tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19791847536350427352024-03-18T16:09:02.303+00:00blog.boxinghistory.org.ukThe best online resource for articles and unknown facts on British boxing history.
This blog has been launched in tandem with boxinghistory.org.uk, a new website dedicated to the history of boxing in the United Kingdom.
On this blog you'll find unique stories of forgotten fighting men, articles on venues that have long faded from living memory, astounding facts and figures, plus the inside story of boxing in your area.Alex Daleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04309474030696756474noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-73170634851019642832015-09-18T05:17:00.000+01:002015-09-18T05:17:35.452+01:00Boxing Memorabilia Fayre - 10th October 2015.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3986FDsCM4HVtKZFQwHkhB3e6pdRR4XLPYhguvVG-r6sb2iPPeqzQlhOOdDPk69FoXl7lIb0vREFclH46jHWASAFFvqTgP6DOoIcPAsZcIixWoexN9H_S0nNEcwSGyr28mw5h_Tu88Q5/s1600/Memorabilia+Fayre+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3986FDsCM4HVtKZFQwHkhB3e6pdRR4XLPYhguvVG-r6sb2iPPeqzQlhOOdDPk69FoXl7lIb0vREFclH46jHWASAFFvqTgP6DOoIcPAsZcIixWoexN9H_S0nNEcwSGyr28mw5h_Tu88Q5/s320/Memorabilia+Fayre+2015.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<br />
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. <br />
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.<br />
<br />
For further information on this event contact Kymberley or Chas on either 01707 654677 or 07956 912471.Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-76331085518539088502015-06-06T13:55:00.003+01:002015-06-06T15:31:59.000+01:00The Stylist From Stepney<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>By O. F. Snelling</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>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></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDp89DZZuyWX41oxXOH4YYJ63BSRiuLXgyiL3afMlT-Ier-6DBEgKAba3fou3ilSH6xkjnQf523Ddk0fmBu70rKD25nC-OlGKwojiiliNe8CtAuCsDCIgJUokiLdgdH523cLgDu5Xig1t/s1600/nat-sellar-and-harry-and-moe-mizler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDp89DZZuyWX41oxXOH4YYJ63BSRiuLXgyiL3afMlT-Ier-6DBEgKAba3fou3ilSH6xkjnQf523Ddk0fmBu70rKD25nC-OlGKwojiiliNe8CtAuCsDCIgJUokiLdgdH523cLgDu5Xig1t/s400/nat-sellar-and-harry-and-moe-mizler.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Harry Mizler with brother Moe and trainer Nat Sellar</b></td></tr>
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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. </div>
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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. </div>
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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. </div>
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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. </div>
<a name='more'></a><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
He had a
brilliant amateur career. He was only 17 when he won the ABA bantamweight
title, and took top honours at the Empire Games Championships in Canada that
same year. In 1931 he defended his national honours successfully, but he was
still a growing lad, and by 1932 he was obliged to step up into the
featherweight division. No bother: that year he took the nine stone amateur
title in his stride. Further, 1933 found him a lightweight, and once again he
outboxed all-comers to snatch the ABA crown at this poundage! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
Now 21, Harry
Mizler entered the professional ranks in the summer of that year. His progress
was nothing short of meteoric. Making his debut in June, he boxed once or twice
every month. In his first three contests, Bob Lamb, Jim Travis, and Nobby Baker
did not survive the opening round. Not that Harry was ever famous for the power
behind his punches – he was just so superior to most of his opponents in sheer
boxing ability that many of them were despatched in double-quick time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
And do not
imagine that he was boxing mugs. Many old-timers will remember the name of
Albert Heasman. Harry stopped him in seven rounds in his fourth pro contest. He
halted two more adversaries that summer before Jim Bird took him the full
distance. He accounted for four more men very handily in the autumn before
being matched with the tough and hard-punching young battler from Northampton,
Norman Snow. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
Many fans felt
that the Midlander was the man to put a stop to Harry's brilliant rise. The
reverse was the case: in December, at Olympia, the young East Ender proved
without doubt that he was British championship material when he stopped Snow in
eight rounds. Mizler had one more contest that year, only five days later. He
outboxed Norman Dale over the full 15-round course, and proved to all concerned
that after only 13 bouts in the paid ranks he was the logical contender for the
lightweight crown! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0uF4LRWPvH4yivwO9KblUSYTaNIcsGeFyOGspuoMdggl5wngj1ZdNYXak5gSui-_P4P_5VCab7CrRBDp7iq8_hIYifJUZGKzZMMY2PrjMgu-lDHn6eskfYz2h_ZqWtLj3AlvTSRq2q1n/s1600/Mizler-vs-Dale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0uF4LRWPvH4yivwO9KblUSYTaNIcsGeFyOGspuoMdggl5wngj1ZdNYXak5gSui-_P4P_5VCab7CrRBDp7iq8_hIYifJUZGKzZMMY2PrjMgu-lDHn6eskfYz2h_ZqWtLj3AlvTSRq2q1n/s640/Mizler-vs-Dale.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Today, of
