BOXING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1461, 8 June 1912, Page 6

BOXING.

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS. M SOME GOOD FORM. *•' w fc AND A I'KW SURPRISES. '«' bi The Wellintgon Amateur Boxing Championships were concluded last night, iv As must necessarily happen, (he '.' f novices had been weeded out on the open- j ing night, and there was no comedy to < M speak of last evening. Perhaps some 'J' patches of the heavy-weight final were '! just a little funny, but when these heavyweights are in earnest tho art is really a dangerous one to practice. Tho night was one of surprises Tight through, and most of the surprises, as did most of tho good boxing, came in tho feather class. C. Leary wen through ( three battles, beating Ingham, "W. Dorry," and Stewart. Spectators could scarcely believe their oyes when ho worried Ingham, and then thev had all made up their minds that he would hnrdlv stav . a round with "Dorry." Xot only did he „ do this, but he never gave the clever, fast , ex-Manawatu boy one chance in three f. busy rounds. Stewart put up rather a ' better battle with him, but was in the * end decisively beaten. Lean- is a boxer c . of the old ntyle English pattern, and ho ;, showed the effectiveness of straight hit- ' ting, as opposed to the later American ' methods. Kcver would ho leave his man „ alone, and, though he could never knock £, out a schoolboy, he was so constantly do- „ ing something that he would wear out the t bravest adversary. He had superb „ iorm, finishing his third bout as fresh and strong as when he 0 first went into the ring. Always on w his toes and moving, lie is just as hard 1 to hit as a thistledown, and nothing ]; seemed to hurt or in the .slightest degree o discomfit him. The special award for tho i most scientific boxer at the tourney went c to him, and it could have gone to no other. 11 There might have been an interesting 1: round or two had the referee given tho t decision to Mack instead of to Stewart in 1; tho semi-final, for Mack is a man with rather similar method and more power. I Possibly Leary would not have had such c easy success with his persistently thrust- 3 ing left and rights against him. s The bantam engagement between I. 1 Kutner and W. Langridge is not to take '' place, Langridgo being out of action ow- ] ing, to an injured hand. 1 1 FEATHER-WEIGHTS. i L Stewart, 9st. (Petone), beat C. Casey, fist. 101b. (Wellington). j Eight from tho beginning Stewart show- \ ed superior knowledge of the game, scoring ', first with n handy upper-cut. Then Casey ( mixed things, and made the bout interest- j ing, but ho could do no more. In tho second round Casey showed his greatest j weakness—ho had no defence for a straight < left to the head. Timo after time this blow ' landed, ami sometimes it was followed by ' a right rip to the ribs or chin. In tho third, Casey showed magnificent pluck and good' speed,.but ho kept on letting the straight ones through. Both boys Wero strong when th'cy went to corners. Stewart was rightly given tho verdict. ' C. Leary,"Bsti 111b. (Wellington), beat J.' Ingham, Bst; 121b. (Petone).' Both toys stood too to toe, and gave and. took freely. Learv. was. at his man ". arid after him all tho while, but he played I very lighty, and he. could mostly keep 1 his head out of the way of his opponent's well-meant swings. Leary appeared to 1 tho onlooker to tako chances, but he never lost points by doing so. His stylo ; was so easy and his ring maimer so un- < embarrassed that somo in tho crowd refused to believe that tho affair was genu- ; ine. They found out later why Leary won i so easily. . SEMI-FINALS. . L. Stewart, Sst. (Petone), boat W. Mack, ' Bst. 12ilb. (Wellington). This was the decision at any rate, but tho contest was by no means that way. , Mack scored again and again with straight shots with either hand, blocked, and got away from bundles of deathdealing swings, and outfought his man for all but very short lengths of the way. He was obviously surprised, as were a good many others, when Mr. Sampson raised Stewart's glove. C. Leary, Sst. 91b. (Wellington), beat "W. Dorry," Sst. 111b. (Dannevirke). This.was undoubtedly a surprise, perhaps the biggest of the whole evening. Leary kept his gloves on his opponent's face unceasingly, but as his blows lacked lire he did no considerable damage. In tho second and third rounds "Dorry" abandoned the methods of which he is ' master and handed out heavy swings, mostly to tho atmosphere. In tho third ■ round the continual tappings of Leary ; got a little heavier, and more than onco ; "Dorry" had to hold on and smother. 1 The last-named was badly beaten, but ' it is fair to him to say that he had a ! damaged right hand, which he did not use. [ FINALS. ' C. Leary, Sst. 91b. (Wellington) beat L. ! Stewart, Sst. (Petone). ! Leary won his fight as he had won 5 his others earlier in' tho evening. Hs • looked easy all the time to the man with • a dangerous punch, but Stewart, armed with tho punch, found that he could not land it. With frenzied zeal ho tried ' his best for two rounds and a half, but . Lean- could not be shaken off, and all i the while Stewart was breaking ground. • It was'only in the last round that tho i Petone man, puzzled and worried by those constant light jabs to the face, lost : his head. Ho had been tapped once or . twico too. often. "Leary wins" was a popular verdict, and the only one that could . have been given. LIGHT-WEIGHTS. E. Stewart, 9st. 121b. (Victoria College) beat S. Porter, 9st. 131b. (Wellington). Stewart is a fast, clean, two-handed boxer, who can fight at long range or : breast-to-brcast equally well. Porter is clever, but he knows every point of the '• prize-ring, and he made use of all his ■ craft ln=t night. He apnealed for holdin", and was himself the offender, he leaned over his opponent to tire him. refusing to break away, and in the end ho held and hit three times, and was disqualified. Stewart had won for the two rounds the bout had gone, his chief i winning blows being straight or hooked rights to head and body.

