Blood flowed again last week on Lunga beach. "I was just standin' there," a stricken soldier moaned to his seconds, "when all of a sudden. . . ."
Boxing is the favorite entertainment of the occupation forces on Guadalcanal. Every Saturday night U.S. servicemen, New Zealanders and woolly-haired natives choke the roads to the ringside, scramble for seats in trucks parked bumper to bumper. More than an hour before the first bout, every nearby coconut tree is loaded with spectators and standing room is hard to find.
The bouts follow intercollegiate rules and last for three 90-second rounds. The fighters use 16-oz. gloves,...
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