1.
GV: Boxers out a start of World Flyweight Championship title flight, Venezuela, with defending champion Miguel Canto, striped shots, fighting Betulin Gonzales of Venezuela, in black shorts.
0.29

2.
SCU: Fight in progress.
0.42

3.
CU: Canto keeping away from Gonzalez attack.
0.54

4.
MV: closing stages of round with Canto getting in hits.
1.12

5.
GV: spectators.
1.15

6.
GV: Canto gets trophy.
1.20


As well as the trophy, Canto got the equivalent of 100,000 US dollars. The match took nearly a year to organise.




Initials RH/JR/AH/1745


SPORT - BOXING

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The World Boxing Council Flyweight champion, Miguel Canto of Mexico, has retained his title in a match in Caracas, Venezuela.

SYNOPSIS: The challenger was Betulio Gonzalez of Venezuela, in the black shorts. Gonzalez beaten Canto in 1973 to take the then vacant world title. Gonzalez lost the title to Shoji Oguma of Japan who in turn lost it to Canto. Canto had successfully defended his title four times before the Caracas fight.

Gonzalez was the more aggressive of the two but Canto managed to stay out of trouble. Although there were no knockdowns Canto suffered a small cut on his left cheek in the seventh round. Gonzalez was relaying on right jabs but Canto's left hooks were more telling.

The fight went the full fifteen rounds with Canto still doing strong. British Referee Harry Gibbs gave the fight to Canto. Both judges were from Mexico. One scored the fight in Gonzalez' favour - the other gave it to Canto. Most of the ten thousand spectators strongly disagreed with the decision against the home-town favourite, Gonzalez.