course, this sort of thing is commonplace. Many lads achieve title status after
fewer fights. But back in the early 1930s, so many underprivileged youngsters
were striving and contending for top honours in the ring that a capable enough
man might have to box successfully for several years against the cream of his
division – and particularly among the lightweights and welters – before he
could claim a title shot. The average man was about five feet seven or eight,
and scaled roughly ten stone. The ranks were full of ambitious lads of this
height and weight. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span id="goog_1937937760"></span><span id="goog_1937937761"></span>No time at all
was lost in matching young Harry for the title. Indeed, many experts felt that
he was being rushed too fast. After all, the current champion was none other
than the experienced Yorkshireman from Sheffield, Johnny Cuthbert. Admittedly,
he was all of eight years older than the youthful Mizler, had been boxing since
1921, and was now approaching the end of a fine career. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
His record was
a formidable one. He had waged over 150 hard contests, of which he had won or
drawn 124, against Harry's mere thirteen bouts in just over six months of
campaigning. Cuthbert was a clever boxer who had won the featherweight title
back in 1927, against Lambeth's Johnny Curley. Although he lost it a year later
in opposition to another Londoner, Bethnal Green's Harry Corbett, he had come
back in 1929 to force a draw with the new champion. Then, in a third battle, he
regained the title. In 1930 he defended it well against Liverpool's Dom
Volante, but could only manage a draw with another up-and-coming young ‘Scouse’,
one Nel Tarleton. He had challenged the lightweight titleholder, Al Foreman,
and emerged from the fray with honours even, but training down to featherweight
again in 1931, he had seen his nine stone championship slip away to Tarleton. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
Most followers
of the game wrote him off, but Cuthbert became a lightweight, and in 1932,
opposing Sotland's Jim Hunter in Glasgow, he annexed the now vacant nine-stone-nine
title. That year and the following one, 1933, he beat some good men in Chuck
Parker, Norman Dale, Jim Learoyd, Jimmy Stewart, and Dom Volante, among others,
but when 1934 arrived, he was faced with the prospect of having to defend
against this stripling from Cockneyland, Harry Mizler. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsC5cNxnBlwTzXxWOpfFKHLOd96mvbU3BgXOe8tZaCJhXpqgRXbs7VpWEOi1po35DGzwRvATY3d1MgyEeVjCSldWLFieoifB6Pw90_QDoLt9-QZYs87tKKdBSb6wSLRwD3Sp0BI-uQe6vq/s1600/Harry-Mizler-and-Cuthbert-weigh-in%252C-Albert-Hall%252C-18-Jan-1934-%2528left-to-right-Victor-Berliner%252C-Nat-Seller%252C-Jeff-Dickson-and-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsC5cNxnBlwTzXxWOpfFKHLOd96mvbU3BgXOe8tZaCJhXpqgRXbs7VpWEOi1po35DGzwRvATY3d1MgyEeVjCSldWLFieoifB6Pw90_QDoLt9-QZYs87tKKdBSb6wSLRwD3Sp0BI-uQe6vq/s640/Harry-Mizler-and-Cuthbert-weigh-in%252C-Albert-Hall%252C-18-Jan-1934-%2528left-to-right-Victor-Berliner%252C-Nat-Seller%252C-Jeff-Dickson-and-.jpg" width="514" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>18 January 1934: Mizler and Cuthbert weigh in. Trainer Nat Sellar and promoter Jeff Dickson can be seen in the background</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
Nobody wasted
time in those days. Less than a month after Christmas Eve 1933, the date on
which Harry had outpointed Norman Dale, he faced the British champion at the
Royal Albert Hall, in London. This contest drew forth from old Ben Bennison,
veteran scribe of the London Evening Standard, one of his flowery tributes to a
master of the fistic art. Writing in the late '30s, he said:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
‘No fight in
the years that have gone since the war so gripped the onlooker. It was no mere
thing of fury, of brute force... It was gloriously British... not only was it
without vice, but thundered the triumph for youth. I can recall nothing that so
fired the imagination since Jim Driscoll who, only because he had reached the
impossible fighting age of 40, buckled up under the persistence of Charles
Ledoux. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
‘But there was
this mighty difference. Whereas ‘Peerless Jim’, until his stamina gave out,
taught a boxing lesson to the ferocious Frenchman, Cuthbert was forced to acknowledge
that scarcely once in 15 rounds, though he pulled and tugged at his great
Yorkshire heart, did he put a glove of serious account upon his opponent. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
‘Mizler, as
might be supposed, was not elusive according to popular understanding. He
neither danced nor pranced. He was a living text-book on boxing... For once in
an inordinately long time, Mizler – a boy, be it remembered – explained the
meaning and purpose of "the straight left". Used as it was by Mizler,
it carried disaster as it guaranteed victory, for it was measured with a
precision that was uncanny and shot out as if from a Lewis gun. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
‘Rarely has a
championship been won by such a mountain of points; and assuredly there was
never a fight so remarkable for such rigid observance of the spirit of sport.
