DONOVAN’S SUPREME TEST

Taranaki Daily News, 27 February 1931, Page 4

DONOVAN’S SUPREME TEST

BOUT WITH "GHOST OF THE HING”

BOBBY BLAY IN FIRST FLIGHT.

To-morrow night at Western Park Tommy Donovan is set the supreme test of his meteoric ring career. The popular little ringman from Waitara who, with Pete Sarron, ushered in a now ora of class and prosperity in Now Zealand boxing a twelvemonth ago, creating records for attendance, takings and purses, will make his second "ishape-up” to Bobby Blay, the 19-year-okl Victorian whose deeds have made him a sensational attraction in Australasia.

Thorp is not very much the average fan does not know about Tommy Donovan. The performances and pertinacity of the practically self-taught five- : foot odd of fighting heart have caused him to become one of the best-known figures in the country and very nearly everyone, down to 'the most insignificant back-alley urchin could recount inatances of pluck and thrilling battles with such as Johnny Leckie, Pete Sarron, the master Bobby Blay, and’others. , Donovan’s is a wonderful record of achievement in a sport that makes great demands upon, courage, craft and ; sportsmanship. Bobby Blay, a pale-skinned youth whose appearance beans no trace of glove duels with first-flight boxers in this part of the world, has been named by Australian fans as “The Ghost of the Ring.” Referring to his first contest in the Sydney ring in a contest with Gildo, the Filipino, E. C. Turner, a prominent Australian critic, wrote: — “The visitor was none other than the “Ghost of Broken Hill,” Bobby Blay, i who, for the past 12 months has beaten up the best offering, and that offering included Teddy Nelson, Llew Edwards, Tommy Crowle and Tom Doble twice. There are others, 'but the ones mentioned make sufficient credentials for any kid to pass over to a promoter. Ami when the newcomer had been witnessed in 15 rounds of tigerish action, he was voted “ace high.” Gildo, the Filipino, who had given Johnny Peters his hardest bouts in Australia, stopped Tommy Doble, Bobby Fraser and Billy Tyson and outpointed Frankie Jackson. Blay fairly haunted the dashing Manilaman for 13 of the I's rounds of constant action. Cradled in the right school, Blay disclosed, promise to make the master ringster.” Since those lines were written Blay has fulfilled his promise to become a “master ringster.” He has won smashing victories over Leckie, Donovan and Hughes in the Dominion, and so great is his popularity and so attractive his unstoppable offence that he is the idol of the .crowds. Tommy Donovan has a great task before him to defeat Blay and re-assume his kingship of our featherweights, but even so one would not care to say the accomplishment of' that object is beyond him.