BOXING

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 20, 18 July 1911, Page 7

BOXING

WOLGAST AND MORAN.

GREAT BATTLE IN 'FRISCO. Sun Francisco, July fi. The battle for the lightweight championship of the world was fought in Conroth's arena to-day, Ad Wolgast defending the title against Owen Moran, the English boxer. The champion experienced great difficulty in making the weight, 1351b, aad to-day found it necessary to do an hour and a-half's hard work on the road to reduce his poundage. Meanwhile Moran slept, and consequently looked fresh when he entered the ring and bowed to 10,000 impatient people, who had had a long wait under a hot sun. Wolgast was favorite. In (he first round Wolgast pounded the kidneys heavily with his right, and on Moran coming back there was a goad deal of roughing and butting. The champion caught Moran with his left, almost upsetting him and following up with heavy right, uppercuts brought the blood from his adversary's mouth. Wolgast did not escape unmarked, however, as Moran started his nose bleeding with a powerful left hook, which landed squarely on the face.

Early in the second session each man favored clinches, in which they were able to do a lot of damage with halfarm work. Wolgast scored with two left hooks on the jaw, and dropping the arm swung it to the body, and caused the Englishman to get in close. Moran, however, made play strongly, and caught the champion repeatedly with left hooks on the jaw. Honors were easy on the round. In the third round Moran got busy. He bored in and soon the champion's eye was in mourning from a butt with the head. The injury did not worry Wolgast, who forced the pace, and staggered his opponent with a heavy left swing on the jaw. Moran broke ground, and when Wolgast chased him into a corner he went into a clinch.

Moran again gave ground in the fourth round, and was frequently in clinches. He was also fighting in foul fashion, and Referee Welsh twice cautioned him for elbowing. The fifth session saw Wolgast pummelling Moran's head, scoring with both hands. He also busied himself on the Englishman's stomach, while Moran retaliated with two rights to the chin. Wolgast then sent a staggering left to the chin, and as Moran came into a clinch he seemed distressed.

Wolgast hammered Moran's kidneys unmercifully in the sixth, and considerably weakened an aTrcady weak man. He also shot in long lefts and rights to the face, Moran availing-himself of every opportunity to get into holds. The seventh was a particularly willing bout, hard knocks being traded. Wolgast had been smiling, but he now adopted a serious look, Moran drew blood from Wolgast's mouth in the eighth, and tried desperately for a finishing blow. Both men were tiring, but bofore the gong sounded the champion scored with left and right to the stomach. 1 Moran made a good recovery during the minute spell, and did better in tl|e ninth session. Up bustled Wolgast badly, and on one occasion hurled him along through the ropes. The Englishman was again strong in the two succeeding rounds, and fought with more confidence than he had shown in the earlier terms.

Heavy punches were in evidence in the twelfth round. Wolgast delivered several severe bodv blows, to which Moran replied with a powerful right swing to the jaw. Wolgast then landed a stinging right on the mouth. The thirteenth round saw the finish. Wolgast rushed in desperately, and before 30 seconds bad passed, swung n terrific right to the body which hurt Moran. Wolgast was on his man like a flash. Two left hooks were driven to the Englishman's body, while a heavy left hook found his jaw. Moran staggered forward with his mouth open, and remained on the floor until he had been counted out.

Allan Maxwell, Taranaki's lightweight champion boxer, leaves for in company with Ilia trainer, Prof. J. J. Stagpoolc, on Thursday to represent Taranaki at the Xew Zealand championship tournament, to be held there on the 25th and 20th inst. Maxwell was unfortunate in not Retting permission to compete at the Wanganui championship tournament.