There was no holding, not a single punch that was not fair and above board. It
was an epic of fighting cleanliness. And never has a champion struck his flag
with such grace. It is but once in a very long time one is privileged to see
such a fight as this was.’ </div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
The British
boxing world was amazed. How on earth could such an inexperienced stripling
take every round from a worthy champion who had fought and beaten some of the
best? Great things were predicted for the stylish and immaculate Mizler. Why,
in a year or two, on this form, he would be able to win the world title! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRY87ecsCfy5bGpiILw0akEV3FZ0Fv8MfaZ8imz79fcj29fYWdMGsm3Toxx4OhwL6MSmIKe3ZeNaGdw_uV_Qvb2XaAzHJMuyud6ZzqFdLauMgqOGeRZO8tZUFdUSh02R6aUYJ748zBHN2/s1600/johnny-cuthbert-v-harry-mizler-royal-albert-hall-jan-1934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRY87ecsCfy5bGpiILw0akEV3FZ0Fv8MfaZ8imz79fcj29fYWdMGsm3Toxx4OhwL6MSmIKe3ZeNaGdw_uV_Qvb2XaAzHJMuyud6ZzqFdLauMgqOGeRZO8tZUFdUSh02R6aUYJ748zBHN2/s640/johnny-cuthbert-v-harry-mizler-royal-albert-hall-jan-1934.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mizler backed against the ropes but on his way to victory over Cuthbert</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
But it was at
this point in his brief career that Harry began to show signs of erraticism.
Boxing every month, he certainly proved that he could lick most men of his
poundage in the country, but travelling to Liverpool in March, he was rather
surprisingly outpointed by Jimmy Walsh, the clever Chester lightweight, in a
non-title contest over twelve rounds. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
True, he defended
his championship successfully that August, against Billy Quinlan, at Swansea,
but we now began to think. Was he really ready for fighters of world class? How
eagerly we awaited that perennially ideal boxer-versus-fighter confrontation
when Mizler was matched to face the challenge of his fellow-East Ender, Whitechapel's
Jack ‘Kid’ Berg. I, for one, could see only a Mizler victory. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaZWPzNaUy1-mZJz-apBOH9HPgjMA332WyNTUu6eIkqvNNR8Nf2DM9NE02OOrISXKE-UcmpxQSZsRxF1h3Y9lTUcgXtmiCB0AWJsqEjmgvhuYzSf2qdslOTcUhV1lVqt0acXFdeeGb7iq/s1600/Kid-Berg-and-Harry-Mizler-1934-Albert-Hall-lightweight-title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaZWPzNaUy1-mZJz-apBOH9HPgjMA332WyNTUu6eIkqvNNR8Nf2DM9NE02OOrISXKE-UcmpxQSZsRxF1h3Y9lTUcgXtmiCB0AWJsqEjmgvhuYzSf2qdslOTcUhV1lVqt0acXFdeeGb7iq/s400/Kid-Berg-and-Harry-Mizler-1934-Albert-Hall-lightweight-title.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A hectic exchange between Mizler and Berg</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
Berg was a
rather remarkable man. In company with other ‘greats’ of the boxing world, like
Ad Wolgast, Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis, and the later Henry Armstrong, he had been blessed
with a very slow pulse-rate. This enabled him to start a contest at a high
degree of activity and keep up the tempo for ten, 12, 15, or even more rounds,
moving forward and boring in continually, never allowing his man to get set and
rarely offering the chance of a really solid shot at him. He had had a
wonderful career, mostly in the States. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
Berg won the
junior-welterweight title in 1930, but he had cracked when opposing the fistic
genius of lightweight king Tony Canzoneri. After being licked twice by the
Italian-American, he seemed to have gone to pieces. His amazing sustained
attack was no longer quite so effective. Now only 25 in years, but an active
pro since 1924, he seemed to have shot his bolt, and had now come home. Since
1932 he had lost to Sammy Fuller, Tony Falco, and the Italian Cleto Locatelli.
Further, he had surprisingly been stopped in June at Liverpool by the much
underrated Jimmy Stewart, and he was definitely over the hill. In my opinion,
and that of many others, he did not really rate a crack at the domestic
lightweight title at that time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
However, the
bout was staged, at the Albert Hall, and it was the upset of the year. The
somewhat shop-soiled Berg pitched in willingly, and he took the youthful Harry
completely out of his stride. That amazing left lead, although it found its
target, could not halt the ever-oncoming ‘Yiddle’, and after 10 hectic rounds,
the champion's seconds threw in the towel as a token of surrender. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGUfT1YURnpghE8hKFMrCpd-U6kpwuMyo0jWnifORTpPQHt9POz-28VFysh44dWOjS7PANLo-BlGB4y4CPWvlrpvdvfqD3osjYqUUHGHhFkyjzRTvUkasEimOUdDvWe-IV0F7KYGkbmmR/s1600/Mizler-vs-Berg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGUfT1YURnpghE8hKFMrCpd-U6kpwuMyo0jWnifORTpPQHt9POz-28VFysh44dWOjS7PANLo-BlGB4y4CPWvlrpvdvfqD3osjYqUUHGHhFkyjzRTvUkasEimOUdDvWe-IV0F7KYGkbmmR/s640/Mizler-vs-Berg.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mizler looks on as Berg tumbles through the ropes, but the 'Whitechapel Windmill' would win the fight</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br />
I recall that
excuses were made from certain sources, the claim being made that Harry was
wearing new boxing boots, and that they did not grip the canvas properly, and
had contributed to his defeat. But the loser did not seek an alibi. He knew,
and accepted that Berg was the better man on the night. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
Here is Ben
Bennison again: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
‘His defeat
does not mean that he is a false alarm, neither need he despair of his future.
