Evening star., 1955-02-05
GaviIan Spotty
In Close Win
Over Durando
More Fights Needed
To Tell Whether Kid
Can Get Back on Tor
By fhe Associated Press

NEW YORK, Feb. 5.-How
much does Kid Gavilan have
left? The first returns are in
now.
After his split decision cover
Ernie Durando last night at
Madison Square Garden, you'd
say the Cuban Keed still can
take a bombing punch on the
chin by a slugger. He still can
flash an eye-catching furry to
win votes and start arguments
in the balcony.
Maybe Gavilan still has enough
left to win back the welter-
weight title he lost to Johnny
Saxton, october 20, the night of
"the great odor" in Philadelphia.
Maybe, but not for sure. 1t will
take more than one fight to tell.
after a three-month layoff.
There were times when Gavi-
Ian, weighing 1521a to Durando's
1904 pounds, revived memories
of his early days. There were
times, in the first and third
rounds, when he reminded you of
his fights with Saxton in Phila-
delphia and Bobo Olson in Chi
cago, nights when his refexes
were blurred and his pace slowed
and labored.
Referee Votes for Durando.
One official, Referee Mark
Conn, thought Gavilan had so
little that he won only three
rounds, losing to Durando on a
7-3 card. Both judges had Gavi-
Ian on top, but not by too much.
Judge Bert Grant saw it Ga
and Judge Artie Aidala SAL. A
ringside poll of writers showed
a lopsided vote for Gavilan.
Many in the crowd of 6,208
paying $21, 1856 booed the deci-
sion. Most of them probably had
come over from New Jersey to
cheer for Durando, a 28-year-old
middleWeight from Bayonne and
a 4-to-1 underdog. He gave
them plenty to cheer, too, for he
was always pressing, forcing the
action from bell to bell as he
cranked up his heavy punches
OF paved with a jab.
Gavilan owed his decision to
the left hook that won so many
of his 118 pro fights since 1943.
At one stage in the seventh, he
drove home 10 consecutive hooks,
accompanying each with a grunt.
Durando wobbled the Keed
with a hook in the fourth and
bounced a thudding right off his
jaw in the eighth but it was
Gavilan's furious furry in the
last 30 seconds that won the all
important decisive round on
Aidala'S card.
DurandO Bitter Over Verdict.
Durando was bitter as he sat
in his dressing room, surrounded
by his admirers. II know l won
the fight" he said, over and over.
ut was taken away from me.
The referee was right. He saw
the light" Freddie Brown, his
trainer, agreed with him. So did
Billy Graham, the welterweight,
who thought Ernie won it easy"
Gavilan was just as sure the
decision was right. Where did
the referee get that vote?" he
asked. What will the new COM
Julius Helfand) do
about that?" tHelfand was still
applauding the rousing finish.)
The International Boxing Club
has Gavilan all set for a Febru-
ary % Miami match with Bobby
Jones of Oakland. Calf. But
the Keed and his new manager
Yamil Chade, are baking. They'll
probably take Jones and also a
Garden date in March.
mo monkey business" said
Gavilan to Matchmaker Billy
Brown. II want Olson. Ray Rob-
inson, Saxton or Carmen Basilio.
Or maybe Rocky Castellani or
Joey Giardello.
II am 95 per cent top condi-
ton. My legs are as good as ever.
l wanted to show the fans I still
can fight. The Keed no washed
UP yet. Me 90 but I feel like 81"
The l0-round battle was tele-
vised nationally and also broad-s
cast by the NBC.
Ernie (Sonny Boy) Williams,
1882, Washing ION, stopped Tom
my Barto, 1882, Pittsburgh. in
26 seconds of the eighth round
Of a scheduled eight-rounder on
the preliminary card.