SPLENDID CONTEST

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 591, 18 February 1929, Page 11

SPLENDID CONTEST

BROADFOOT AND POCOCK DRAW BOXING AT TE AROHA A splendid fight between Jim Broadfoot, of Auckland, and Clarrie Pocock, of Christchurch, was seen by a large crowd at the Te Aroha Boxing Association’s carnival, in the Theatre Royal, Te Aroha, on Saturday evening. The re.sult was a draw. On two previous occasions the boxers had met, the first meeting at Auckland resulting in a win for Broadfoot, and the second in Christchurch in a draw. The next bout was splendidly contested and the third meeting on Saturday produced a very similar battle. Throughout the bout the spectators were kept on their feet by fierce hard-hitting rallies. Broadfoot has improved in his boxing in recent months, but he was hardly up to form on Saturday evening, a cold and a damaged nose hampering* him a good deal. However, he made a great fight and some of the spectators count him unlucky in not getting the decision. Pocock showed himself to have improved considerably. He met Broadfoot’s rushes with both hands going, and lie rarely gave ground. As Broadfoot had a similar reluctance to fight on the retreat the pair met in hard exchanges, fighting until they broke apart. At no time during the fight did one have any worth-while lead on the other and if one managed to draw a little ahead the other soon brought the score even. The referee for both the professional and the amateur bouts was Mr. R. Meale,. of Auckland. NO TIME WASTED The weights were announced as Broadfoot list Gib and Pocok list 41b. As soon as the gong clanged it became evident that there was to be no time lost in fancy tricks. Both boxers got to work immediately, Broadfoot opening his score with lefts to the body. He carried the fight to Pocock, who met him with straight lefts to the face. The panr next indulged in a series of two-handed exchanges in the middle of the ring, followed by Pocock scoring with a left to the nose and a right to the heart. Broadfoot replied by hooking his left to the body and shooting a right to the jaw. The second term opened at a fast clip and a flurry of lightning blows were exchanged. Broadfoot placed two nice right swings to the jaw and took in return a right to the body and a left to the head. Pocock followed up by placing straight lefts. Broadfoot used a similar weapon and a right to the head. Broadfoot commenced the next round by placing both hands to head and body. Stung to action, Pocock sailed in with both hands going, the Aucklander being compelled to cover up on the ropes. The contestants 1 further enlivened the proceedings by a fine exchange of straight lefts. Both scored to the body in the fourth session, Pocock also succeeding with two straight lefts and Broadfoot with a heavy left swing to the jaw. Later the southerner placed both hands to the body, Broadfoot using a snappy right uppercut.

The fifth round saw Pocock connect with a straight left to the body, take two rights to the head, and send in a hard straight left which knocked Broadfoot off his balance, but it did not upset him. Broadfoot swung back to action with a right to the head, but he missed with another and Pocock nailed him on the ropes. There was a lively exchange of body blows at the end of the round.

The next three rounds were somewhat quieter, although there was always something interesting going on. The ninth opened to more lively and exciting rallies, but both men appeared to have lost most of their sting.

Great fighting was seen throughout the whole three minutes of the 10th and last round. Broadfoot plied both hands to the head, a rally of head and body blows following. As Pocock scored to the head Broadfoot hammered at the body. Pie then essayed for the head, Pocock returning with a hard right swing to the jaw. Both were fighting hard at the gong. An outburst of cheering followed Mr. Meale raising the hands of both men for a draw. AMATEUR BOUTS N. McConnell (Frankton), list 21b, beat O. Cleave (Te Aroha), lOst 91b. — The first two rounds were very poor, the contestants appearing little more than novices. An improvement was seen in the third, McConnell connecting well with lefts to the body and head. Cleave came to light in the last round and made things willing, but McConnell had enough in hand to win a comfortable decision. F. Williams (Frankton), Bst 61b, beat H. O. Pratt (Hamilton), 9st. —Although easily the cleverer boxer Williams left much to be desired in regard to correct hitting. Pratt fought well, in the final round, but Wil 4 ns had a clear-cut VI J. Ross (Frankton), lOst 91b, beat C. Jansen (Te Aroha), lOst 111 b v i • hard hitting bout spoilt by holding. At tlio end of the second round Jansen had a margin in his favour, but in the next two sessions Ross did better. Pie was ;l trifle lucky in getting, the decision, Jansen making a very hard fight in the last round. G. Campbell (Matamata). lOst, beat J. Wilson (Frankton), 9st 51b. —There was little between the pair in the first round. As the gong clanged for the end of the round Campbell sent Wilson to the floor with a left hook. The former won the second round by a margin and in the third soon had Wilson grou uy n succession of left and right swings to the jaw. Wilson made a game attempt to fight him off, but he had no chance and the referee stopped the bout. A. Woods (Waihou), 9st 41b, beat T. Harman (Te Aroha), 9st 71b. —This bout was fast and even and was the best of the amateur contests. Woods deserved his win by reason of his cleaner punching, but there was little between the pair at the finish. Harman was a little too confident and he left himself open to Woods’s right hand. The latter, however, did not know how to punch properly with that member, or else his victory would have been more marked.