If he reads the lessons taught him by Berg aright, he will straight away apply
himself to the study and practice of in-fighting. Boxing at long range, when
properly and artistically done (and there is the artist in Mizler) is
delightful to watch; but more is required. Without in-fighting that tells of
high efficiency in that particular phase of the game, the more desirable
honours may not be won.’ </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
I think that sums
things up correctly. Alas – for all his brilliance and breath-taking style, and
his courage in the face of adversity, for he was always ready to take stick
when the circumstances demanded it – Harry was not really shaped for the tough
going of top-flight pugilistic action. But he certainly tried, and a year after
his defeat by Berg he took part in one of the most stirring and courageous
battles ever seen in a British ring. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
On the face of
things, his pairing with ‘Tiger’ Gustav Humery, the two-fisted and aggressive
Frenchman, was a blatant mismatch. Humery, earlier in the year, had three times
crossed gloves with Berg, and although the Englishman had stopped his man in
their first fight, his adversary had come back, when they faced each other
again in Paris, and he had then pounded out the ‘rubber’ victory over the
British champion in a third historic battle. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
When Mizler
shaped up to his tigerish opponent, all the odds seemed justified. Although he
boxed most impressively, Harry didn't appear to possess the strength or punch
to keep his ferocious tormentor at bay. Indeed, by the eighth round he was
taking quite a pounding, and the fans were yelling for the referee to stop the
fight, or the seconds to throw in the towel. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
But then
Mizler made a supreme effort. Reeling and stumbling before the Frenchman's
powerful onslaught, he paused for just a fraction of a second, and then with
absolutely perfect timing he threw a wonderful right to Humery's jaw. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
It caught the
visitor beautifully. His knees sagged, and he wobbled. He was out on his feet.
And as Harry Mizler, himself almost gone, surged forward in a desperate effort
to finish his man, the excited crowd nearly took the roof off the Albert Hall
as they cheered their man to victory. The fight was rightfully stopped, and
Mizler was acclaimed the winner, but never again, unfortunately, did Harry
emulate that wonderful performance. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZo3B3gZL-3pH3DzE3CG78dGfSr-H2xtgDQfO_XMX6ribaeescBVdJpW6j20T0O1galTwHjQotwBGc3eJ68zOeBMhv-XNGDwN3d4_DHnig2tuw9LBvW2k2bGixYCxyy7TEJdg55-9wrUf/s1600/IMG_2210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZo3B3gZL-3pH3DzE3CG78dGfSr-H2xtgDQfO_XMX6ribaeescBVdJpW6j20T0O1galTwHjQotwBGc3eJ68zOeBMhv-XNGDwN3d4_DHnig2tuw9LBvW2k2bGixYCxyy7TEJdg55-9wrUf/s640/IMG_2210.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br />
A couple of
months later, the clever East Ender faced an old adversary in Norman Snow, and
outpointed him handily to win the Southern Area title, but he was not able to
gain a major championship again. He did face Jimmy Walsh a second time, during
the following year, in a challenge for the British crown, but once again the
Chester man outpointed him. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
From then on,
Harry was just a journey-man-boxer. He always drew good crowds, for with his
style he was a delight to watch, but he never reached the heights again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>When war came, he served in the British
Forces, and throughout the earlier years of the struggle he continued to box at
welterweight, but, unfortunately, he lost more bouts than he won. Some of the
men to defeat him were Arthur Danahar, Ernie Roderick, and Charlie Parkin, but
he did well to outpoint Eric Boon. He wisely retired from the ring in 1944, a
pugilistic prodigy who had not fulfilled his early promise.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>It is very difficult to say how and where he
went wrong. He possessed all the tools of his trade but a really heavy punch.
