Friday 18 September 2015
Boxing Memorabilia Fayre - 10th October 2015.
Posted by
Miles Templeton
The annual boxing memorabilia fayre will be held this year on 10th October 2015 at the Dick Collins Hall, Redhill Street, London NW1. This excellent event has been running for many years now and is very well-established, attended by most of Britain's leading dealers and collectors.
Old boxing magazines, photographs, handbills, fight programmes will all be available in abundance and, with free parking available, it is a good opportunity for someone with a boxer in their ancestry to track down rare items from Britain's boxing past and there will be every chance that the name of your boxing ancestor will feature somewhere on the many items that will be for sale.
For further information on this event contact Kymberley or Chas on either 01707 654677 or 07956 912471.
Saturday 6 June 2015
The Stylist From Stepney
Posted by
boxinghistory.org.uk
By O. F. Snelling
This article is reproduced with the kind permission of Derek O’Dell, Editor and Producer of ‘The Southern Ex-Boxer’, in which it was first published in 1997.
I have often
been asked: ‘Who was the finest stylist you ever saw?’ My answer has always
been the same, for I saw the man box when I was in my teens, and I never saw
anyone who quite compared with him, up to the present time. I am now over 80.
He was not a
world-beater, and nobody could ever say that he was one of the finest ringsters
of all time. But he was certainly one of the most pleasing to watch, if you
have a feeling for grace and aesthetics within the ropes. He was an artist, if
not quite of the absolute first class, and his name was Harry Mizler.
He was born at
the beginning of the year 1913, and he was usually billed as hailing from St.
George's, although Stepney has often been mentioned as his birthplace. It comes
to much the same thing. Certainly, he was a London East Ender, and he grew up
in the 1920s in the heart of the Jewish community, where so many pugilists like
Ted 'Kid' Lewis, Jack 'Kid' Berg, and Benny Caplan made
their starts.
Harry was
tutored by ‘big’ brother, Moe Mizler, who was in fact a very tiny but extremely
capable flyweight who mixed with some of the best of his time, including
legends of that era like 'Nipper' Pat Daly. The youthful Harry took
to the game very early, and he soon showed signs of being a boxing prodigy.
Monday 23 February 2015
George Naufahu of Tonga, boxer, trainer and a well-respected Chesterfield character
Posted by
Miles Templeton
George Naufahu, one of that fine group of Tongans who came
to Britain in the mid nineteen-fifties, died on February 13th aged
88. The victim of a stroke, George’s
passing will be greatly mourned not only by the
many people associated with the game in and around Chesterfield, but
also by many who remember him in his native Tonga, ten thousand miles
away. He is to be buried today at the
Salem Methodist Independent Chapel in Chesterfield.
George arrived in
Britain in 1956 aged 29. He joined the
same stable as his compatriot Kitione Lave and trained initially at the Cantley
Saw Mills Gymnasium near Doncaster. He weighed fourteen and a half stone and he claimed to have had 50
amateur and 38 professional contests prior to making his British debut.
Saturday 14 February 2015
Johnny Hughes – British and World Title Claimant, Promoter and Film Extra
Posted by
Alex Daley
Johnny Hughes in his prime |
Remembering Johnny Hughes (Bloomsbury), the early 20th-century British and world title claimant who became a promoter and film extra.
Recently I heard from June Hurst, granddaughter of Bloomsbury flyweight Johnny Hughes, who boxed professionally from around 1900 to 1923 and was one of the best British boxers of the day. But like many top men of that era he is now largely forgotten.
Recently I heard from June Hurst, granddaughter of Bloomsbury flyweight Johnny Hughes, who boxed professionally from around 1900 to 1923 and was one of the best British boxers of the day. But like many top men of that era he is now largely forgotten.
Eminent boxing writer and historian Gilbert Odd described Johnny as ‘a rough, tearaway fighter with a punch a lightweight would have envied. He could be outpointed providing he didn’t knock you out first.’ While old-time fight journalist Charlie Rose remembered him as ‘one of the toughest and hardest-hitting flyweights that I can recall’.
