HE TREATS 'EM ROUGH

NZ Truth, Issue 1150, 15 December 1927, Page 10

HE TREATS 'EM ROUGH

Leckie's Right Is Too Much For Carroll's Courage

Mark Carroll will never be a champion fighter—of this he is well aware—but when it comes to a question of sheer gameness nobody has it on him. ;

SOME months back, he met Johnny Leckie at Dunedin and he hit the floor so often that he lost count. So did everybody else. But he refused to stay down, and to prevent a massacre the referee stopped it. After receiving such a lacing it was natural, to'.' expect Carroll to sidestep Leckie 1 in future, but he didn't. Signed up to meet another opponent at Napier, Carroll's adversary dropped but. This left the association in a bit of a hole, but Leckie was: found • willing to fill the breach. But what of Carroll? A wire to him, asking if he objected, brought back the reply: "No." So they met last week, and even with the Dunedin still fresh in his memory Carroll had the audacity to try and out-flght Leckie. Ha went in all the time, but he always got a deal more than he gave. Then In the fourth Carroll must have imagined the roof had fallen in on him. Leckie worked him over to the ropes and with a short right hand punch, caught Mark as near to the "button", as.he will ever receive it. Carroll dropped like a pithed ox, and

the referee started the toll—the nonchalant Leckie setting Dempsey an example by getting well out of the road. At six Carroll was on one'knee, shaking his head in an endeavor to clear it, and as nine was called he was oh his feet. Leckie tore in.ibut by giving a pretty good imitation of the octopus Mark managed to see the round out. • The fifth—and the last—had just got under way when Carroll was down again. . ' Once more he worked his lungs for all they were worth for nine, but he had no sooner reached the perpendicular than he was knocked horizontal again. Another nine was taken and up he struggled once more I—done 1 —done to a frazzle in condition, but not in courage. It had to be and Leckie gave it to him once more. The referee started "his count, got to halfway through, and then hoisted Leckie's glove. ~ And as he was. signalling the winner Carroll was getting his feet ready to take another one.v As a fight it wasn't one, but as a display of gameness it was gigantic.