BOXING.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1921, Page 3

BOXING.

THE ELTHAM TOURNAMENT ’ \ ’ —— SMITH KNOCKS OUT PRESTON. There was a fair crowd of boxing enthusiasts at the Eltham Town Hall last night when a number of amateur bouts and a fif-teen-round lightweight professional fight, for a purse of £175, was put orf by the Eltham Boxing Association. The association was fortunate 1 in its selection of amateur bouts, and some bright contests were witnessed, but the big fight of the evening, between Stewart Smith, of Whangarei, and Billy Preston, of Australia, was a disappointment, Smith winning in the fifth round after a very quiet contest. The referee was Mr. Alan Maxwell, and he carried out his duties in a- manner that was pleasing to everybodj’. SMITH v. PRESTON. Stewart Smith (9.12) v. Billy Preston (9.12).—80th men looked fit when they stepped into the ring, but, Smith demonstrated from the first that he was the better man, and he had the. advantage in every round. Just previous to the fight Mr. H. Forsyth, president of the association, announced that Geo. Thomas, of Wanganui, challenged the winner. In . the first round Preston scored with a nice left, but Smith scored heavily in infighting. In the second round Smith landed a hard left hook and later on a straight left, Preston retaliating with a right to the jaw. Smith scored in further in-fighting. The third round was as quiet as the previous two, the referee calling to the contestants to “break” on -three occasions. Smith landed with his left over the heart and on the jaw, and ducked a straight left from Peston. He was forcing the fight from the. start, but found Preston smart at side-stepping and evading. The chief incident in the fourth round, in which there was a Jot of clinching, was a clinch in which both men came down. Smith was leading a. lot, but Preston was quick on his feet. Round five opened briskly, and it looked as if there was going to be something exciting. Smith was still forcing the fight, but Preston scored with straight Lefts. Smith Was cautioned for wrestling, and a few seconds later he dropped Preston with a righ cross to the jaw. At tl:e count of pine Preston got on his feet, but he was well finished, and went down again for seven and then six, finally being knocked out of the ring, when Smith was declared the winner. l-.-’AMATEUK BOUTS. Flyweight.—D. Childs (7.3) beat A. Collins (6.9) on points, in a six-round bout. Welterweight.—R. Fitzsimmons (11.8) beat Skarrock (10.1) on points in a four-round Bantamweight.—A. Brooking (7.10) drew with R. Dudding (7.10) in a four-round bout. Lightweight.—A. Humphreys (8.11’4) knocked out G. Dudding in the first round of a fuur-round bout. Heavyweight.—Mills (12.5) beat F. Canute (11.6) on points, in a six-round bout.