Of 81 contests, in a professional career of over ten years, he scored only six
clean knockouts. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
Harry stayed
close to the game in his later years, and was an honoured member of the London
Ex-Boxers Association until his death in his middle-70s. A fall from a bus in
Tel Aviv, and, later on, another fall in his home, contributed towards his
demise. </div>
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One person
close to him, on being asked the reason for his death, remarked: "He just
took one knockout too many!" This was not strictly true. Only Berg,
Danahar, Roderick, and Jimmy Molloy – this one right at the end of his career –
ever managed to stop Harry inside the distance, and he was never put down for
the count in his life. </div>
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Admittedly,
this extremely engaging East Ender may not have been the best of all time, by a
long way, but I think of and remember Harry Mizler as the most stylish and
pleasing boxer I ever saw in my life.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/records/13962-Harry-Mizler-St-George%27s.pdf" target="_blank">View Harry Mizler's professional fight record here</a>. </li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mizler pictured in his early professional days, at his mother's East End fish stall</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mizler on a rowing machine, with trainer Nat Sellar</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>October 1936: Mizler serves drinks at his training quarters in Slough, where he was preparing to face Jimmy Walsh for the British lightweight title</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mizler with trainer Nat Sellar (left) and manager Victor Berliner</b></td></tr>
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boxinghistory.org.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625278425271173352noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-50138215200363525822015-02-23T06:39:00.003+00:002015-02-27T19:57:07.455+00:00George Naufahu of Tonga, boxer, trainer and a well-respected Chesterfield character<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">George Naufahu, one of that fine group of Tongans who came
to Britain in the mid nineteen-fifties, died on February 13<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> aged
88.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The victim of a stroke, George’s
passing will be greatly mourned not only by the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is to be buried today at the
Salem Methodist Independent Chapel in Chesterfield.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">George arrived in
Britain in 1956 aged 29.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He joined the
same stable as his compatriot Kitione Lave and trained initially at the Cantley
Saw Mills Gymnasium near Doncaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.</span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For his first UK
contest he took on Brian London, the future British Heavyweight champion, in
July 1956 at the Engineers Club Grounds in West Hartlepool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>London was on the comeback trail after
recently being hammered in one round by Henry Cooper and it was an extremely
tough contest for George to undertake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Boxing News’ commented that George “has a deceptive style, is adept at
slipping and riding punches and he packs a good punch in his right hand”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gamely stood up to some rough punishment
against London, was never off his feet, and he hurt the Britisher in both the
second and the fourth rounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite
this the referee halted the contest in round four as George had become very
tired and was on the receiving end of rather too many damaging blows.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Like Kitione Lave,
George was sometimes known as the ‘Tongan Terror’ and after his career ended in
1958 he settled in Chesterfield and coached boxers for very many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His good friend Nick Atu has penned the
following words in his memory and they well convey the warmth and respect that
I know George was held in by all who knew him, both within the game and also
amongst the Chesterfield community within which he spent so many years:</span></span></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">George, whose real
name was Melekiseteki Tapueluelu Naufahu, started his boxing career in his
birthplace of Tonga in the Pacific and fought his way to be the Heavyweight
Champion of the South Pacific in his early 20s before embarking on a
professional career in Tonga, New Zealand and then in the UK, where he proudly
gained British citizenship and made his home in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">George was of a
powerful build, a genuine hard man and a natural athlete and sportsman. He
could move fast, punch fast and could take a punch. In 1953 and 1954 he fought
extensively in New Zealand, including famously winning in two rounds by knock
out against the 7 foot tall Jim Hall in the Newmarket Olympic Pool in Auckland.
In 1956 he was invited to box in the UK by Bruce Woodstock. At the time Queen
Salote of Tonga told George that when he moved to the UK he fought for Tonga
and carried the Tongan flag in his heart at all times. With this pride George
always fought to win by knockout and in fact, attitudes meant in those days
that it was probably the only way he, as a Tongan, could win. George always felt
though that by 29 years old he was fighting in the UK past his best but he
still managed some notable wins including, in 1956 against Cliff Purnell, who
George knocked out in 2. The same year he lost to Brian London, who had just
been a contender with Henry Cooper and would go on to fight Ali for the world title.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After retiring from
the ring himself, George became a trainer of note. Boxers he coached included
Chris Devine, a European Amateur Championship medallist, and Johnny Halafihi,
