"A FRONT RUNNER"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16506, 25 November 1927, Page 7

"A FRONT RUNNER"

TOM HEENEY'S CHANCES •' STAGGERED RISKO '' AMERICAN PRESS COMMENT That the chances of the Gisbornifce, Tom Heeney, of making a name for himself in the American boxing world aro improving with every contest, is indicated !>}• tiic press comments which followed his spectacular defeat of Johnny Risko, the Toledo heavyweight The Chicago Tribune's report of the contest is as follows: /'Tom Heeney, the resourceful New Zealand heavyweight, proved that he should be a formidable opponent for Boston Jack Sharkey, whom he meets! in the New Garden, New York, on January 13, by defeating Johnny | Risko, of Toledo, toughest of all heavyweight trial horses, in a vicious-ly-fought 10-round bout. Heeney weighed 1001 to Risko's 187 pounds. The attendance numbered 17,000, and the receipts £15,000. Heeney's victory established him as a front runner in the list of conlenders who will battle for the right to meet Gene Tunney for his heavyweight title in New York City this winter. "Risko was the chap who gave Tunney a tough light two years back, and who recently outpointed Jack Delaney in a 10-round bout. He made a great fight against Heeney in the sixth, seventh aiil eighth rounds, but outside of that he was< a mark for the big, coolly precise New Zealander, who laid back and picked him off with a well-directed counter-attack asj Risko charged with both mitts Jiving. "Risko shook Heeney from "stem to gudgeon" with a short left hook to the chin in the second,round, but although Toni caught the punch! squarely, he recovered quickly and! made Risko back up under a lightning : attack to the head and body. "Heeney had a clear advantage going into the sixth round, but he did not extend himself until the last three frames. He staggered Risko repeatedly with short right uppercuts which made Johnny break ground or hold on. Risko tried hard to stem the tide in the ninth and tenth, but Tom stopped him in his tracks with a wellexecuted two-handed attack."