WELTER WEIGHTS. J. Murphy, 10st. 3ilb. beat W. Dutlson, 10st. 9lb. The method of these two lads was nltog«ther different. Dmlson keeps both hands working in search of his man, but ho had little chance against an opponent of panther-like swiftness such as Murphy. I'h<) latter was on and off with that ever-busy lance-like left, and he-kept tho younger, hut stronger, lad thinking all the time. Dndson's only chnncn was ,1. knock-out, mid in tho third, or any other round. Murphy never left hiniscll , ope, \ . FIN.VI, J. Murphy, 10st. 3ilb. beat E. Mlnifie, 10st. ,Bilb. Minifio lost hi? temper and incidentallysome points in the first round. Tie tried to rough Murphy, and Murphy held mi. The latter was warned once or twice not to hold, hut his offences were usually committed in vigorous wrestles in mulrin" or on the ropes. Tn the secnuii round. Minitie, after having been twice warned, with very good reason, about hitting with tho open hand, was in the end disqualified.

HEAVY-WEIGHTS,

W Bartlett, 12st. 4lb. (Christchurch), beat J. Collerton, 12st. 71b. (Masterton).

The first and second rounds were mainly exhibitions by either man in poses which were not statuesque. The swings and hooks dealt were terrific, but none of them joined up, or the fight would have ended at the very moment of impact. Twice Bartlett was warned for using his right glove open, and he u=ed it so mnnv more times that Police Inspector Ellison made protest to the referee. In the lust, round Collerton hit some lorriffie light up-uer-eiiU and shook his opponent liadlv, but lie was in turn <oiakcn by other.--. If either bnser hud owned a straight punch of anv sort 1m nuut liave won ensiiv. TMh men were rriuno n* lions, hul. nnen as tho dny. lhirUHl I should taie gone out on a foul, but, as-

suming that his methods. \i;orc fair, (,hej certainly wore the nioS.t. elfecllve. j A SPECIAL. .BttClt'. M'Morran, Bst. 21b. (Weilington), beat M'Nichol, V'st. 21b. (CbUstchurph), Both of these lads 'had i.iHvcid ..good showings the night. ■ ;be.l'.p,nr; and things were specially watched .'b.v.ibe- association, for a special medal". '.M-'Moiraii is a slroiig young man .of 21 o.r ihcre'alio.nft, with lots of strength'. TJve other is a boy of 17. with liltlo stye ii gib, .Wit ail inexhaustible spring'.of Skill ius'd ; ga'i,iie= ness. That is the w'liolb sidiy.- M'Jsichol won easily nil the way. iii.. .the .first: two round?. In the thii'.d,.. : :M''Mornin worried him, tired him until theVSr-a-v io.o'ic .caiiie, but tho little fellow.; fought \iavif. lightly, and was really scoringanqst.oi' -the. time. The decision in fnyri.iir-.oi' M'MoiTanw.ris difficult to understand. The. sfr.oi.Vg boy finished stronger, and' he-- got the verdict.