who drew with Mike Holt for the British Empire title. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">George put his
boxing skills to good use outside the ring too when he became the respected
head of security at various northern Nightclubs, including the Aquarius, where
he worked from its opening in 1972 to its closure in 1996. Life was never dull
for George, who was even shot once!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He leaves behind
many children and grandchildren, including four daughters and two sons in the
UK, two sons and two daughters in the States, a daughter in New Zealand and,
knowing George, maybe a few others elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nick did tell me
that George once sparred with Rocky Marciano, around the time that a match
between Marciano and Lave was being mooted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to those who saw the session George gave the champion plenty
to think about and his aggressive style, so typical of the Tongans at that
time, may have caused Rocky to think again about taking on Lave, for the bout
never happened and Rocky remained in retirement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Such is the esteem
in which George is held, the Queen of Tonga is understood to be flying in to the
UK to attend his funeral.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">May he rest in peace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-71003835741530783262015-02-14T17:43:00.002+00:002015-02-15T11:19:56.318+00:00Johnny Hughes – British and World Title Claimant, Promoter and Film Extra<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoE8iFCSJpLtoomnZ5fGZEeUTQ99jh7L9MnY8FU8yuXebsNoOwaEtDha_oH6ENqtNdq-KWI4lJy7zxoxLl5WfvN_eUtLUJEXtQPVpIz_phyphenhyphenjG8Q_q8LoMOzlITUIkgaO5f_KIY3G9SqJ8/s1600/Johnny+Hughes+Fly+Weight+Champion+of+the+World+1911+(B%2B%26%2BW%2BPhoto)-%2Bedit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoE8iFCSJpLtoomnZ5fGZEeUTQ99jh7L9MnY8FU8yuXebsNoOwaEtDha_oH6ENqtNdq-KWI4lJy7zxoxLl5WfvN_eUtLUJEXtQPVpIz_phyphenhyphenjG8Q_q8LoMOzlITUIkgaO5f_KIY3G9SqJ8/s1600/Johnny+Hughes+Fly+Weight+Champion+of+the+World+1911+(B%2B%26%2BW%2BPhoto)-%2Bedit.jpg" height="414" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Johnny Hughes in his prime</b></td></tr>
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<b><i>Remembering Johnny Hughes (Bloomsbury), the early 20th-century British and world title claimant who became a promoter and film extra.</i></b><br />
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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. </div>
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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’.<br />
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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.’ </div>
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Johnny’s real name was Charles Henry Hughes and he was born on 30 January 1883, at 34 Berwick Street, Soho, site of the famous London market. He started boxing on the booths at an early age and had his first <i>recorded</i> professional fight on 15 August 1900 – a first-round knockout win at Stalybridge over Dave Johnson – but it’s likely he had other bouts before this one. </div>
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In the first 12 years of the 20th century – a time when there were plenty of first-rate eight-stone men around – Johnny established himself as one of Britain’s leading flyweights and also mixed it with the best bantamweights. Wins over such notables as Sid Smith (future world flyweight champion), Tancy Lee, Jim Kenrick, Buck Shine and future European champion Charles Ledoux adorn his record. But he had the bad luck of boxing at a time when confusion over championship honours was rife. </div>
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Title confusion</h3>
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Before the National Sporting Club (NSC) introduced its Lonsdale belt system and eight standard weights, there were often multiple claimants to the championship titles of Britain, or England, as the titles were generally billed. Rival promoters would produce their own belts and arrange fights between pairs of leading boxers for their version of a championship. But not only were there multiple title claimants but multiple interpretations of what the correct poundage for a weight class should be. For example, there were championship fights staged at 7st 6lbs, 7st 8lbs, 7st 10lbs and 7st 12lbs as well as at 8st. </div>
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During this period, Johnny’s victories meant he validly laid claim to the flyweight championship of England, but this, like the claims of other belt-winners of the era, lacked official endorsement.</div>
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Out of favour </h3>
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In 1911, the NSC issued the first Lonsdale belt for the 8st flyweight division but oddly it left Johnny Hughes out of the reckoning. At the time he was on top form and had beaten leading flyweight contenders Jim Kenrick, Bill Ladbury and Harold Root as well as the brilliant Frenchman Charles Ledoux. True, Johnny had lost to Ike Bradley and Johnny Curran (on a disqualification), but these two were bantamweights. </div>
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<span id="goog_1700725352"></span><span id="goog_1700725353"></span>June Hurst says her grandfather had fallen out of favour with the NSC because he took a particular match against the club’s wishes and had further harmed his case by complaining about the NSC’s autocratic ways in the press.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Johnny Hughes circa 1905</b></td></tr>
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In December 1911, Sid Smith (Bermondsey) won the first flyweight Lonsdale belt and then sailed to America. In his absence, in March 1912, the enterprising promoter Jack Calaghan matched Johnny Hughes with Sam Kellar over 20 rounds at the King’s Hall in an 8st match billed as being for the world’s flyweight championship. Johnny won on points but despite the world-title billing it was Sid Smith who became the first widely-acknowledged world flyweight champion in 1913, when he beat Eugene Criqui. </div>
