TOMMY FAIRHALL’S CAREER

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVII, Issue 23111, 27 January 1945, Page 7

TOMMY FAIRHALL’S CAREER

Notable Englishman Outpointed

Wins Australian Title When Tommy Fairhall met the noted Englishman, Ernie Izzard, at the Sydney Stadium, on June 2, 1928, he was returning to boxing after a long spell from the game, and he put up an excellent performance in beating the Englishman. It was Izzard’s first defeat in Australia, and Fairhall, who weighed 9.9 to Izzard’s 9.71, forced the fighting all the way. He began with a surprising rush which almost bore Izzard off his feet, swinging lefts to the body and rights to the jaw. This may have affected Izzard, but throughout the fight he showed, for a boxer of his undoubted ability, extraordinarily little , initiative. He rarely attacked, and when he did he did not follow up. Fairhall, on the other hand, pressed on every time he had an advantage. For a few rounds after the first two, Izzard looked as if he were going to win well, for he met a lot of -Fairhall’s rushes with good counters, and “claiming” his arms often successfully, he prevented the Australian doing much scoring. Over the last half-dozen rounds, however, Fairhall, though palpably tired, did a lot of scoring with drives to the body and hooks and swings to the head, while Izzard did practically nothing. In the last round Fairhall made an astounding burst for one so tired, and fighting the Englishman round the ring, and scoring a number of punches, he put the issue beyond doubt; After Fairhall knocked out Larry Avera a couple of months later at the Stadium, the American manager said: “That guy is a much better fighter than Australians credit him with being. Iff America he’d be a sensation.” First punch in this fight “killed” any hopes Avera had of beating Fairhall. Fairhall came out of his corner fighting, essayed a right swing, and connected up on Avera’s head.

The punch dazed Avera, and thereafter he was merely a target for Fairhall.

During the first two rounds Avera was on the floor six times. Referee Joe Wallis stopped the slaughter early in the third. Half an hour after the fight Avera Was still in a state of semi-consclous-ness. The American could not recall one incident of the contest. Fairhall’s relentless attack never enabled Avera to recover from the effects of the first vital punch. Ex-English Champion Beaten A fortnight later came one of the most important fights of Fairhall’s career—his bout with the one-time English champion, Harry Mason. A leading Australian commentator said after that contest: “There are those who will tell you now that Harry Mason can’t fight. Don’t believe it—he can. “Because he was whacked in masterly manner at the Stadium on Saturday night, and failed to produce such form that proved him the great fighter his boosting made him out to be, it shouldn’t be taken as any criterion that he is a false alarm. For that would be detracting from the merit of Fairhall’s win.” This writer made no bones about the contention that Fairhall had been a sadly underestimated gloveman by many. Most times when he won a fight the opposition was looked upon as below par; but that would not do as an excuse for Mason’s defeat. Mason had a genuine record, proved himself a good fighter, but against Fairhall struck a better one than himself. The Australian placed himself on top in the argument with an artistic piece of work in the first round. Mason was making what little fighting was being done, and, moving in early in the session, he tried to place a hard right to the body. Quicker than a flash Fairhall whipped his own right across, and, beating Mason to the punch, clipped him on the jaw and dropped him for "eight.” It was beautiful work, and the sensational suddenness of it had the crowd on tiptoes. From then on Tommy held the upper hand. As usual, he did things that no other fighter could do and get away with, but the more unorthodox anything he attempted the more successful it seemed to be. He clouted Mason with wild-look-ing but accurately-placed, right hands, looped the loop and couldn’t miss the visitor, led right hands at the body and scored with them, and took risks that showed his confidence in himself wasn’t misplaced.

Mason was anything but a passive resister while all this was going on. Strong on defence, the Englishman tied Fairhall up a lot in close, and often showed up in flashes of pretty work. That he lasted through 15 hard-fought rounds so well showed that there was little wrong with Mason’s condition. In equally sensational manner as the first time Mason was dropped again in the last round. Two seconds before the final bell Tommy connected with a right and transformed the opposition to a dizzy heap. Mason climbed shakily to his feet a couple of seconds after the bell rang, but he immediately collapsed on the ropes, and would have been a certain case for the count but for the bell coming to his rescue.

Tommy was going to give the game best, but the lure of the ring proved too much for him, and after a. spell of six months he showed better form than ever' to score a sensational points victory over the Welshman, Billy Thomas.

Fairhall surprised critics by his whirlwind attack, and in the first round he had Thomas down twice. The Welshman recovered well, and, outboxing Fairhall, led at the end of the sixth round. In the ninth round Fairhall’s body punching took effect, and Thomas was down again and had a nasty cut over his left eye. Thomas was down in the tenth, but resumed the offensive in the eleventh, and had Fairhall nearly out with a right to the solar plexus. Fairhall tired towards the end, but corner at Fairhall, and commenced Thomas severely in the last two sessions. Fairhall Wins Australian Title

Two bouts followed with “Bluey” Jones, Fairhall winning the first on points, and the return was a draw. He drew with Hancock on January 17, 1930, and then on March 7 came his battle with Wally Hancock for the welter-weight championship of Australia, which had been held previously by Jack Carroll.

The bout was rather disappointing. Fairhall and Hancock both boxing below form. Fairhall, who was giving away 71b, convinced early. He kept his left hand busy, and rattled it on Hancock’s jaw and ribs. Inclined at first to be stand-offish, Fairhall later went in and had his opponent very sick at times.

The fourth round opened sensationally when Hancock sprang from his corner at Fairhall, and commenced to lash out. Fairhall cleverly avoided danger, and danced out into the centre of the ring. He finished much on the offensive.

The champion often hit space, due to Fairhall’s elusiveness, and failed in the in-fighting. Fairhall gained confidence as he went, and despite a good showing by Hancock in the fourteenth, Fairhall finished much the better and deserved the decision, the huge crowd of 4000 standing and cheering the decision for some minutes.

Four weeks later, Fairhall outpointed the Australian light-weight champion. Norman Gillespie, who had previously worn the feather-weight crown and who is well remembered in Dunedin for his great battle with Johnny Leckie, then at the top of his form. During the next year, Fairhall beat Trpwern twice, Purdy twice, and knocked Fred Parker in five rounds in Tinraru and Ted Morgan in six, losing on points to Morgan at Dunedin.

Tommy gave the ring best in 1032 after losing on points to Jimmy Kelso at Lelclim'd! Stadium, the decision causing a good deal of surprise. The Australian has been domiciled In Timaru for some years now, and is as keen on the boxing game as ever. He has refereed a number of professional contests, and has proved himself a first-class official.