Mensah An Easy Points Winner Over Langford

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31094, 24 June 1966, Page 12

Mensah An Easy Points Winner Over Langford

A stronger, more experienced E. Mensah (Ghana) evaded a desperate last-round fight-back by K. Langford (Australia) to score a convincing points win in their professional catch-weight contest at Canterbury Court last evening.

Mensah, with a guarantee of £3OO win or lose, was awarded all 10 rounds by one judge, nine by another and seven (with one even) by the third.

Once he had built up a comfortable lead he was content to keep Langford away.

Langford was awarded the first round, during which he threw some of the wildest punches seen in Christchurch for some years, by two judges, and the ninth by another. In this round he began his desperate, late bid for victory.

Mr T. Wildes awarded Mensah nine of the 10 rounds and scored the points as 199-186. Mr C. Wellman gave Mensah every round and the maximum points, 200-189. Mr S. C. Ashton awarded Mensah seven rounds, Langford two, with one even. He gave Mensah 198 points to 190. Supported Langford

There were no knock-downs and the crowd of about 800 had little to cheer in the early rounds but supported the game Langford strongly over the final stages. Langford won £BO.

Mensah weighed 9st 131 lb and Langford 9st 1011 b. The first two rounds provided sharp contrasts. In the first Langford. swung with a round-arm action, missing his target by several inches as Mensah ducked and dodged out of the way. Then, after failing to secure a first-round knock-out and apparently aware of the need to pace himself, Langford slowed down considerably in the second round. He kept away from Mensah and was content to punch only in reply to Mensah’s leads. Battery Of Blows

Just as suddenly came another change as Langford answered Mensah’s challenging leads and the two boxers slugged it out in Langford’s corner. Blows were landed on, arms, bodies and heads as the, two boxers threw everything! into it for about 20 seconds. The pace had to slacken and when it did Mensah landed the most telling blow, a left hook, but he could not find his target when Langford backed into a corner. Mensah won the fourth round as he constantly stalked Langford, keeping the Australian on the defence and confidently handling any coun-ter-attacks. The fifth round continued in the same rather lifeless vein, with Mensah having a clear advantage. The crowd showed its disapproval when Mensah used a chopping type of punch to Langford’sjbhead, a punch that had resulted in

him being cautioned in round two.

Langford began the sixth round more confidently. Some measure of accuracy had returned to his punches and he attacked with both hands. But once more he slowed after the first initial onslaught and did little more than wander back out of Mensah's range for the remainder of the round. The next two rounds also belonged to Mensah, and Langford had his best round in the ninth when, sensing a knock-out as his only means of success, he surged into Mensah but Mensah boxed him off with straight counterpunches. The fight-back continued into the tenth round but Mensah counter-punched very strongly and knocked Langford’s mouth-guard out for the third time.

The referee was Mr E. G Pocock.

Preliminary Bouts "The Empire Games representative. B. Kendall (Linwood Boys' Club), made short work of .1. Shaw CPapanui Sports Club) in the main amateur bout.

Although he conceded fivo pounds to Shaw, it was Kendall whose punching had the more sting and better direction. The bout was stopped after Imm 23sec ot the second round.

The referee for the amateur bouts was Mr M. V. Drury and the judges were Messrs S. C. Ashton, C. Wellman, and T. Wildes. Other results:

6st lllb-7'st 21b.—C. Gilmore (Piapanui Sports Club) beat D. Nash (Cheviot) on a t.k.o. in the third round.

Fly-weight.—J. O’Connor (St Anne's) beat P. Harnett (Pi dow'S) on a split points deci sdon.

Welter-weight.—L. Johnston (Ashburton) beat L. Tautui (St. Anne's) on a split points decision; G. Perham (McKinley's) beat B; Williams (C.C.C.) on points.