Loses First

Lave Of Tonga

Bout In Britain

KITIONE LAVE, the Tongan heavy weight boxer, lost his first fight in Britain when, on July 25, Johnny Williams, former British champion, won by a technical knockout after only 1 min. 55 sec. of the first round had been fought at Birmingham.

It was a non-title bout, scheduled for 10 rounds.

Lave started well, but the referee stopped the fight when the Tongan had been left dazed by a terrific right-hander to his chin. Lave took a count of four.

Lave, whose manager is Bruce Wood cock, another British heavyweight ex hampion arrived in London in June in joest of Don Cockell’s British Empire itle. Still only 21. he won 35 of his 37 Ights in New Zealand and Australia.

FIJIAN light - heavyweight champion * Laitia Vakaduadua outpointed the Victorian middleweight outpointed the ’ompei. at Auckland on June 13.

The “New Zealand Herald” reported: ‘Scaling 11 st. 11 lb, Pompei had to give way !» lb to the accomplished Fijian, who ought the last SV2 rounds one-handed ifter his left hand had been injured, •ompei took gruelling punishment in the oiddle stages. He finished strongly but icptly against Laitia’s clever defence”.

In a preliminary to this Auckland fight, irt Kirkham (Australia) 12 st. 3 lb. nocked out Clark Burn (Samoa) 11 st. » lb, in the sixth round of a dreary con st scheduled for 10 rounds. The Samoan r as listless and the decision was accom anied by a shower of pennies from dis runtled spectators.

At Hastings, New Zealand, Fijian heavy eight Joveci Bau outpointed Samoan eler Schmidt on June !), and in July cored a technical knockout win over Bother Samoan, Bob Schuster.

MEANWHILE New Caledonia is em- P phatically disdainful of the quality nAustralian boxers who have appeared iere.

“Various Australian pugs have landed ere purporting to be champions of this, rat and the other thing, only to be >wned in their first contests with local •Mrs, most of whom are New Caledonian rtives or part-natives,” reports a PIIVI at Noumea.

"Not long ago a champion of something [ other in Australia arrived with a flood publicity and was floored by a native •Mr in the first round of his first fight.

P referee stopped the bout in the third Bnd, “A very poor opinion is held locally of

istralian boxers.”

AIo Leilani, of Pago Pago, who claims to be the first Eastern »oan professional to succeed overseas, « the Italian Frank Marconi at Bris ne in July, and later beat Frenchman ancois Miquet at Sydney, eilam, 6 ft. tall and weighing 16 st. has had six years’ professional est lmg in the United States.