Walker had all the best of the first round, using a good left to the, face several times. Walker,also had the better ringerafl, and stormed a' lot of blows

v -th his gloves. Hood was trying to connect with the body, but was using too much .footwork. Walker won the second round, but Hood was now fighting'with more-vigour. Walker, however, was making him miss a lot. and then getting homo with short right hand jabs to the face as the pair canre together. Hood had more vigour, than science. The third round wag not a very scientific affair. Hood was trying hard to get home with a powerful right to the body or the head, but Walker was .blocking ' nicely' and getting in some good work with his left hand. Hood tried hard for a knock-out in the last round, but he found Walker a hard man to hit. Some solidwork took place., close in. Walker, however, had the better science and also the better footwork. Hood is a strong fighter, with a solid right hand, and he will do better with more experience.

Mr V. Parker was the referee in the preliminaries, and Messi”. Dong. Paterson and Peter Torrie the judges. ' ■