He said: ‘Though barely 8st, this great little battler from Bloomsbury often gave half a stone to high-class men, and brought home the bacon by exploding dynamite in his right glove against either the point, the heart or the short ribs. Johnny also carried a dangerous left hook in his repertoire of punches, and could locate the “mark” with it more efficiently than most.’
He said: ‘Though barely 8st, this great little battler from Bloomsbury often gave half a stone to high-class men, and brought home the bacon by exploding dynamite in his right glove against either the point, the heart or the short ribs. Johnny also carried a dangerous left hook in his repertoire of punches, and could locate the “mark” with it more efficiently than most.’
Saturday 10 January 2015
Johnny Barton of Lancaster - an obituary by Larry Braysher
Posted by
Miles Templeton
Lancaster
lost one of its sporting legends of the past when former professional boxer
Johnny Barton died recently in a Morecambe nursing home aged ninety. Johnny,
whose real name was Chippendale, started his boxing career during the Second
World War whilst he was serving in the Royal Navy, but it was after he was demobbed
in 1945 that it gained momentum.
Known as the ‘Fighting
Lumberjack’ Johnny’s two biggest assets were his ability to take a punch
without any adverse effect – he was never knocked out or stopped (except on cuts)
in his sixty two bouts, something he attributed to the thick muscular neck
which he developed – and also his incredible physical strength that helped him
become a fearsome puncher. Johnny had done heavy manual jobs all his working
life and it certainly paid dividends during his ring career.
These qualities helped
Johhny become one of the country’s foremost light-heavyweights of the immediate
post-war era. However, although it seems astonishing these days, during his
time in the ring Johnny never boxed for a title.
Tuesday 18 November 2014
Boxing in Morecambe Bay - a new book by Larry Braysher
Posted by
Miles Templeton
In 2012 boxing historian and collector Larry Braysher
produced a neat little book on the history of boxing in Morecambe entitled
‘Boxing by the Sea’. Copies of this
informative book are still available directly from the author.
To complete his historical overview of boxing in the area Larry has now written a second volume which covers boxing and boxers from the local communities of the area around Morecambe bay, particularly Lancaster but also including Heysham and the other small towns and villages that produced such good fighters throughout the twentieth century.
Every facet of the sport is included in this journey through
the decades with anecdotes, amusing stories and reminiscences to enhance the
wealth of statistical information on boxers from the area.
Saturday 17 May 2014
Pride of Poplar Boxing Statue Does London Proud
Posted by
Alex Daley
A statue to honour Britain’s youngest-ever world boxing champion, Teddy Baldock, has been unveiled in east London.
Yesterday, at Langdon Park in Poplar, east London, hundreds gathered to watch the unveiling of a life-size bronze statue fashioned in the likeness of Britain’s youngest-ever world boxing champion, Teddy Baldock, a star of the 1920s ring. The statue, which is the work of expert sculptor Carl Payne, has been erected at the Spotlight youth centre, fittingly just a few hundred yards from Baldock’s one-time Byron Street home.
Tuesday 22 April 2014
The tragic death of Tom Simmonette
Posted by
Miles Templeton
One of the most difficult things to deal with when researching the history of boxing is in coming across the occasional sad reference to an old ring warrior who met his end in the boxing ring in which he fought. There have been surprisingly few ring deaths in the long history of the sport but those that did occur left, inevitably, a deep wound to those within the sport who came into contact with the boxer and, most particularly, to the members of his family.
Even today I am sometimes contacted by people whose ancestor died in this way and it is gratifying for me to find that whilst the boxer, and the circumstances leading to his death, are long-forgotten, the memory of the boxer is still cherished by those ancestors living today.
Late last year I heard from Thomas and Joan Simmonette following the passing of Thomas's father 'Tam' Simmonette of Uddingston, South Lanarkshire. Tam was the son of Robert, whose brother Tom died following a contest in January 1922. Tam had photos and information about Tom and he told his story to the family. Joan and Tom wish Tom's story to be told and for his memory to live on. Together with the items that I held on Tom already we can pay tribute to him today.
