WELLS WINS.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 May 1920, Page 3

WELLS WINS.

FRENCH BOXER OUTCLASSED

LONDON, -March IS. Alter a contest at the Albert Hall, London, last night, in which all the skill was on one side,' and nearly all the grit on the other, Bombardier Billy Wells beat Paul Journee, of France, in the thirteenth round of what should have been a twenty-rounds contest.

Journee was outclassed from the very start, hut lie put up a desperate resistance, and when he was finally knocked out he was about as badly used op as any big man 1 have over seen in the

ring. Wells showed no signs of tue nervousness which has so often been his undo ing,, hut ho absolutely refused to take even the smallest possible chaine. He bad his man apparently beaten on no fewer thon four separate occasions, but instead of going in and finishing him he stood hack and allowed him to recover. Journee did not land one single damaging blow on Wells, who lett the ling without a mark.

The Frenchman has the satisfaction of knowing that he gave a wondeiful display of pluck, and if he was conscious of appreciating the thunderous applause that greeted him as he staggered from tile ring lie must have derived n certain amount of grim pleasure from it. , It will very likely he a long time before Journee fights again, but he is certain of a great reception when next he appears in this country. ATTEMPT TO RUSH WELLS.

Journee began the battle at 6.33 by attempting to rush his opponent to the ropes, with the apparent object of getting in on what has been called Wells’s weak spot—the body. Wells got out of t he way of a nasty upper cut in the first, minute, hut after that he scored with great frequency with a straight left. Twice he tried the right Imt missed. Journee, against whom only two to one was laid Indore the start, adopted a crouching attitude, with his gloves well over both sides of his face. Wells found him hard to Lit “upstairs” because of this fact, so he at once transferred his attention to the body, and before the end of the second round he delivered several very telling blows; indeed, he seemed to have Journee settled thus early, but he Hid not pursue his advantage as Vie should have done.

Journee opened out a hit in the third round and tried to box Wells, hut lie | found this a dangerous game, as he soon covered up again, although always boring in and keeping Wells on tlie move. Wells was showing a splendid defence, aiul in the fourth round his work was remarkably clever. His blows lacked power however, and some of bis friends be- j came slightly annoyed with him because j

lie could not finish it. In the fifth round Wells missed many fine chances through hesitation, hut his boxing was very skilful, even if his judgment was not altogether of the host. Journee landed a good right early in tlie sixth, round, but. this was tlie only telling blow lie delivered. Wplls kept on prodding him with the lelt and occasionally 'brought the right across hut could not find the exact spot. The pace slackened, but the farther they went the farther Wells drew ahead ;

indeed, it had been a one-man affair from the start, but it was well worth watching because of Wells’s skill and the other’s splendid pluck. Journee had a terribly bad time in the ninth round and again in the eleventh, but he refused tr: give way and Wells still refused to take a chance.

In the thirteenth, however, Wells apparently had ill is orders. He smashed his man repeatedly on head and body with beautifully timed lefts and rights, and, getting him dazed and tottering, he finished him with a great half-arm punch with the right which sent the Frenchman to the hoards like a log. Previous to that he had been down for periods ol 5,6, 7, and 8 seconds—all from blows on the body. It was terrible punishment.