A CLEVER FIGHT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 301, 14 September 1920, Page 8

A CLEVER FIGHT

WON BY UREN "DIGGER EVANS'" EVASIVE TACTICS LOSE OUT The interest thnt is taken in boxisg in local sporting .circles was demonstrated, last night when the Town Hall was crowded to the doors on the occasion of the fifteen-round comtet between Hnvilah Uren, youngest member of a famous fiffh Ling family, and "Digger" Evans. ft crack Australian feather-weight, for a purso presented by the Wellington Boxing Association. Uren has been 6een here on previous occasions, while Evans Is a strancci'. Both.are "right-hand forward" fighters, and both ham reputations for speed and ehisiveness. On last evening's performance they .added to their reputations in those respects. The feature of the fight was indeed tho elusiveiuss of the two men; so much so that except when in-fighting each found it well nigh impossible to land a clean blow _on his opponent. The "Digger" especially was very-shifty, and as a defensive fighter proved amongst the best ive have seen here. After a time, however, his ducking tactics, though wise enough from his point of view, grew rather wearisome, and his occasional efforts at an aggressive role were very welcome. One wondered why he was content lo nlay ft defensive role for so large a part of the contest, for lie scored very well when he opened up. Apparently ho had a wholesomo respect for the power of Uren's .punch, and was taking no chances. Uren showed, ini- ' proved form on his previous display? here. Ha was quicker, his defensive r/ork. particularly his back-moving and ducking, were excellent; while he was the aggressor throughout about twelve of tho fifteen rounds. At times he appeared to be puzzled as to the best method of dealing with his crouching and (kicking opponent; but the margin of points was undoubtedly in his favour at practically any stage of. the fight nfter the first four rounds. Evans shaded Uren slightly for speed, and was quicker in seizing an advantage, but his work was mainly defensive. The decision in Uren's favour was well deserved and well received, though there was a little hoot- . ing, for it was apparent throughout that "the Digger" had manv friends amongst tho audience. The weights were given j as Uren 9st. 81b., Evans 9st. 71b., but Uren looked much more than one pound tho heavier, and had the advantage in height and in reach. Both men fought cleanly, and there were few idle moments in any of the fifteen rounds contested. ■' The contest opened up evenly, and in the second round Evans replied to the straight rights cf Uren with a heavy left to the ribs. Clover evasion rnada Uren miss badly. In the third round Uren was continually aggressive, but "the Digger" ducked most of his blows. In the fifth round Uren commenced to pilo up the points until he was twice checked with a straight right. In . the sixth round Evans further dmonstrated his clever knack of ducking, and in the seventh round he had the better of a lively rally. In the eighth round "the Digger," who had the noisy scction of the crowd with him, began to open out, and i got in a couple of right swings to the | face, to which Uren made no raply. More clever fighting on the part, of both men was witnessed in the ninth round, neither of them shirking it, and Uren having slightly the better of matters, In tho tenth Uren got a couple cf heavy blows to the rfibs as "the Digger" swung out of the corner, which kit its telltale patch In the dying stages of this round both men wore responsible for bad misses. The eleventh round was a repetition of the give-and-take characteristics of its predecessors, with Uren holding the advantage, and the twelfth saw 'lioth boys very strong and comparatively fresh, .with Uren's star still in the ascendant. Interest quickened in the.thirteenth round, "the Digger's" low crouch and smother seeming for the time to have Uren guessing. Near the end cf tho fourteenth round Evans ripped a straight right to Uren's jaw—the cleanest blow of the match. Wild swings, however, lost "tho Digger" a succession of points, nnd in the final round he seemd to tire au<l begin to crack up. Uren was the ag-gro-ssoT right through the two minutes, and tho judges (Messrs. P. W. Woods and B. A. Guise) had no hesitation in awarding him the decision. Mr. AllanMaxwell was the referee. PRELIMINARY BOUTS. Two amateur preliminaries were staged. D. Kelly (Sat.) was defeated by J. Ruterliolt ill a bout of five two-minute'rounds, in the course of which b-th lads .early tired, and threw science to the winds, The same thing happened in the fourround contest fought out by B. Daley and 11. • llobinson, and the latter was adjudged the winner after a fairly close contest, in which both lads showed great the evening the crowd were entertnined with an exhibition .J 0 * 11 * two-minute rounds between Alf Lewis, a Sydney feather-weight, and Mjck Kutherford, a Sydney light-weiprhi. ; Ihe bout won for Lewis a large following, on account of his splendid exhibition of e\asive tactics.