Thursday 20 March 2014
George Markwick – Heavy Hitter from a Sleepy Sussex Village
Posted by
Alex Daley
The quaint West Sussex village of Cuckfield has never been a breeding-ground of boxers. It did produce one man, though, who made his mark as an amateur and professional – a heavyweight of the 1930s and 40s called George Markwick.
Markwick was born in Cuckfield in 1916, and as a 'regular' with the Royal Artillery he won the heavyweight championship of the British Army in 1937. He had around 70 amateur contests and lost only six. Two of these defeats were to Sweden's Olle Tandberg, who became European heavyweight champion as a pro.
Markwick made his professional debut on 10 May 1937 when he knocked out Gunner Read in four rounds at the Holborn Stadium. He stayed unbeaten in his first 27 pro fights, 22 of them ending inside the distance, which proves what a puncher he was. But in fight number 28, Markwick was stopped in the seventh round by fellow big-hitter Len Rowlands (Dagenham) at the Devonshire Club in a scheduled eight-rounder. It had been a hard-fought battle which for a while seemed as though it could go either way.
Monday 16 September 2013
Two-Fisted Gentlemen: a history of boxing in Widnes and Runcorn
Posted by
Miles Templeton
Two-Fisted Gentlemen: a history of boxing in Widnes and Runcorn (1900-1960). Paperback; 277 pages; many rare photos & boxing illustrations with a comprehensive index
John Sinnott has recently produced this excellent book on the rich boxing history of Widnes and Runcorn.
Born in Widnes, Cheshire in 1951, John’s interest in local boxing history began in 1984 when he started to research his own family history and discovered several local newspaper articles from the 1930s and 1940s written by his great uncle Pat Sinnott (1882-1949). The subject of some of these articles related to a number of former Widnes boxers, whom Pat had known personally and watched some of their contests from the ringside.
After more than 25 years John has finally realised his long-held desire to see his ‘labour of love’ translated into a book to be enjoyed by avid readers of boxing history everywhere.
Sunday 28 April 2013
Panama Al Brown thrills British fight fans
Posted by
Alex Daley
At 5 feet 11 with long spindly arms and legs and not a spare ounce of flesh on his wiry body, it’s astonishing that Al Brown ever made the 8 stone 6 lb bantamweight limit, let alone that he dominated that division as few others have done.
What made Brown all the more remarkable was that in spite of his willowy appearance he was tremendously strong and carried the punch of a man two or three weight classes heavier.
He simply toyed with many of his opponents who – typically conceding half a foot or more in height and being similarly disadvantaged in reach – could find no antidote for those lead-pipe arms, that jack-in-the-box style and nimble footwork. Often they resorted to charging in and were laid out flat by Brown’s slicing uppercuts, delivered with startling speed and timing.
Latin America's first world boxing champion
Latin America's first world boxing champion
Brown had taken up boxing belatedly, his interest piqued by watching American soldiers box when he worked as a clerk for the US Shipping Board at the Panama Canal Zone.
Saturday 20 April 2013
Death of Bob Darley - Army and Navy Featherweight Champion 1908 and 1909
Posted by
Miles Templeton
In the Sporting Life dated Tuesday March 27th 1917 the following notice appeared:
REPORTED DEATH OF SERVICE CHAMPION AT BAGHDAD
We have received a communication from Mr J J Johnson informing us of the death of Sgt. Major Bob Darley, the well-known featherweight boxer. It appears that he was taken prisoner when Kut fell, but was so weak and ill that he was left in hospital in Baghdad, and died there last October.
Darley, who was attached to the West Kent Regiment, will be remembered as winning the Navy and Army featherweight championships in 1908 and 1909, while in civilian rings he won several money matches. Standing with right hand and foot foremost, he was an awkward proposition to all 9st. men.
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