CARNERA-STRIBLING FIGHT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20915, 3 January 1930, Page 10

CARNERA-STRIBLING FIGHT.

STRIBLING DISQUALIFIED. MEMORABLE NIGHT AT ALBERT . HALL. (Fkosi; Oub Own Coebespokdekt.) LONDON, November 21. Prime Camera, tbo giant Italian boxer, won his fight with young Stribling, of America, at the Royal Albert Hall in the fourth round. It was a disappointing ending. The American was disqualified for , hitting low. * The Italian has boxed only for -12 months, and has appeared only in 16 contests. Stribling has been in 250 contests. Camera is 23 years' of age, stands Oft BJin in height, and weighs 20st lib. Stribling is 25 years of age, is sft ' llin height, and weighs 13st 51b. There was a record attendance at Albert Hall. The Prince of Wales was present, and many of London’s society people were there. The Prince arrived with Lieutenant-commander Louis Greig and Mr Harry Preston. As was to be expected, ■ there was pandemonium when the gaint was felled in the fourth round. There was a terrific burst of booing, hissing, and cat calls. There were shouts' of “ Foul! ” and counter shouts of “ No, he did not hit him! ” AH' that the main body of the spectators saw was that the contestants were locked vjn a-clinch, and then the Italian fell and rolled in agony on the' floor. The representative of the Sporting Life thus describes the rounds:—. Pound 1. After a very brief spar, Stribling jumped in with his left, missed, but drove a hard right over to the head. On breaking. Camera sent a light left to the face, but Stribling, fast on his feet, jumped in and scored with left and right on the head, and then, while still close in, whipped up a left, again to the head. There was a clinch, and -the referee, Ted Broadribb, had to order the men to break. Stribling was again first to lead, and he scored with a right hook to the body, and a left to the jaw that hurt Camera. Camera drove in short blows to the body with both hands when in clinches, he did not disturb Stribling, who again scored with quick punches tor the head and body. . Round 2, It was Stribling who again scored on the face in this round, and his speed and variety of punches completely nonplussed his opponent for a time. Camera was often in two minds, owing to the cleverness of the American, and, when he hesitated, was - beaten to the punch by his tricky opponent. Stribling was always hitting, and if his punches did not damage his opponent, they stung the big fellow especially one downward left to the jaw, which shook Camera and damaged his left eye. f Round 3. This round provided the sensation of the fight, beginning when Stribling, .after fiddling around and - getting his man guessing, sprang in and slung over a v right to the jaw, which sent Camera down, his head hitting the canvas with a bang .that. could be heard all over the Albert Hall. - ■ It seemed all over bar the shouting but Camera rolled over as a wrestler might do, and then got on his hands and knees facing his own corner. It was an anxious time for his seconds, but Camera nodded and waved his hand to them, and at “six” literally bounded'to his feet without a second’s pause, but hurled himself at his opponent, who simply crashed to the canvas, a terrific right-hand punch to the jaw sending him down before he could get his hands up. Nobody expected' Stribling to get up, but he djd, rising at “nine’- and looking as cool and collected as if nothing had happened. Camera all the time had been straining at the leash, to use a figure of speech, and had to be restrained by the referee, and told to get back. When instructed to box on he was at his man with one huge bound, but Stribnothing if not an ice-cold brainThis time he was ready, and, springing aside, he evaded the tremendous righ: aimed at him, anfi, coming in close, “middled” hjs man, and prevented him from doing further damage before the round ended. Round 4. Stribling. came out of his corner with knitted brows as the big fellow advanced towards him, and continued his previous tactics, drawing his man to him and swinging in with those snappy lefts and rights which seemed to come from all angles, but Camera was now putting out some of his gigantic straights. The Italian was punching with a power that he had never before .called upon, and until he was knocked down, in the third round, and Stribling was cutting-up under the pressure. Stribling may have, been .so weakened that he could not keep his hands sufli ciently high, but the fact remains that he hit Camera with a blow that was plainly low, and this was obvious to the spectators on at least two sides of the ring. Camera squirmed with the pain of the blow, and on the instant Stribling drove a right to the same spot; with what force the blow was delivered was made evident by the dent in his protector. Whether the blow was intentional it not, the crowd voiced its opinion in no uncertain way. Previously sympathy had been with the smaller man, bat now the shouts and boos which assailed Strib ling showed which way the feeling went. It was a disappointing ending to what should have been a fine contest. Boos and groans were Stribling’s portion when ho .stood waiting in the ring while his opponent lay writhing in agony, and he was booed again after the M.C. had announced that Camera was the winner ona foul. STRIBLING'S EXPLANATION. After the fight Stribling said: " I was hit only once, and that was on the jaw in the second round, but it did not hurt me a bit. The first thing I knew was that I was down, I looked over to my mother and knew then that it was safe enough to take a rest. But I was sure from that moment that I had got him beaten. “ I am sure I would have won, but for that bad luck. How can I say that I did not hit him low? The referee knows best. All I can remember is that I swung a left and right to his stomach where I knew I could do most damage. He parried my right, and I must suppose knocked it down; that is all I'can say, I am terribly sorry to have disappointed the Prince of Wales and the crowd.” TIGERISH FEROCITY. “No more thrilling fight has been witnessed in this country,” writes the Daily Telegraph correspondent, “ since Carpentier,. at the Holborn Stadium, with the Prince of Wales looking on, sprang at Joe Beckett, the then, reigning British champion, shot out his left hand, and with a following right that cracked as it reached the jaw, was the winner in almost record time. “ There was this difference —the contest last night ended because of a foul by Stribling in the second minute of the fourth round. With tigerish ferocity, his lips pursed tight and his eyes ablaze, the American drove his left palpably

inexcusably low, and the Italian fell like a log, to roll this and that way, his face distorted with pain. “ Ted Broadribb, the referee, so soon as the blow had been struck, shot up his right hand by way of a signal that Stribling had been guilty of an unpardonable transgression of the rules, and that disqualification of the American must follow as a matter of course. - "Stribling sensed the situation like the old campaigner that, he is, and his flushed face, as he went to his corner to join his father, was that of a man who had been robbed of his fighting heart. He muttered .words of protestation and gesticulated as if to say that he had done no wrong. “ The great gathering, in which there were ■ many hundreds of richly-gowned women, roared and booted. Camera, the while, looked round as if he were dazed. His eyes bulged, his thick lips were parted as he fought for his. breath, which came in short, distressing gasps. “ That the blow was illegally low I have not the least doubt. Whether intentional, only Stribling can telL I cannot believe it was. However, the referee rightly decided that a foul had been committed, and so ’ Stribling was adjudged the loser.” -