BOXING TOURNEY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 265, 5 August 1919, Page 8

BOXING TOURNEY

AT THE TOWN HALL

HEENEY BEATS IRELAND IN NINE ROUNDS For five years boxing lias been a dead letter in Wellington. Tho young men liavo had other and more important business in hand, in which their ring tactics and endurance proved nuite successful, resulting in the complete and utter knock-out of the enemy, even though he persistently and deliberately hit below the belt, and attempted to strike after the "break." Although tliero has not. boen a desire to arrange bouts locally the boys at the front liaye not. allowed the art of self-defence—in the. British acceptation of the term—to decay. From time to time there has dribbled through news of boxing tourneys held frequently within sound of the guns, and enjoyed just as much as the local bouts. Since the war-cloud lifted there has been quite a revival in boxing. Dempsey has floored Willard for .the heavyweight championship of (lie world; Carpentier, the French irresistible, lias been knocking comers off his opponents, Bombardier Wells, M'Goorty, and others have been figuring again in the ring. It was therefore in'agreement with the fitness of things that the Wellington Boxing Association should resume operations. A packed Town Hall endorsed that view. Every seat in the hall was filled well before 8 n.m., and there were many who could not gain admittance.

MEALE V. NEILL. The first event on the programme was a four-round light-weight amateur contest between R. Meale (list. 121b.) and ,f. Xeill (list. 21b.). In the first round Ncill set out to make the pace with wild furious rushes and a liberal use of a none-too-straight right, but Neill's smother was generally effective, and before the end of tho round Meale was found to be the aggressor. Both men were rather rough, but extremely willing. In Ihe -second round Meale again showed clever ring tactics, and, Avith nasty-little lefts to tlie face, tantalised his opponent into rushes that generally ended in a Emother and break. Neill commenced tho third round with a furious rysh, whicTf had Meale on the smother for a few seconds. Then Meale got busy with straight lefts and right, wiper-cuts (which invariably missed). After a bull-rush opening to the last lound, both men slowed down a little, there wns much wild hitting and comic but generally Meale was master of the situation, and the verdict properly went to him.

TANCRED V. M'KINLAY. This was a three-round (of two minutes) contest to fill in time. J. Tancred (of Petone) talcing the place of F. Desmond at the last moment. Tancred was easily outclassed 'by his wide-spread but betterconditioned opponent. The last round found Tancred all out with M'Kinlay tapping him on the face in quite a friendly manner. No decision was given—or necessary. J. PRINCE V. G. ROTHERAM J. l'rince (9st. 91b.) and G. Rotheram (9st. 101b.) provided a lively and interesting four-round bout. Rotheram did" most of the leading in the first round, and was able to land on his opponent's face withJa verv nasty right seemingly when he liked, l>ut Princo always came up smiling, boxing quite prettily, and taking his punishment like a Spartan. The next round saw a complete reversal of form. Princo's undoubted skill was shown In a series of pretty little rights and lefts to the face, which rattled his opponent. From that out Rotheram's punch was gone, and Prince just piled on the points, and was indicated as the winner,..the audience approving vociferously. HEENEY DEFEATS IRELAND. The chief event of the evening was the fifteen-round professional light-weignt contest between Jack Heeney, ex-soldier (of Gisborno) and Barney Ireland (of Waipawa). lleeney stripped a picture, Shoulders, chest, aiid torso were rugged with well-developed muscle; Ireland was lithe, smooth, and generally more physically genteel in appearanco. Ho had the advantage of Heeney in height and reach. The contest was a harcl-hitting slug from start lu finish, with tho knockout possible every moment, but it never came. Both men wore adepts at the smother, and warded off the crucial blow with a lot of cunning. Heeney led off in tho fiist round with strong lefts to the face, and Ireland' 6 vicious lull-length right found the air in response. One short chop of Heeney's landed on Ireland's nose, anil brought colour, which remained throughout the contest. On the whole, , the round was anybody's. Tho opening of the second round saw a brisk encounter. ending in Heeney getting in a nasty right to the ear, whicn sent his opponent sprawling, but he was np_ in an instant, shooting out a vicious right, aud theli turning sideways lo smother the response. Ireland got in sumo sound body punches' with both left but Heeney was unaffected- In the filial minute ensued a hammer-aud-tongs mill, both men tearing in with both arms hard-worked. A clinch followed, and then they got to it again like workmen until the gong stopped them. In the third round Heeney ( warming up sent his 6iurdy left to tlio race, and connected several time,?. Ireland trusted time after time to his straight right, with indifferent success, and in one/meleo essayed a vicious full-arm upper cut, which exhausted itself in thin air. The round gave neither much advantage on points. Heeney's persistent left found Ireland's ear and' neck at tho outset of the fourth round, and Ireland to get even initiated two or tlireo longarm rushes, carrying Heeney to the ropes on one occasion. Some vicious interchanges in clinches ensued, Heeney apparently getting the better of them. Ireland led gamely in the fifth round, but Heeney's ability both to take and avoid punishment, and to pay back with short-arm rights and left chops, told its talo on the older boxer. There was a go in clinches near the back ropo, and both wore hitting short when Ireland turned to the referee aud said: "How's that for a foul?" Referee Tracy took no notice of the appeal. Ireland looked tired. At the conclusion of tho round tho referee stated that the understanding was that thore was to be no hitting in clinches, after he said "Break!" The sixth round <3aw a lot of clinching. Slogging interchanges followed, both men battling for the knock-out. Early in the seventh round Heeney connected with both left and right to the face, and Ireland slammed away at Heeney's body. A loft upper-cut from Heeney just missed, but lie got tho upper jaw hard two seconds later. It was easily Heeney's round. In the eight round Heeney continued his sharp left pokes that were still full of devil; Ireland got in a strong left to Heeney's cheek. Then, after a. series of clinches and- breaks, Heeney got in a rattler to tho jaw. Again it was Heeney's round. Ireland attempted to make the pace at the opening of the ninth round, but after a couple of vicious full-ami straight rights, which only gloved, Heenoy followed up smartly, and got in a succession of chops to the face, and a strong right and leftill lightning, succession, obviously rattled his opponent. After tho gong went, Ireland's second threw in tho towel. It was a willing go. Mr. Tim Tuicy- referecd the professional bout and Mr. Alan Maxwell tho amatour contests. Mr. Ernest Blundcll officiated as announcer, and Messrs. A. Laurcnson and L. W. Ludwig were the timekeepers.