Controversial Boxing Tourney Finishes in Dispute

A bitterly disputed decision in the championship heavyweight bout yesterday concluded the controversial intramural boxing tournament.

The wild slug fest between Tom Mesereau of Eliot House and Hardy Wiedermann of Adams House brought the crowed of 100 spirited fans in the IAB to its feet, but the cheers turned to boos and heckels when referee Herbert Weissblum awarded the match to Mesereau.

Both boxers fought aggressively and landed good, strong punches, but the angry blasts leveled at Weissblum in dicated the crowd's belief that the bloody Mesereau, not Wiedermann, took the beating.

In the 130 Ib. weight class, RoAnn Costin continued the Lowell House protest against intramural boxing and forfeited to Winthrop's Mike Bernick. Bernick tried to arrange an exhibition match with an ex-girlfriend's boyfriend, but the substitute contest fell through.

Terry Valenzuela of Adams beat Scott Beckett of Radcliffe at 135 Ibs. in a close, hard-fought contest. Valenzuela and Beckett split the first two rounds, but Valenzuela's endless lunging jabs got to Beckett in the third.

Radcliffe's Peter Broer outmaneuvered Marcus Williams tried to dance, but Broer consistently forced him into the corner and traded punches to Broer's advantage.

Sloppiest Fight

At 155 Ibs. Jerry Chase of Mather took a close decision from Adams's Allan Bozer in the sloppiest fight of the afternoon. Both fighters swung wildly and tied each other up, landing few solid punches.

Mather's Fred Smith displayed the best form of the afternoon in decisively defeating Dudley's Dave Cornish at 165 Ibs. Smith was smooth, good on his feet and connected blow after blow with very quick, strong jabs.

In the most brutal fight of the day, 185 Ib. Steve Heslinga of Winthrop destroyed Charley Swanson of Mather in a match that was halted in the second round. The experienced Heslinga capitalized on his longer reach and mercilessly pounded Swanson until the crowd shouted to end the fight. Gutty Swanson's face was a red blur by the match's end, but he fought all the way.

Quincy's John Waciuma bent Bob O'Meara of Mather in an aggressive bout that never lulled. Both fighters delivered plenty of powerful punches, but Waciuma's strong blows to his opponent's head gave him the victory.

Although the totals have not yet been tabulated, Mather House has apparently outslugged Adams House for the intramural boxing championship. Mather took two firsts and two seconds in today's competition, while Adams won one first and two seconds.

Thought no one from Lowell House raised so much as a hand in the ring, Lowell may stand to do well in the scoring by virtue of the number of people who "participated."

Eight Lowell House residents, including two women, signed up for the tournament, and all but one forfeited their matches as a protest against boxing being included in intramural sports.

Pete Broer, who took the 145 Ib. crown, said yesterday that the protest was disturbing, unjust and misdirected. "The Lowell House protest should be aimed at their House athletic secretary, who is forcing them to participate, and not at the sport of boxing," he said. "It seems to me that he is the real object of such a protest."