Unleashing a Merciless body attack with the opening bell and never letting up for an instant, Billy Speary, Nanticoke youngster who three times won the national A.A.U. bantam championship, last night punched out a decisive eight-round victory over Billy Davis, of Minersville, in the feature bout of the open air fistic program at the Fair Grounds last night.
The weights were announced at 125 for Speary and 128 1/2 for Davis.
The bout, moved up to second-place on the nights program because of the threatening skies, saw Speary play a steady tattoo on Davis' anatomy for eight rounds without a let-up. At close quarters Speary whaled away with both fists at Davis' stomach and kidneys, and there wasn't anything that Davis seemed able to do about it but just take it.
Whenever Davis did open up with his round house right and left swings, Speary either ducked under them or dodged as they went harmlessly over his head and shoulders. Not once during the course of the eight rounds to Davis land anything resembling the blow with which he dropped Speary for a nine-count here when both for amateurs.
Only occasionally, very occasionally, did Davis open up and start swinging punches with Speary, and then the Nanticoke boy, by far to better boxer of the two, generally had things much as he pleased peppering Davis with straight left jabs and left hooks.
Entire Program Makes Big Hit with Banner Crowd
There were at least two bouts of the program that furnished the spectators, the largest crowd of the outdoor season here, with more real excitement than the wind up.
One of these was the six-rounder in which Rocky Luciano, Harrisburg Italian welterweight, punched out a decision over Frankie Bluis, of Pottsville. Luciano weighed 146; Bluis, 147.
There was more real action piled into the first round of this bout, more solid punches, than in the entire eight heats between Speary and Davis. And fast as it started out, it lasted that way through the entire six rounds, with Luciano putting on a fine finish to win the unanimous decision.
It was the slam-bang, nip and tuck fight from start to finish. First one boy would look as though he was on the way out, and then the other. Each would come back in spectacular fashion.
Despite that most of the bout was fought in rain, the two boys pummeled away at each other from start to finish, with Luciano getting a great ovation from the fans at the finish. In the sixth round Bluis' left eye was closed tight.
PATSY GALL GETS WIN OVER YOUNG ARMSTRONG
Still another bout that had it on the windup for real action with that in which Patsy Gall, rugged Freeland lightweight scratch that, punched out a six-round decision over Young Armstrong, Philadelphia Negro who fought in the amateurs under the name of Herb White. Armstrong weighed 136; Call, 138.
Although it was put on as the final bout of the night, few if any spectators left before the Gall-Armstrong bout was over, with Gall having an edge the better of four of the six rounds.
Several times Gall seemed to be tiring under the steady barrage of the busy Philadelphia Negro, but each time to Freeland boy rallied to punch things out with Armstrong, and in the last two sessions won by a comfortable margin.
HEAVYWEIGHT GIANT IS NOT DOUBT IN FIFTH
George Castelnak, a Harrisburg giant weighing 226 pounds and looking even bigger than Primo Carnera, was stopped in the fifth round by Philip Johnson, Bayonne Negro who despite his 183 pounds looked like a midget against the Harrisburg man.
Castelnak, who had nothing more than size in his favor, was down twice in the second and once in the fifth before referee Jack Saurino called a halt.
Joe Donifrio, of Minersville, 142, pack too many guns for Al Maitz, Limeport, 142, and the Minersville boy won in the fourth.
