BOXING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 46, 6 November 1946, Page 5

BOXING

RECORD FINAL TOURNAMENT

MANY FIRST-CLASS BOUTS

The final boxing tournament of the present season was staged in /the Edgecumbe Hall on Monday evening, and from all aspects, was a record one. From all parts of the district, spectators came, and certainly they could not have been disappointed, for the display of ringwork reached a level which at times brought forth a continuous roar of applause lasting the full length of the round.

Competitors were mainly local boys, whose weights ranged from 4 .stone upwards. They were well matched, and showed the results of a season’s training in the manner in which they handled their gloves.

The first contest in the heavier classes was between W. Crawford (Edgecumbe) 10.1 and N. Raureti (Matata) 9.12 who fought a threeround contest in which action was tempered with quite fair ringcraft. Raureti showed plenty of speed and time and again was an inch out of range when the punch landed.’ Crawford carried the fight most of the way. The decision went to Raureti.

K. Williams (Edgecumbe) 8.3 and D. Bennett (Taneatua) 8.3 fought an average bout. Bennett’s footwork attracted attention and he was obviously at home in the ring. Williams held his own to a certain degree, but lost the decision.

M. Matchitt (Edgecumbe) 10.5 and B. Caverhill (Matata) 10.7 boxed a lively three rounds and gave the crowd'a fair share of its money’s worth. With very little to pick and choose between the two, the decision went to Matchitt. M. Brown (Taneatua) 8.2 • and P. Revell (Otakiri) 8.2 went into a fast first round which slowed down a little in the second and as usual brightened up again in the third. Revell had the edge on Brown for most of the way- and gained tlie decision.

F. Johnson (Edgecumbe) 10.4 and M. Tihi (Ruatoki) 11.0 slugged toe to toe through two rounds of a lively scrap which brought the crowd right to its toes. Tihi, who rshowed plenty of boxing skill (most of it gained overseas), found a mark for his straight and powerful . left time and again, but Johnson, as tough as they came went in without. any hesitation. The end came suddenly at the beginning of the third round when Tihi was disqualified for taking advantage of the handshake to land a punch. C. Crawford (Katikati) 12.1 and J. O’Dea (Manawahe) 10.2 battled one of the most popular scraps of the night. Crawford was solid all the way through but absorbed punishment like a sponge. O’Dea put up a thoroughly good show but needed another 2 stone to really make the fight even. His habit of taking 8 seconds out for a spell on the mat during the round was popular with the crowd, and apparently cost him little in points, for the decision, with the thorough approval of the crowd, was a draw.

J. Maxwell (Whakatane) 11.0 and W. McCready (Taneatua) 11.2 fought a bout which was followed with particular interest. McCready several inches shorter than Maxwell, kept very low but dodged only a minimum of punches. Both lads fought gamely, and took and' gave plenty of punishment. The decision was a drgw. R. Dawson (Edgecumbe) 9.8 and E. .Le Lievre (Edgecumbe) 9.12 fought an average contest. Le Lievre displayed plenty of pluck but suffered from a shorter reach than Dawson, who won the bout. O. Glover (Taneatua) 8.12 and W. Baty (Edgecumbe) 9.12 fought a good lively bout in which the decision went to Glover. Although a stone lighter, the winner carried his full share of the fight, and reversed the points by a narrow margin. ' Gilpin (Tauranga) 9.0 and H. Woods (Whakatane) 9.9 fought a good scrap. Woods stopped a left in the first round, and went down to 8, but hung on till the gong. In the second round, he steadied up and fought back to Gilpin well. The third round lasted only a few seconds, Woods taking a right cross to the side of the head and going down to 9. The referee stopped the fight, •Gilpin being awarded a technical knockout.

J. Hunt (Katikati) 11.8 and A. •Caverhill (Matata) 11.12 mixed things well in a three round scrap in which action reached a new high level. As the last bout of the evening, it supplied a great climax. The -decision went to Hunt. Results of bouts in the lighter weights were as - follows: N. Williams (Edgecumbe) 4.12

beat N. Raureti (Matata) 4.11. T. Hunt (Taneatua) 6.0 beat R. Hogg (Ohope) 6.6. P. Semmens (Taneatua) 7.12 drew with J. Stevenson (Ohope) 7.7. Additional trophies were awarded as under:— Nicholl Bros. Special Trophy for most skilful boxer: Awarded to A. Bennett (Taneatua). Special Trophy for best loser: Awarded to H. Woods (Whakatane). Following were the officials connected with the contest:— Judges: Messrs. J. Plamus and N. Semmens. Timekeepers: Messrs. li. G. Warren and H. Armstrong. Announcer: Mr F. Cameron. Referee: Mr A. Hogg. Official Seconds: Messrs. C. Penny and P. Wales. Medical Officer: Dr. Maaka.