CARNERA-STRIBLING FIGHT

Hokitika Guardian, 31 December 1929, Page 2

CARNERA-STRIBLING FIGHT

STRIBLING DISQUALIFIED. MEMORABLE NIGHT AT ALBERT’ HALL. LONDON November 21 Prime Camera, tlie giant Italian boxer, won. his tight with y oung Stribing, of America, at the Royal Albert Hail in the fourth round. it was a disappointing ending The American was uisqua.inecl tor nitting low. The Haitian lias boxed only for twelve months, and lias appeared only in fifteen contests. bunching luis been in 250 contests. Camera is 23 years of age, stands 6ft S 2 m in height, and weighs 2Jst lib. btri filing is 25 yeais or age, is bit 11 in in height, and weighs last 51b. There was a record attendance at Albert Hall. The Prince of Wales was present, and many of Condon's society people were theie. The Prince arrived vvitn Lieut.-Commander Louis ureig and Air Harry Preston. ,iS was to be expected, tnere was pandemonium when the giant was felled in the fourth round. There was a terriuc burst of booing, hissing, and cat calls. There were shouts of •‘Foul!” and counter snouts oi “No, he did not hit him!” All that the main body of the spectators saw was that the contestants were locked in a clinch, and then the Italian fell and rolled in agony on the floor. The representative of the “Sporting Life” thus describes the rounds:— “ ’^lwTND a,, ()Nn™ rTm "* ,n ’" ,m " Alter a very brief spar, Stribliug jumped in wilii ins left, missed, drove a nurd l'lgni over to tne Head. Un brealung, Camera sent a ligm ieit to cue luce, hut Bubbling, rust ou bis feet, jumped in and scored wieli left a.id right oil the head, and tnen wmle still close in, wnippetl up. a left, again to tne head. Tnere was a clinch, and the referee, Ted iiroadribb, had to order the men to break. Stribliug was again first to lead, and be scored with a right hook to the body, and a left to tne jaw, that hurt Camera. Parnera drove m short blows to the body with both hands when in clincnes, but he did not disturb Stribliug, who again scored with quick punches to the head and body. ROUND, TWO. It was Stribliug who again scored on the face m tins rounu, and his speed and variety of ipunenes completely liou-piussed his opponent for a time. Camera was oicen in two minds owing to the cleverness of the American, and when he hesitated was beaten to the punch by his tricky opponent.

atnbling was always hitting, and if his 'punches did not damage his opponent they stung the big fellow, especially one downward left to the jaw, which shook Camera and damaged his left eye. ROUND THREE. This round provided the sensation of the fight, beginning when Stribling, after fiddling around and getting his man guessing, sprang in and slung over a right to the jaw which sent Camera down, his head hitting me canvas with a bang that could be heard all over the Albert Hall. It seemed all over bar the shouting, but Camera rolled over as a wrestler might do, and then got on his hands and knees facing his own corner. It was an anxious time for his seconds, but Camera nodded and waved his hand to them, and at “six” literally bounded to liis feet without a second’s pause, and hurled himself at his opponent, who simply crashed to the canvas, a terrific right-hand punch to the jaw sending him down before he could get his hands up. Nobody expected Stribling to get up, but lie did, rising at “nine” and looking as cool and collected as if nothing had happened. Camera all the time had been straining at the leash, to use a figure of speech, and had to he restrained by tiie referee and told to get back. When instructed to box on he was at his man with one huge bound, bill Stribling had nothing if not an 'icecold brain. This time lip was ready, and, springing aside, lie evaded the tremendous right aimed at him, and, coming in close, “middled” his man, and prevented him from doing further damage before the round ended.

R.OUND FOUR. Stribling camo out of his corner with knitted brows as the big fellow advanced towards Him, and continued his previous tactics, drawing his man to him and swinging in with those snappy lefts ..and rights which seemed to come from all angles, but Carnera was not putting out some of his gigantic straights. The Italian was punching with a power that he had never before called itpon until lie had got knocked down in the third round, and Stribling was cutting-up under the pressure. Stribling may have been so weakened that lie could not keep his hands sufficiently high, but the fact remains that he hit Camera with a blow that was plainly low, and this was obvious to the spectators on at least two sides of the ring. Camera, squirmed with the pain of the blow, and on the instant Stribling drove a right to the same spot; with what force the blow was deliver-

ed was made evident by the dent in his protector. Whether the blow was intentional or not, the croVcl voiced its opinion in no uncertain way. Previously sympathy had been with the smaller man, bnt now the shouts and boos which assailed Stribling showed which way the feeling went.

It was a disappointing ending to what should have been a fine contest. Boos and groans were Stripling’s portion when lie stood waiting in the ring while his opponent lay writhing in agony, and lie was hooed again after the .M.C. had announced that Camera was the winner on a foul.

STB I B LIXG ’ S EXPLA XAT I OX. After the fight Stribling said:— “II was hit only once, and that was on the jaw in tlie second round, but it did not hurt me a. bit. The first tiling 1 knew was that I was down. I looked over to my mother, and knew then that it was safe enough to take a rest. But I was sure from that moment that I had got him beaten. “I am sure T would have won, but for that bad luck. How can J say that I did not hit. him low, The referee knows host. All I can remember is that T swung a left end right to his stomach, where I knew I could do most damage. He parried my right, and I must suppose knocked it down that is all I can say. I am terribly sorry to have disappointed the Prince of Wales and the crowd. ’ ’ TIGERISH FEROCITY. “No more thrilling fight has been witnessed in this country,”, writes tho “Daily Telegraph” correspondent, “since Clairpeittier, -at tho Hal born Stadium, with the Prince of Wales looking on, sprang at Joe Beckett, the then reigning British champion, shot out his left hand, and with a following right that cracked as it reached the jaw, was the winner in almost record time.

“There was this difference —the contest last night ended because of a foul 1 v Stribling in the second minute of the fourth round. With tigerish ferocity, his lips pursed tight, and his eyes ablaze, the American drove his left palpably, inexcusably low, and the Italian fell like a log, to roll this and that way, his face distorted with pain. “Ted Brondribb, the referee, so soon ns tho blow had been struck, shot up his right hand by way of a signal that Stribling had been guilty of an unpardonable transgression of the rules, and that disqualification of the American must follow as a matter of course.

“Stribling sensed the situation like tho old campaigner that lie is, and In's flushed face, as he went to bis corner to join his father, was that of a man who had been robbed of his fighting heart. He muttered words of protection and gesticulated as if to sav that ho had done no wrong.

‘if he great gathering, in which there were many hundreds of richlygowned women, roared and hooted. Camera, the while, looked round as if he were dazed. His eyes bulged, his thick lips were parted as he fought for his breath, which came in short, distressing gasps. “That the blow was illegally low I have not the least doubt. Whether intentional, only Stribling can toil. I cannot believe it was. However, the referee rightly decided that a foul had been committed, and so Stribling was adjudged the loser.”