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Disillusioned with the situation in Britain, in September 1912 Johnny sailed to America to fight. He had three known bouts there – including one against the reigning world bantamweight champion, Kid Williams – but was forced to return home when he heard his young son was seriously ill back in London.</div>
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His dreams of US glory gone, by February 1913 Johnny was back in action in Britain, but at age 30 his best fighting years were now behind him. He had two of his most memorable fights that year, though, against Welshman Bill Beynon, a future British bantamweight champion who at 22 was eight years his junior.<br />
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Fiercest fight ever </h3>
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The first was arranged by the ill-fated financier <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_White_%28financier%29" target="_blank">Jimmy White</a>, a keen boxing fan. To entertain his friends he staged a bout between Hughes and Beynon at the Adelphi Club before a select private gathering of only 77 onlookers, most of whom wore evening dress. The pair fought a frantic 20 three-minute round battle to a draw and were re-matched at the Canterbury Music Hall in another 20-rounder five weeks later, which again ended in a draw. </div>
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These two fights were regarded at the time as two of the fiercest British ring battles ever waged between little men. Leading boxing impresario Jack Callaghan, who was among the select group who witnessed the Adelphi Club war, many years later named it as the most ferocious fight he ever observed.<br />
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‘The men boxed wearing small gloves and no quarter was shown by either,’ he said. ‘It was terrific. I’ve never seen anything like it. They fought each other nearly to a standstill and, at the end, you could hardly recognise either of them... The lads were themselves again within a few days, which shows what the human form can withstand.’<br />
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Charlie Rose recalled how the fight nearly fell through at the eleventh hour because of Johnny’s astuteness and unwillingness to be pushed around. <br />
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‘Hughes refused to strip unless his purse money was paid in advance,’ wrote Rose. ‘Jimmy White had come along quite unprepared for such a contingency, and Johnny laughed to scorn his offer of a cheque...<br />
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‘Johnny sat dumb as an oyster, and firm as a rock, while Jimmy’s language reverted to that of his days when he was laying bricks for a contract price. Ultimately he contrived to borrow tenners here, and fivers there, from the gentlemen he was entertaining, and Johnny stripped. <br />
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‘What a fight those two boys put up! Personally, I considered Johnny should have got the decision, but as the referee did not think so, that was that. Jimmy White was so delighted that he buried whatever hatchet he had so far as Hughes was concerned, and when I left he was nearly wringing the great little fighter's hand off.’ </div>
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Twilight years</h3>
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During the twilight years of Johnny’s 23-year pro career he lost more often than he won and it’s fair to say he went on long past his prime. But he remained a top-liner and was always a popular performer. </div>
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In the Allied tournament at the Albert Hall in 1918 he lost on points in the semi-final of the bantamweight class to the famous American Pal Moore, who went on to beat the legendary Jimmy Wilde in the final. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlTGGigLYQZQJMh6NqNJVWnLK9Q6NBZy7Ojowtc8hhuu9nLtD33l5xdDGhcjXpnMNS6jNG9gcpvWJ4R87yIjZ8EXZEwouafkLuG6AHmQZEfmaoWxgLTQankjMVnd5ZKAgdHVq-xntKS8/s1600/Johnny+Hughes+with+Belt_Flyweight+Champion+of+the+World+1912-edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlTGGigLYQZQJMh6NqNJVWnLK9Q6NBZy7Ojowtc8hhuu9nLtD33l5xdDGhcjXpnMNS6jNG9gcpvWJ4R87yIjZ8EXZEwouafkLuG6AHmQZEfmaoWxgLTQankjMVnd5ZKAgdHVq-xntKS8/s1600/Johnny+Hughes+with+Belt_Flyweight+Champion+of+the+World+1912-edit.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
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Johnny also fought Wilde himself. They met at the National Athletic Ground, Kensal Rise, on 31 July 1916, in a 20 three-minute rounder for Wilde’s world flyweight title. According to June Hurst, Johnny suffered a sleepless night on the eve of the fight while caring for his sickly newborn daughter and was in a weary state when he took to the ring. Despite a valiant effort from Johnny, Wilde won this one-sided content with a tenth-round KO. By then, though, Johnny was a battle-worn veteran of 33. </div>
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He was aged 40 when he finally hung up the gloves in 1923, by which time he had already begun a new career as a small-hall fight promoter. He carried on promoting shows at London halls in areas such as Euston, Camden Town, Pimlico, King’s Cross and Catford for many years. </div>
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As well as staying involved with boxing Johnny appeared many times as a film extra, a job he had enjoyed since his early boxing days and which he continued into the post-World War 2 years. He appeared in such films as David Lean’s <i>Great Expectations</i> and <i>Oliver Twist</i>, <i>Vice Versa</i> (which starred a young Anthony Newley) and <i>Night and the City</i>, which starred Richard Widmark.</div>
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Comedy actor Arthur Mullard, who met Johnny on the film sets, remembered him as ‘an extrovert character who talked boxing every day of his life’.</div>
