Untitled

Chronicle (Levin), 20 April 1948, Page 6

AUCKLAND, April 19. Wild scenes followed the declaration of a professionai light-heavyw eight boxing contest at the Tawn_ Hall tonight as no contest. The boxers were Dave Sands, ehampion of Anstralia, . and Jackie Marr, champion of Victoria. 'and- the xeferee was Mr. E. C. Armishaw, of Auckland. Alr. Armishaw twice warned the boxers and in the seventh round, while some members of the crowded audience were voeiferously shouting /'no fight", he stepped between the boxers and immediately ruled an end of the fight. As the boxers protestingly returned to their eorners, the chant of counting them out began in the baek of the hall and by "five", the 'majority of the audience was joining in. Mr. Armishaw, in a statement, said he had called the men together at the start of the fifth round and told them ,the bout was not an exhibition and he wanted to see more action. His second warning was given about a minute after the start of the sixth round. "The men were being paid to fight, " he said. "In my opinion they were not. fivhtinff. "

"It is an insult to both boys," said Mr. T. Maguire, Sands3 manager. "How much fight did the erowd want? I shonld like to have seen some of them take the punches that Alarr got. Nothing like this has ever happened . to either boy before." Marr said the bout was his fifth against Sands and each knew every move of th.e other. "Each time I led .with a let't rip," he said, "Sands replied with a hard left to the side of my liead. If I had carried on like that all night I would have got my head knocked off. I cannot appreciate wliat the erowd or Mr. Armishaw wanted. I think perhaps he does not appreciate good boxing. Perhaps he wanted to see a blood bath." Oue of the judges, Ali'. S. E. Burke, said Mr. Armishaw, in his opinion,* haa given a correct deeisioli. The other judge, Alr. G., B. Nelson, Kiwi Army aiul Auckland Rugby forward, said the boxers had sparred for the first live rounds. Sands hurt Alarr m the sixtli round bnt was still lifting his shoulder wlien delivering his right hand punches and was throwing punches with botli liands at Alarr's gloves. The president, of the Auckland Boxing Association, Alr. R. L. Farrell, said a meeting would be held to-mor-row to consider the match and to make a deeisioii 011 the match set down for next Alonday in which Alarr is to meet Darcv Iloil'niau at Dunedin.