BOXING

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 192, 10 May 1921, Page 6

BOXING

BOUTS IN TOWN HALL M'COY BEATEN BY MURRAY The boxing matches contested in the Town Hall last evening under the auspices of the Wellington Boxing Association were eminently successful, the bouts being watched by a very large attendance. The star contest, was the tenround bottle between Herb. M'Coy (tile well-known Australian lightweight, aud ex-champion) and Les. Murray, one oi the Dominion’s coming boxers, in which tho Australian, after leading on points by a good margin, was defeated in the last round, the bout being stopped to avoid a knock-out. The result showed tho present qualities of tho two boxers. M'Coy has not fought for some time, and though he still possesses much of his old cleverness he is not the M'Coy of the past. His skill stood him in good stead throughout most of the fight, but tho heavy punches and the youthful virility of Murray came out on top in tho long run. M'Coy relied as of old on his half-jolts and rapid succession of stinging jabs, and though they piled up points for him they were not effective enough to wear down his powerful young opponent. M'Coy was the first to tiro, and then his defence failed. Murray might have finished the bout sooner had he forced the fighting more, but he was outgeneralled and outskilled throughout the greater part of tho contest. M'Coy either evaded or took most of his blows on his glove until he tired in the last, two rounds. The bout was another example of an' old boxer returning to the "game” to find his powers diminished considerably. Murray is a vigorous young boxer, possessed of plenty of pluck, and should do well at the game. It was announced last evening that a local boxer, Callaway, would challenge the winner of the bout. The. amateur bouts were mostly up to a high standard. THE BIG BOUT. Herb. M'Coy (Australia), 9st. 71b. v. Les Murray (New Zealand), 9st. 71b. The first round was a fairly even go, with a lot of clinching, M'Coy using his left in peppery jabs. He got ono good one to Murray’s neck with his right, and got well away from a rush before his glove stopped a solid right from the New Zealander. M'Coy took advantage of every opening, and showed 1 great skill in getting home his blows after a clinch. In fact, he outmanoeuvred Murray. In the second round Murray got a good right on to M'Coy’s neck, and' his punch had a sting in it. M'Coy got home on the body and jab, jab, ja.b to the face. After a desultory spell the New Zealander went after an uppercut with his right, but luckily for M'Coy it failed to get home. Although scientific, the boxing thus far was not extremely interesting. The Australian’s right jab found its mark several times in the third round, and a beautiful, quick, straight left: found tho point of Murrnf’e jaw. Another one caught him in the right eye, and the crowd gasped. M'Coy was making the pace during this round. M'Coy’s jabs - under the ear got busy in the fourth round, although the Aus’.’ealian’s face was the home of several stinging lefts from Murray, who showed improvement. Twice his left reached M'Coy’s neck, and the Australian must have felt it. Just as the gong} went, an uppercut got M'Coy’s jaw: but it was not a heavy one. At the fifth round M'Coy let his opponent do the work, but Murray’s left gave him more trouble than he anticipated, finding his Adam’s apple more than once. Again that deadly right uppercut of Murray’s missed: and again it was lucky for the Australian. For this was Murray’s round. With the bout half over, the Australian was very confident, and a left got Murray’s jaw as he was forced to the ropes in a clinch. But the local man awaited his opportunity, and got in some clever punches during the round, especially a straight jab after some nippy feinting. Excitement grew, as the two exchanged some hefty blows, M'Coy getting on some heavy jolts to Murray’s neck and face. M'Coy piled up points in the early stages of the seventh round, but towards the end of the round Murray made it hot for his opponent. Murray was down for an instant, but followed by a clever .jab to M'Coy’s face, and not long after another right got home in the same place, and a left found the Australian’s neck, followed by yet another. Murray seemed to be holding back, but came out of his shell a little towards the end of each round. With three rounds to go, M'Coy’s wind was troubling him, and Murray waltzed in with some hard ones, but M'Coy responded witli more jabs, and a few moments later Murray stopped too soon in a rush, and lit led 1 to M'Coy getting in some solid ones. The ninth round showed both boxers to be tired, although it opened briskly. They mixed it well for a little until Murray’s right got home a couple of times to the jaw, and clinching followed. Murray rushed M'Coy to the ropes with a shower of wild swings and broke down the older man’s defence, sending him down for three. His right did heavy work before the gong sounded. M'Coy now was tiring badly, and in the last round Murray went after a knock-out. Twice the New Zealander flung liis right to the jaw, and each time M'Coy went down first for five and the.n for seven seconds. M'Coy was very groggy, and reeling on to the ropes from a moderate blow Murray had him practically helpless when the referee stopped the contest and awarded the victory to the New Zealander almost on the call of time. It was a good and jlterhaps a lucky win.

