SCIENTIFIC BOXING

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 195, 16 May 1944, Page 6

SCIENTIFIC BOXING

Griffin Outclasses Hensley By a finished display of scientific boxing Young Jim Griffin outclassed Bon Hensley , winner of the A.I.F. Pacific welterweight championship, in a 10-round contest staged by the Wellington Boxing Association before a crowded attendance at the Town Hall last night. . . Though gving away Dili, in Griffin,, from the opening gong, was coolness personified, and, showing beautiful footwork, he scored freely to the face with a lance-like left in the early stages, and was so elusive that he scarcely allowed his appoinent to land a damaging blow, in the last round, Griffin landed three heavily-loaded rights-in quick succession, the last of which opened such a gash below Hensley’s left eye that the referee stopped the contest, and awarded the decision to Griffin on a technical knock-out. Griffin scaled 0.11 and Hensley 10.6. The former made pretty play with the lert m the first round, in which he also showed neat footwork. The Australian forced the fighting opening the second round, but Griffin again started to pile on -points with a straight left to the face. Boxing very coolly, Griffin continued to use feet cleverly, and plied the left repeatedly to the Australian’s face as he came boring in. Griffin launched a fierce attack in the fourth session, rushing his man, and scoring with both hinds to bead and body. Giving a finished display of boxing, Griffin continued to have the better of the exchanges In the fifth round, in which he scored a solid left uppereut to the head. Hensley landed a couple of left rips to the body in the sixth round, but was finding it hard to land on hie shifty opponent, who was using his feet like n dancing master. Griffin was warned twice for holding in the clinches, _ and was also warned for hitting with ah open glove. Griffin was again warned for holding in the eighth round. The . Australian was now doing the leading, and landed a good right to the head. Realizing that he was behind on points, Hensley attempted to force the pace in the eighth round, but Griffin steadied him with right and left to the head. The ninth round was even, but in the tenth Hensley attempted to force the pace. Griffin, who was in the pink of condition, and had scarcely a mark on him, accepted the challenge, and landed three snappy rights to the Australian’s head in quick succession. These Opened such a gash under one of Hensley’s eyes that the referee, after an inspection, crowned Griffin on a technical knock-out. Mr. Phin Stone was the referee, and the judging during the evening was done by Captain C. J. H. Davidson and Mr. W. P. ■Sommervllle. Amateur preliminaries. A beautiful straight left enabled E. B. Parker (Air Force), 11.5, to outpoint T. Williams (Hedbergs), 11.7, in a hard-hit-ilng contest; J. McKenna (Railway), 10.7, was too rugged for M. McNairn (Air Force) 1O.(H: D. Moselen (Air Force), 9.13, a ducking artist, beat M. Hansby (Railway), 9.13, on a technical knock-out in the second round, a snappy right to the head doing the trick; T. Ahern (Hedbergs), 9.1, outpointed J. McCarthy (Air Force), 8.11, bv doing most of the leading; E. O’Neill (Air Force), 11.13, beat E. Williams (Bedbergs), 12.0, by a technical knock-out in the third round, after the loser had been sent to the canvas in every round; in a flyweight contest between two Railway gymnasium lads, M. Stewart, 7.13, outpointed M. Sproule, 8.3; two brothers from a Marist school, Neil Kiely, 6.4, and Peter Kiely, 6.0, had a brisk little no-decision contest, which brought a shower of silver and copper into the ring. The referee was Captain P, G. Thomson