The British Boxing Bulletin
April 10, 1957
Cooper's Cut Gives Erskine Technical Decision-Title Declared Vacant!
Richardson Pounds Out Decision Over Bates
By Wally Wilkens
In a fight card that stressed ethnic honor, Welshmen enjoyed the upper hand last night at Arsenal Stadium. Welsh heavyweights Joe Erskine and Dick Richardson returned to Cardiff with wins over Brits Henry Cooper and Peter Bates respectively.
Erskine, a slick boxer, was matched against Commonwealth champion Cooper and picked up a bittersweet victory. An unintential head clash in the second round opened a gash over Cooper's right eye. By the eigth round, the cut deepened and the fight was stopped with Erskine getting the slight edge on the judges' cards.
Unfortunately for Erskine, Commonwealth rules do not permit the exchange of a title via a technical decision. When one takes place, the title is declared vacant. Thus, Cooper and Erskine will have another go at it in June.
Until the contest was halted, both men gave a good accounting of their talents. For the first three rounds, Erskine pretty much took the fight to Cooper. Using his feet and a precise jab, Erskine set up his combination and prevented his foe from mounting an effective attack.
Early on Cooper did land some hard hooks which appeared to hurt Erskine. Nevertheless, he was unable to follow through and seemed slightly sluggish in the early going, looking to land one big shot with a counterpunch.
As the fight progressed, Henry, despite the constant bleeding over his right eye, started to come on. Cutting off the ring, he was able to minimize Erskine's movement and work him into the ropes where he delivered some crippling hooks to the Welsman's body.
Thirty seconds into round six, however, Cooper's momentum was halted as Erskine sent him to the mat for an eight count. Cooper was up quickly when referee Jack Donaldson reached four and didn't appear hurt.
In the following round, Erskine started to slow down, and Henry was landing numerous hooks to the head and body. But by this time the cut was getting worse. One minute into round eight, Donalson signaled a halt to the match.
Despite the knockdown that Cooper suffered, the judges saw the match as being rather close. Paul Samson and Rick McReynolds gave it to Erskine 76-75. Peter Horace dissented seeing it 76-75 in Cooper's favor.
After the match, Cooper's camp complained that Donaldson was premature in stopping the contest. From the looks of Henry's wound, that position has few takers.
In a preliminary match tough Dick Richardson scored a mauling ten round decision over rugged Peter Bates. From a scientific perspective, it was not a pretty match, but there was enough action throughout to please the crowd.
For ten rounds, both men tore at each other in what could be seen as a primative survival of the fittest contest. The bullish Richardson lived up to his sobriquet, "Dirty Dick, and was admonished for a variety of infractions by referee Mort Silver. For his part, Bates was not above bending the rules and also received several warnings from Silver.
Although there were no knockdowns, the fighters pounded each other for ten straight rounds. In the end, Richardson was too strong and too skilled for Bates. While the rounds were pretty much back and forth affairs, Richardson was awarded a clear victory by all three judges by a tally of 97-93.
Richardson is rough but does appear to have some raw talent. He'll be facing the winner of next month's match between Brian London and former Commonwealth champ Joe Bygraves. An impressive victory could earn him a Commonwealth title crack once Cooper and Erskine finally settle their differences.