Rick Rice Floors Miller, Keeps Heavyweight Crown

Two hundred and thirty pound Rick Rice won his fourth Harvard heavyweight boxing crown before some 500 fight-fans yesterday afternoon, with a second round KO of 217-pound challenger Buzz Miller.

Rice pounded his game opponent to the canvas twice in round one and knocked him through the ropes early in round two before ending the one-sided contest with a crushing left-right combination. The left literally lifted Miller into the air, and a pile-driving right chop laid him flat at the champion's feet.

Rice's technique is neither the wild, flailing assault of most college fighters nor the polished strike, bob and counter-punch boxing of 175-pound champ Ricardo Wilson, but rather a slow, methodical destruction of his enemy.

The outcome was obvious from the start as Rice moved slowly and imperturbably forward, clubbing with his left while his right fist lay coiled behind his ear. Miller's only attack came at the start of round two, but whether Rice went to Miller or Miller came to Rice the results were the same. Rice chopped his way through Miller's gloves and laid the challenger out. There was no need for a ten count.

The heavyweight match was the crowd-pleaser, but the best boxing of the tournament came in the 175-pound contest, which Wilson won with a close decision over last year's champion Bob Hagabak.

Wilson let Hagabak come to him; deflected, dodged or rolled with the punches; and then countered with deadly accuracy. Both boxers traded fine combinations, but Hagabak consistently emerged the worse for wear. Wilson's perfectly timed left chops to the face were particularly effective.

Other Bouts

In the 155-pound class Ralph Mooney totally outpunched Howard Eisen for a third round TKO. Eisen relied on a reckless charging attack in which he often merely moved forward, arms extended, while Mooney held him off with one glove and smashed him with the other.

The referee stopped the fight after a roundhouse right caught Eisen squarely on the jaw.

At 145, John D'Arcy outpointed Owen Hanley with a fine diversified attack to both the head and body. By the middle of the second round Hanley was badly shaken by D'Arcy's sharp jabs and solid blows to the midsection.

Hard-hitting Rick Martin won a decision victory over Steve McNeeley in the 125-pound class. Martin, smaller and far quicker than his opponent, brushed aside McNeeley's soft jabs and struck home to the head with roundhouse blows.

In the freshman heavyweight match, 212-pound Dan Calderwell had only token opposition from Alex Whiteside. Whiteside, at least 20 pounds lighter than Calderwell, barely managed to touch him. It was only in the third round that Calderwell decided to slam Whiteside and even then it was obvious he was not aiming for the knockout.

John Youngs, a fast and aggressive contender, took the decision from Dave Whitten for the freshman 165-pound crown. Youngs absorbed Whitten's punches and countered with force and accuracy. A quick succession of solid rights to the face had Whitten bleeding profusely for the last three minutes of the fight.

The freshman 155-pound title went to Art Campbell for a TKO victory over Mark Kunen. Kunen never had a chance against his heavier, experienced opponent, but he held on gamely until the referee stopped the action late in the first round