BOXING

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 25, 27 December 1932, Page 2

BOXING

HUGHES-OXLEY CONTEST. WIN FOR AUCKLANDER. Going the full distance of the fifteen scheduled rounds, the professional lightweight boxing contest staged by the Manawatu Boxing Association in the Opera House, last evening, between Archie Hughes (Auckland) 9.4 J, the New. Zealand lightweight champion, and Ted Oxley (Pahiatua) 9.5, resulted in a win for the former on points. The referee’s decision was unpopular with the majority of the big crowd which was in attendance, and it loudly voiced its disapproval, but at the ringside the verdict was held to be correct. The big following of supporters for Oxley were certainly disappointed that he did not secure the decision. The fight was a keen one ,and was warmly contested. Oxley did most of the leading throughout, but his blows juSt failed to find their correct mark each time. Hughes was a dour opponent, and his defence was masterly, most of Oxley’s blows in the earl}' stages being taken on his gloves, except for light jabs to the face. Attempting to force the fight, Oxley took heavy punishment at times on the body and, in fact, received far more than he gave. It was the case ol the cleverness and ringcraft of a seasoned and fight-hardened veteran opposed to the vigour, spirit and frequently pretty boxing of a younger opponent. There was not a great deal between the boxers; indeed, the margin of points was narrow. Oxley piled up points in the first two rounds with his aggressiveness, but Hughes was fighting a scientific battle, and kept a good deal in reserve. After the first few rounds the fight, definitely swung Hughes’s way right up to the end of the 11th round, though he only just shaded Oxley in some hf the earlier sessions. Oxley, apparently . thinking he had quite a good reserve of points in hand, made the real fighting too late, instead of in the middle stages of the contest. The last four rounds were very definitely Iris, with perhaps the exception of the last, which was fairly even. Oxley made a splendid fight of it, but took too much punishment. ROUNDS DESCRIBED.

Oxley did the early leading, jabbing a smart left to his opponent’s face. Ho took the first round. They traded blows in the next, and Hughes scored with left hooks, but stopped short swings to the jaw, Oxley sending them in with rapidity, to pile on points. Boxing beautifully, Oxley kept after his man in the third. A right hook steaded him, but he continued to do the leading. Things were quiet in the fourth until Oxley stirred up a hornet’s nest with a straight left' and Hughes landed a heavy right hook which shook Oxley, following it with a left hook to the other jaw. Oxley essayed with his left as the round closed, but Hughes smashed in a right which jolted him.

Oxley opened the fifth with sharp rips to his opponent’s body. He continued to score with stabbing lefts to the head and rights to the body. Oxley was shaking up Hughes with a succession of stinging lefts, and they began to fight, Hughes returning the attack with solid right hooks which earned him points. Oxley had easily the better of brisk exchanges in this round, his blows being well-timed and well-judged. Hughes was showing signs of wear when he came out for the sixth. Oxley’s persistent left troubled him and he waded in with both hands swinging. Oxley returned the fight ami drove him to the ropes. Oxley just failed to reach his objective with a right cross. The Aucklander was mixing it well, however. Oxley had Hughes retreating in the seventh but the Aucklander began to score steadily with his left and he landed heavily to his opponent’s chin. It was Hughes’s round. Hughes sank a heavy right to his opponent’s body and then rained a succession of lefts on his face. Oxley sent in a heavy right hook, but Hughes stopped it on his glove. Oxley sought to box him off, but Hughes came lunging in with heavy right hooks to punish his opponent’s body severely. It was Hughes’s round. Hughes was well in his stride by the time the eighth was reached, and was showing all his old science and ringcraft. Oxley sought to launch an attack with his left, but Hughes retaliated with a right cross. They fell into a clinch but Hughes then forced the attack and concentrated on Oxley’s body. Hughes took the round.

