NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20541, 16 February 1935, Page 8

NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Lancashire Boxer Fails to Get Title. PUNISHED BY FRENCHMAN. LONDON, January 17. For some time (writes B. Bennison) Tock M’Avoy, the Lancashire boxer, has been scheming for a chance to fight Marcel Thil, believing that the Frenchman, who holds the middle-weight championship of the world, was a spent force. After a good deal of fencing Thil agreed, provided his rival would meet him in Paris, to put his European light-heavy-weight honours to the test, and M’Avoy accepted the terms. A thousand of his supporters accompanied him to the French capital, and there was never a more confident band of followers. They did not doubt that they would bring the title back. This, in fact, was generally expected. But in a fight that attracted 20,000 people it was proved that M’Avoy was not good enough. Further, Thil demonstrated that at the age of 31 he had retained his powers to a surprising degree, hitting with astonishing force. It is claimed that he is the most punishing middle-weight there has been for ten years, and this is probably correct. On this occasion he hammered M’Avoy relentlessly, and it was only through his superb pluck that the latter lasted out the fifteen rounds. Throughout the last three rounds he was urged to surrender, but he struggled on to the finish. The early boxing did not suggest such a result. By means of clever lefthand work M’Avoy outpointed his opponent most patently during the first four rounds, persistently jabbing him !in the face. Thil suddenly seemed to realise that his eyes were in danger of being damaged, and that it was necessary that he should make a supreme effort. In the next round he made a fierce attack to the Englishman’s body, and this was the turning point in the contest. M’Avoy could not withstand the .blows, and when he received a powerful hit on the jaw the initiative passed from him. Thil continued in the same aggressive style, and very definitely gained the upper hand. Altogether, M’Avoy was knocked down three times and was only saved by the gong at the end of the fourteenth round. He was lifted to his corner, and it did not seem as though he could be revived in time to continue, but he stood up again, and with a wide margin of points in his favour Thil was content and did not 0 tempt to inflict further punishment.