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Best of the battling Kiwis

By CARY YOUNG
2 January 2004

Murphy went to Sydney where he fought Albert Griffiths, the will o' the wisp Young Griffo, one the best defensive fighters of all time. In the 15th round Murphy took off his gloves and quit in disgust, unable to hit the Aussie master. Murphy never again reached the heights and died in Auckland in 1939.
Before Murphy, the old English master Jem Mace had toured New Zealand and tutored a handsome Maori, Herbert Slade. Mace took Slade to America and matched him with John L Sullivan, the world heavyweight champion. Though smaller than the well-built Maori, the Great John L in 1883 took Slade apart.

Bob Fitzsimmons is always claimed by the Brits as the first British boxer to win the world heavyweight title. But Fitz, born in Cornwall, was only nine when he emigrated with his family to New Zealand in 1871. He became a blacksmith building his shoulders up and started to box in NZ. So if English-born swimmer Murray Rose and Latvian-born John and Ilsa Konrads are considered Aussies, then it figures that Bob Fitsimmons is a Kiwi. True, he learned his pro boxing in Larry Foley's famous school in Sydney before going to America, where he eventually won world titles in three weights, middle, light-heavy and heavyweight. Fitzsimmons is most famous for putting Gentleman Jim Corbett out winded in the 14th round with the renowned solar plexus punch at Carson City in 1897, to become the third heavyweight champion of the world.

Wind forward to the 1920s. After the great Gene Tunney beat Jack Dempsey in the Battle of the Long Count in 1927, he was short of worthy opponents. Scientific Gene's last title defence took place in 1928 against a durable Kiwi, Tom Heeney, dubbed the Hard Rock from Down Under, a man from Gisborne in the North Island. Tom was rugged and game rather than brilliant and Tunney the Fighting Marine stopped him in the 11th round.
New Zealand had a good heavyweight called Maurice Strickland (whom I was fortunate enought to interview for British Boxing News in 1975 before he died ). Strickland was ranked No 7 in the world in 1939, in the days when Joe Louis, the Brown Bomber was king, the Muhammad Ali of hie era. Maurice lost on points over 15 to Footscray's Ambrose Palmer early in his career. In the States he fought three Joe Louis opponents, winning and losing against Johnny Paychek, and fighting draws with tough Chilean Arturo Godoy, and flash boxer Bob Pastor who went the distance with Louis. Maurice scored 33 KOs, not matched yet as far as I know by any other New Zealander.

After World War Two a lanky welterweight called Bos Murphy emerged in Wellington. At 22 he took a decision over the Aussie great, Vic Patrick in 1946. In Britain Bos won the British Empire middleweight title, but lost it to Dick Turpin in his first defence.
In that post-war time, New Zealand sought factory worker immigrants, not as Australia did from southern Europe, but the South Pacific - Samoa and the Cook Islands and to an extent Tonga. This was the start of the Polynesian invasion that resulted in a vast majority of boxers in New Zealand being of island origin or extraction to the present day.

One of the visitors was a dashing, smashing Tongan called Kiteone Lave who set the cat among the pigeons by a series of quick KOs.in 1953. One man who tamed Lave was former Victorian boxing official, Englishman Ken Brady who in three fights beat Lave once on points, stopped him once, but in turn was stopped in Auckland by the popular Tongan. Lave went to England, won some and lost some before giving the game away. He was very exciting at his best.
A less explosive but more successful Tongan was light-heavyweight Johnny Halifihi who also went to England and was at one time ranked world No 4 about the time Willie Pastrano was the champ.(there was only one champ those days). Like Lave, Halifihi was born and bred in Tonga, so is not a KIwi through and through.

In the fifties a pakeha (white) Kiwi called Barry Brown looked the goods as a welterweight. Brown stopped Bernie Hall, later a NSW trainer. He beat fancied South African, Gerald Dreyer for the Commonwealth title in his 14th fight. Then his handlers made the big blue of putting the talented southpaw in with the Negro demon, Freddie Dawson in Sydney in his 15th. Dawson massacred Brown in six rounds. Rugged Aussie George Barnes also put the skids under Brown to take his Commonwealth title. But Barry's 21 KOs from 27 fights and only four losses made a good career.

Thereafter, apart from very occasional white kids such as Dion Murphy (who took a decision off Fammo), Lance Revill and later Sean Sullivan, and some Maori or part Maori fighters like Earl Nikora and Kahu Mahanga (who sensationally KOed a young Tony Mundine in Melbourne) boxing in the Shaky Isles has been dominated by Pacific Islanders. I've been in Australia a long time now so I'm not up to scratch so much on latter days. But Aussie fans and readers need no reminding of the calibre of some of those I refer to. Manny Santos, a Portuguese-Tongan born in the islands but raised in Auckland, Toro George from the Cook Islands and like Manny a Commonwealth champ.

Clever Samoan Ali Afakasi was another. Anyone who can outpoint Ghanian Joe Tetteh, stop Rocky Mattioli, and go 26 rounds with Hector Thompson in three fights, albeit losing them all, had something special. Monty Betham, born in Samoa with a Kiwi dad, was another who won a Commonwealth title, at light-middleweight in 1975. And now New Zealand has Auckland-born Samoan, David Tua in the rankings and fighting among others Lennox Lewis for the big title.

If I have missed anyone I should have included, apologies in advance. New Zealand's list pales beside Australia's, but let's not forget NZ's population has just ticked over four million. About the same as Sydney, a little bigger than Melbourne. More fighters and more money, mean better trainers and facilities. Just as horse racing is bigger here, but not always the horses. Cheers to all for 2004.

Previous Columns:

15 October 2003

21 November 2003