Here's a Most Interesting Programme Dated for This Weekend's Newsletter from ST. GEORGES
HALL in BRADFORD!!
We Have a Very Good Card with 5 Bouts!!
However Just Look at The Main Bout!!-It's a BILLY ROBINSON versus KENDO NAGASAKI
Confrontation!!-with The Former 9 Months into his Tenure as BRITISH HEAVYWEIGHT Champion!!
The Previous Owner-and Obviously Attendee!-Has Annotated The Programme with Details!!
He Reports That 'KENDO RETIRED in Round Two!!
Now in the Normal Course of Matters This would Constitute a TKO WIN for ROBINSON!!-So KENDO
would Have LOST The Bout!!-But He DIDN'T UNMASK!!???
Wonder What They Announced to The BRADFORD Audience Here???
BILLY JOYCE also On This Bill!!
MAIN MASK
Round 2 is of interest and possibly suggests something went wrong, though the early ending could have been part of the pre-planned story to protect Kendo. And there's little doubt that it was pre-planned. We have now encountered quite a few of these Nagasaki v Robinson matches that ended with questionable wins on both sides .
This is 1967. Nagasaki had been a professional for less than three years. Promoters saw potential in him but he was still a newcomer. They had doubts about his long term prospects. They hadn't the confidence to put him on tv. Prior to the Howes match they didn't realise he was a man they needed to respect. Robinson had been endowed with the British and European championship. They knew he was a worthy champion though had questions about his drawing power.
Matches between the two of them were attractive to us fans at the time. But to allow one of them to come out on top would have killed one of the geese killing the golden eggs.