MEHEUAN & WELLS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1593, 9 November 1912, Page 12

MEHEUAN & WELLS.

THE BEST ACCOUNT TO DATE. " 'Matt' "Wells, the defeated, as wall as disqualified," is the way in which an English journal sums up the Wells-Mehegan clash, whioh pretty well indicates that the Australian would have won in any case. The following account shows, better than anything else yet published, what a torrid affair it was;— Fierce but Unpretty. "A fierce and unpretty boxing contest at the Eing, Blackfriars, ended in the disZlifioation of England's _ light-weight mpion, in his contest with H. Mehegan, champion of Australia. "Matt Wells, the defeated as well as disqualified, was in a sorry plight at, the end of the 14th round, when, after the ball had sounded the time for the interval, ho struck his opponent. "That might have been an acoident, but when the referee pushed Wells away and spoke words to him, there could be no mistake. Still, Wells went half-way across the ring to Mohegan and struck the Australian a big left-hand blow on the chin, which sent Mehegan to the floor. "Most surprising of all was the fact that Wells, having lost control of his temper, went to his opponent again and struck a blow, which appeared to land while Mehcgan was on tho floor. , "It was a pitiful ending to a boxing bout that possessed scarcely a suggestion of boxing as Britishers know the pastime. The two men, witli heads down after tho manner of wrestlers going through the preliminary business of head holds, held and then punched a long succession of uppercuts. ,f At this kind of contest Mehegan- was the superior man, and as Wells could not make the Australian box in any other maimer, tho British champion was behind on points when he forgot himself— to a remarkable extent for a boxer. How Wells was Bothered. "Mehegan's crouch and cover were curious things to Wells, who started the bout by a series of chops on the back of the neck in order to make Mehegan lift his face and make hitting possible. Wells did this for several rounds, but when tho i Australian realised tho absurdity of it, he

hold his head higher and guarded by some wonderfully adroit ducking. "Mehegan did this when Wells's punching had grown weaker—in the sixth round —and from then onwards Mehegan forced Wells to box in his (the Australian's) way. Afehegan's worst experience was the receipt of occasional cross-blows with the right, but throughout the contest ho forced Wolls to different parts of tho ring. Wells was nearly always the pursued, and had a bad time—always when the men were head to head and Mehegan was sending up those damaging upperouta. "In the 13th round Wells made a great rally. He fought, rather than boxed at his- man, but it was a forlorn hop© that he was endeavouring to realise. In the last, tho 14th, round Mehegan boxed as strongly as ever; and Wells, tired of his attempts to beat his opponent, lost his self-control in the manner mentioned. "It was a remarkable contest, in which an enormous number of blows were struck —but it was not pretty boxing."