Oxlev rattled Hughes with left jabs in the 10th, scoring freely to the face and body. The Pahiatua boy was now forcing the pace and he connected with solid rights to the jaw until Hughes fell- into a clinch. The eleventh round oponed with Hughes landing a solid right to the jaw. He began to flog Oxley’s body with a ripping left until Oxley again stood off to use his left effectively. Hughes came in to punish Oxley heavily on the body, but Oxley smashed in lefts and rights to the jaw to drive Hughes to the ropes and rock him on his heels.

Oxley did the leading again in the 12th, and shot lightning lefts to the face. Hughes punished him with well-timed rights, but Oxley absorbed this and kept after his man with stinging lefts. Hughes was tired, but he played on Oxley’s features with his left. Just before the round ended Oxley took a lot out of Hughes with two terrific rights. They were fighting hard now and Oxley began the thirteenth with a rapid scoring left, following up a succession of short jabs with two powerful hooks. He was punishing Hughes, but the Aucklander kept ripping away at Oxley’s body with his right. Hughes was forced to the ropes several times, and it was easily Oxley’s round. Oxley went after the points in the 14th, hammering Hughes to the ropes. Two rights had the tough Aucklander shaky, and then he ran into a left. He tried to return the fight, but Oxley kept after lum, changing from his stabbing left to solid right hooks. He was trying hard to finish the fight by the short route, but Hughes was too nuggety, and refused to concede an inch. Swinging both hands, Oxley came in for the filial round, but Hughes steadied iiim with rights to the body and lefts to the face. They clinched and then Oxley staggered his opponent with two lefts to the jaw. Hughes was kept moving back, but he plugged away at short range. Oxley hooked him with lefts and rights as the round ended, and Hughes was awarded the decision on points. AMATEUR BOUTS. Results of the amateur bouts were as follow : _ Lightweight.—C. Rush (Hawke s Bay) 9.7 v. J. Wilson (Marton) 9.8: There was little in the first round, Wilson connecting occasionally with a left cross, but in the second he ran into a hard jabbing left. Rush forced the issue in the next and again scored with his left, but Wilson opened up a cut over his opponent’s eye. The final round saw Wilson land some heavy rights, bat Rush steadied,

him with a nice straight left to earn a well-merited decision.

Middleweight.—W. Ross (Newbury) 11.3 v. H. Percy (Hawke’s Bay) 11.71:’ Opening up a lightning attack, Percy sent Itoss to the ropes. He forced the fight all the way in the first round, Ross being content to crouch and dodge. Percy punished his opponent heavily with a succession of left hooks in the next round until he had him very groggy, and the Hawke’s Bay man, who was clearly, m a much better class, was awarded the decision on a technical knock-out. Welterweight.—M. Candy (Palmerston North) 10.6 v. IL Downes (Marton) 10.10: Candy carried the fight to liis opponent in the first round, but the latter was moving back every time anything dangerous came along. Downes swung in a vicious upper cut which just failed to connect in the second round, and Candy sailed in with rights to the jaw and body. Candy containued to do the leading in the third, but towards the end of tliis round Downes began to open up the attack. The Marton boy boxeck stylishly and kept shooting out a beautiful left, but was not aggressive enough, and the decision went to Candy. Middleweight.—J. Ford (Mnsterton) 11.3 v. J. Davies (Pahiatua) 10.10: Ford did the early leading, but Davies was very quick, and occasionally shot out a snappy left. There was little, in the second round. They warmed up in the next, with Ford concentrating on the face and Davies on the body. Ford won on his leading after a good final round. The officials controlling the fixture were as follow: —Referee, Mr J. P. Evans; time-keepers, Messrs N. D. Stubbs and J. McKelvie; announcer, hfr J. M. Pearson; stage manager, Mr G. Watclrorn. FOREMAN BEATS BLAY. SYDNEY, Dec. 26. At the Stadium to-night in a lightweight bout over twelve rounds A 1 Foreman gained a points decision over Bobbie Blay in a spirited, well-matched contest.