Boxing Faces £l000 Loss

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31116, 20 July 1966, Page 15

Boxing Faces £l000 Loss

Our Boxing Reporter* The Canterbury Boxing Association has lost an estimated £lOOO promoting its last two professional tournaments.

The association executive meets this evening and it is expected that the profit and loss account for last week’s double-bill tournament will be received. The Ny v. Perez and Mensah v. Ford bouts are expected to have lost £6OO. Perez was on a guarantee of £225 and lost in five rounds. Mensah was on a guarantee of £3OO and won over 10 rounds—a fight that went twice as long as Ny’s, but was not half as exciting. The loss on the previous bout, Mensah v. Langford, was about £4OO. Mensah was on a guarantee of £3OO for this fight.

The C.B.A. public relations

officer (Mr R. Stevenson) said yesterday that advance bookings, for the D. Murphy v. K. Amarfio bout next week were very good. The C.B.A will be hoping for a full house for the return fight between Murphy, the former New Zealand professional light-weight champion, and Amarfio, the colourful Ghanaian boxer who lost narrowly to Murphy. The C.B.A. has offered the biggest limit purse ever given in Christchurch—£lsoo. But the association cannot lose on this fight. The purse is for a percentage of the gate. The I bigger the gate, the bigger i the purse, and the more profit for both boxers and the association.

Amarfio on Monday night beat A. Thomas in Melbourne in 20 seconds. Amarfio leaped from his corner at the opening bell, caught Thomas with a crushing swing and put him down for the mandatory eight-count. Thomas regained his feet, • Amarfio landed another heavy punch and the referee stopped the fight. It was Amarfio's fourth fight this year. He beat the Australian light-weight champion, G. Biondi, on May 6, in a non-title bout, but lost a hotly-disputed points decision to K. Langford over eight two-minute rounds. Langford was beaten by Mensah in Christchurch earlier this year.

Mensah, before he left Christchurch, said he was extremely happy and very satisfied with his treatment by the C.B.A. He ought to be—winning more than £9OO. The C.B.A. is to be congratulated on honouring its obligations to Mensah, in spite of heavy losses.

The lesson is plain—the C.B.A. should steer clear of guaranteed purses. "Tie boxers’ earnings should be in relation to their drawing power.