Mr. Earl Stewart was the referee, and Messrs. J. E. Staples and P. W. Woods judges.

AMATEUR LIGHT-WEIGHT CONTESTS. P. M'GREGOR V. A. YARKER. In this bout of four two-minute rounds, M’Gregor’s weight was 9st. 51b. and his opponent’s lOst. The heavier man’s style was peculiar, but a long reach him some advantage. The display, to say the least of it, was not boxing. At times it was like a football match. Yarker invariably .advanced in a peculiar crouching style, with his arms goin* like flails. To evade the punches of his opponent in the first round, M'Gregor resorted to tactics of running and side-stepping. In (he second round M'Gregor was fired of being chased round the ring, and got several good poiilis home to the jaw. Yarker showed signs- of weakness, and at one period lay against the ropes, his head shielded for fully a minute, while M'Gregor sent homo blow' after blow to his body. The onlookers wore expecting a throw in, but Yarker suddenly revived nnd pursued the chase. The third round was the same. Yarker, although getting several nasty knocks through his unscientific arm-waving, continuing to wander round aimlessly after his nippy opponent. The end came early in the fourth round, when the little man pinned Yarker to the ropes and commenced a Iwlabouring which the other thought best to have discontinued, and M’Gregor wns proclaimed the winner amid applause and laughter, the attendance having enjoyed tile bout hugely. But it wns not boxing. DALY V. DESMOND. Owing to the illness of O’Keefe, B. Daly contested a three-round no-decision bout with 1 Desmond. AMATEUR FEATHER-WEIGHT CONTESTS. MADDOX V. KERR. This bout was of five two-minute rounds. C. Maddox (Hartings) weighed

Bst. 31b-, and T. Kerr 85t..71b. Maddox is the bantam-weight champion of . NewZealand. Kerr opened the bout with a rush that had a terrific left on the end of it, but Maddox got out of the way. Soon after Kerr had been spoken to ' for holding, he got in some good ones; but had to be again spoken to before the end of the round. Portion of the attendance disagreed with the referee’s action, and there was an uncomfortable halfminute before they quietened.. In the second round Maddox used his left to advantage in in-fighting, but Kerr alse got in some good, straight jabs to hw opponent’s neck. The round ended with Kerr getting some punishment. A straight right from the Hastings man at the beginning of the third round got Kerr full in the face, rnd a wild rush from that boxer was almost disastrous for him, for Maddox’s right was beginning to be a nuisance. The fourth round showed Maddox’s right to more advantage, and another rush from Kerr let Maddox plant some. good ones to face Vnd body, Malddox sent nn « beautiful straight left to the face just before the gong. With the. last round Maddox increased his boob-mg, giving Kerr few chances, and.got in some hot punches with his tricky right. Thebout went to the Hastings man. who really deserved his win against a bigger and a heavier opponent. PEARCE V. RUSTERHOLTZ.

Pearce tipped the scales at 6st. 541b.,' and J. Rusterholtz Bst. 21b. Ruster-'. holtz is well known in amateur circles, as a swift nnd scientific boxer. But Pearce, a nuggety customer, had him’ thinking in the first round with, right jabs and hooks that had a sting in them- lAfter the firrt ,few minute Rusterholtz was glad <« hold off and uro his nippy footwork. The second round saw Pearce doing great close work with lightning jnb» to Rusterholtz # body. Rusterholtz proved very quick, however, and got home some good uppercuts to Pearce’s jaw. At the beginning, of the third round Pearoe got home somegood lefts —reminiscent of Fritz Holland 1 —and Rusterholtz was kept on the de-’ tensive, getting a couple of good rights, however, to his opponent's neck. With the last round Rusterholtz Improved, and used his right to good advantage. Pearce got in a fine right hook to the side of, (he neck, but soon after Rusterholtz' returned the compliment. Towards the end Pearce become palpably tired, but the bout went in his favour. R. HARRIS V. G. NICHOLAS.

Thie was a fly-weight contest of three two-minute rounds. Harris was the lighter of the two, the weights being Get. 71b. and Grt. 41b. The heavier man, Nicholas, made the pace from the sounding of the gong, but his opponent, the possessor of a very effective right, returned punch for punch with good effect. Thabout went to Harris, the crowd completely agreeing with the decision. The winner was not tho aggressive one of the pair, and at tiroes seemed to hang off, but his relentless returns undoubtedly gained him the verdict. •;