BOXING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 June 1939, Page 11

BOXING

MAX BAER BEATEN. SEVERELY PUNISHED BY NOVA. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. NEW YORK, June 1. Louis Nova defeated Max Baer in the eleventh round on a technical knockout. The fight was unimpressive up to the end of the seventh found, after which Baer commenced to absorb much more punishment that was good for him, and the critics were astonished that the referee did not stop the bout after the ninth round. Baer weighed 15st Alb, and Nova 14st 61b. The odds were in favour of Nova. Nova won the first round, in which he administered heavy body punishment. Despite continued body punishment, Baer won the second round with a hard right to Nova’s head toward the close. Nova had a margin in the third, causing Baer to bleed slightly from the mouth, but he lost the fourth, because of a low blow. Baer, in this round, drew blood with a left to Nova’s eye. Nova had a shade the advantage in the fifth rouna, also the sixth and seventh, and by the eighth Baer was missing with his blows. Baer now began to absorb more punishment than plainly was good for him. He was spitting blood, missing with his blows and taking Nova hard on the head and body. In the ninth Nova slowly continued to slaughter his opponent, who now was almost helpless against the ropes, a human chopping-block. It seemed momentarily that the referee must stop the bout, but Baer surprisingly came back strongly toward the end of the round, and the referee had to catch Baer to keep him from hitting after the bell. Baer’s left eye closed in the tenth round, which was a duplicate of the ninth, with blood pouring out of Baer’s mouth and Nova chopping away with his left. Nova continued to pound him until the referee stopped the fight in the eleventh. Baer was shockingly battered and bleeding profusely. This round was described as a spectacle for which the New York ring has had few replicas.