A Diary of Sport BOXING TITLES AT BLUFF

Southland Times, Issue 24227, 10 September 1940, Page 10

A Diary of Sport BOXING TITLES AT BLUFF

Southland Amateur Championships EXCELLENT ENTRIES RECEIVED By ONLOOKER Entries in eight divisions, from paperweight to heavyweight, have been received by the Bluff Boxing Club for the annual Southland amateur boxing championships which this year will be held at Bluff. The championships will be decided at the Bluff Town Hall on Thursday night. The entries are as follows: — Paperweight.—N. Drake (Ocean Beach), J. Mclntosh (Mataura). Bantamweight.—F. Denny (Bluff), M. Hannah (Mataura), F. Brown (Invercargill), E. Edgeler (Temuka). Featherweight.—L. Neylon (Nightcaps), W. Brown (Invercargill). Lightweight.—H. Calder (Ocean Beach), M. Beadle (Wallacetown), J. Cowan (Mataura), A. Jones (Invercargill), W. Spencer (Dunedin), B. Rushton (Dunedin), H., R. McKnight (Invercargill). Welterweight.—H. Calder, D. McKenzie (Woodend), L. Bolger (Mataura), L. Braithwaite (Invercargill). Middleweight—W. Enright (Invercargill). Light heavyweight.—W, Enright, D. Anderson (Invercargill). Heavyweight.—D. Anderson, W. Murdoch (Mataura). The following entries have been received in a special class for junior featherweights:—D. Wilson (Invercargill), M. Turner (Bluff), N. Tennet (Bluff), G. Moynihan (Mataura), M. Hannah. CHAMPIONS COMPETING Cameron and T. Denny will not be defending their titles this year, but in all of the other classes the champions will be on hand. Denny, who won the Welterweight class in the last two seasons and who is also a former Otago champion, is serving in the Army. Competition in the bantamweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions promises to be very good. The entries are better than they were last year and the quality is every bit as good. The only class which is not likely to have any competition is the middleweight, for which W. Enright, Southland and New Zealand champion, is the only entrant. Enright has entered in

the light heavyweight class, however, and an opportunity of seeing him in action may be provided there. A match between him and D. Anderson, the heavyweight champion, should be worth seeing. W. Brown, champion in the featherweight class for the last two years and bantamweight champion the year before that, will make his third bid for the featherweight title. He will be opposed this year by L. Neylon, the clever young Nightcaps boxer, and although Brown’s chances again are favoured he will meet with strong opposition. CALDER’S CHANCES H. Calder has entered in two classes, lightweight and welterweight. He holds the lightweight title and looks like succeeding again in that division. A. Jones, the Invercargill boxer, who had several good bouts with W. Brown in the featherweight class last year, and B. Rushton, of Dunedin, would appear to be Calder’s strongest opponents. In the bantamweight division the issue would appear to lie between F. Denny and F. Brown. The latter has won the flyweight title in the last two years and this year at Dunedin he annexed the Otago bantamweight crown. He is boxing well, but on Denny’s performance a few weeks ago at Bluff, the Bluff boy must be given a good chance of success. B. Edgeler, from Temuka, is an unknown quantity. As usual, the welterweight class is well patronized. Calder, D. McKenzie, L. Bolger and L. Braithwaite make up a solid class and they should be capable of some interesting boxing. Bolger is a very promising boy from Mataura and on recent form he should just about win the class. He shaped well when winning the Otago title at Dunedin a few weeks ago. All round the Bluff Club has reason to be proud of its entries for its first provincial championship meeting. The presence of boxers from Dunedin and further north will add to the interest being shown in the championships. The programme should attract a big attendance of sportsmen. FORMER CHAMPIONS

Following is a list of the champions of the last two years:—

Weight 1939 1938 Fly F. Brown F. Brown Paper ' No contest A. Cameron Bantam A. Cameron V. Davis Feather W. Brown W. Brown Light H. Calder A. MacFarlane Welter T. Denny T. Denny Middle W. Enright W. Enright Light-heavy D. Anderson D. Anderson Heavy D. Anderson D. Anderson Messrs A. E. Tall and G. Singleton, of Invercargill, will referee the bouts.