GAVE HIM "THE BIRD"

NZ Truth, Issue 1181, 19 July 1928, Page 10

GAVE HIM "THE BIRD "

Leather- Lunged Merchants Work Overtime

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Dunedin Representative.) 1 It is seldom that Referee Jack Kilmartin gets the hird, but he got it with a vengeaiice at Dunedin last Saturday night.

THE reason for the outburst was his 1 . decision m favor of Steve Hughes over Fred. SmitherUm m the tenrounder pro. preliminary. It was hot a very enlightening < affair, and neither man displayed •much finish m his. work. Smitheram started off swinging wildly and for the first four rounds he looked like flooring Hughes, who had unwisely attempted to mix it.. Unable to box his oppbnent, Hughes thereafter- contented himself by, poking out- his left and propping. Smitheram has no defence for his head, and over the second halt of the" fight Hughes /Slung out his left and collected Smiteram's jaw ad lib. The points he lost m the first four rounds were more than recouped with his straight work m the last five, and

Jack Kilmartin was correct m his decision. • ■ ; A' big section of the crowd v voiced their disapproval— -which is 'allowed. However, they carried it a bit too far when they held up the announcer for fully five minutes at. the commencement of the big featherweight contest. AT the Kensington Drill Hall on Saturday night, Dunedin fans will partake of the third course m the fistic feast. •-. • \ This week's attraction will be the meeting of .^undefeated Johnnie Leckie and: Norman Radford, the little Yorkshire miner. _ . '„■■■ Comparing performances, it should be a^ great fight, but Dunedinites will pin their colors to their Johnnie.