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Mullard recalled: ‘Walt Disney was making a film at Pinewood and Johnny was in the crowd. The pair of them used to talk quite a lot about the fights. One day during the course of conversation, Walt Disney asked Johnny if he had ever met Bernard Shaw. </div>
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‘Johnny, without hesitation at all, said: “Yes, I knocked him out in two rounds!”’</div>
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Despite hobnobbing with film stars and movie moguls, life after boxing wasn’t all glamour and glitz for Johnny, who had clearly earned far less from boxing than his considerable talent deserved. As well as promoting, at various times he managed a gym, ran a ‘totting’ business and worked as a bookmaker’s runner to feed his wife and children. </div>
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Charles Henry Hughes – known in boxing circles as Johnny Hughes – died of cancer on 27 July 1953, with 146 known professional fights to his credit and probably many more that go unrecorded. He is buried at Finchley Cemetery, but there is nothing on his grave inscription to show that he was once a famous boxer. I hope this small tribute will, to some degree, put right this omission. </div>
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<i>My thanks to June Hurst for background info on Johnny Hughes and the images that appear with this article.</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Literary connections: a 1916 postcard note from the writer H. G. Wells to Johnny Hughes</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduYfQGxtawl_vmZ1ZaJupJwNw9WrbwfOK1akTnz7Ka0EBFTj8YPlrJW0mSJFzEneakXj0-M57UPl19nhe5k28DsmIr7Uukmwbr0sYGbOzfRK5N2N_IfK3_64yYcwj-47Kthy1QUBzyLA/s1600/Boxing+Flyer_Comrades+Hall_+26+May_Johnny+Hughes+Promoter_+Teddy+Reeder+v+Fred+Chandler+top+of+bill-EDIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduYfQGxtawl_vmZ1ZaJupJwNw9WrbwfOK1akTnz7Ka0EBFTj8YPlrJW0mSJFzEneakXj0-M57UPl19nhe5k28DsmIr7Uukmwbr0sYGbOzfRK5N2N_IfK3_64yYcwj-47Kthy1QUBzyLA/s1600/Boxing+Flyer_Comrades+Hall_+26+May_Johnny+Hughes+Promoter_+Teddy+Reeder+v+Fred+Chandler+top+of+bill-EDIT.jpg" height="640" width="402" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Boxer turned promoter: a handbill for a Johnny Hughes promotion from 1929</b></td></tr>
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<b>Alex Daley is the author of <i>Fighting Men of London: Voices From Inside the Ropes</i>. </b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fighting-Men-London-Voices-Inside/dp/1909626651" target="_blank">Find out more about the book</a>.</b></div>
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Alex Daleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04309474030696756474noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-51238007665110431802015-01-10T09:58:00.000+00:002015-01-15T20:27:48.466+00:00Johnny Barton of Lancaster - an obituary by Larry Braysher<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFTUrN6-VOG-UIBj4kVXerXr3d67SCoM_h7Pu_zDggAlBVd1-z5RmZU_vxSu1qxcr6LSvt4m8IjAb0Yos3xd3Re0LXLOPN12KdgVHwDCjZ3koKPsw-HtDflwuDFGrLs68CwAo-0CPWsT2/s1600/30374_johnny_barton_lancaster_lowres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFTUrN6-VOG-UIBj4kVXerXr3d67SCoM_h7Pu_zDggAlBVd1-z5RmZU_vxSu1qxcr6LSvt4m8IjAb0Yos3xd3Re0LXLOPN12KdgVHwDCjZ3koKPsw-HtDflwuDFGrLs68CwAo-0CPWsT2/s1600/30374_johnny_barton_lancaster_lowres.jpg" height="320" width="201" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Known as the ‘Fighting
Lumberjack’ Johnny’s two biggest assets were his ability to take a punch
without any adverse effect<span style="font-family: inherit;"> –</span> 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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> –</span> 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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These qualities helped
Johhny become one of the country’s foremost light<span style="font-family: inherit;">-</span>heavyweights of the immediate
post<span style="font-family: inherit;">-</span>war era. However, although it seems astonishing these days, during his
time in the ring Johnny never boxed for a title.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With his punching power being
responsible for so many demolition jobs on the opposition it’s perhaps not
surprising that he was at the top of many other fighters' and managers' ‘who
needs him’ list, and unfortunately when he did get nominated to contest the
vacant North Central Area <span style="font-family: inherit;">t</span>itle illness forced his withdrawal and sadly he
never got another opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Therefore it’s from the
undoubted quality of his opponents and his performances against them that
Johnny’s achievements are best assessed. His most famous and celebrated win
came in 1948 when he beat the future British Heavyweight Champion Don Cockle,
and although the win was on points Johnny had Cockle on the floor five times
during the bout. Cockle in later life would say that Johnny was the hardest
puncher he ever encountered. Considering that Cockle was later to share a ring
with boxing greats Rocky Marciano and Randolph Turpin that is some
endorsement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Johnny also went on to
beat Irish Heavyweight Champions Paddy Slavin, who<span style="font-family: inherit;">m</span> he knocked out in two
rounds, and Gerry McDermott, whilst also enjoying two victories over British
Light<span style="font-family: inherit;">-</span>Heavyweight Champion Denis Powell. He also travelled to Germany when he
took their Light<span style="font-family: inherit;">-</span>Heavyweight Champion Gerhard Hecht to a close points verdict
in a real thriller. Never afraid to go in the other fellow's ‘back yard’ he also
journeyed to Portugal where it was perceived that the slightly ag<span style="font-family: inherit;">e</span>ing Johnny
would be a useful stepping stone for their Light<span style="font-family: inherit;">-</span>Heavyweight Champion Julio
Neves. However Johnny’s punching power was too much for the young champion, whom
he stopped in five rounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Although injuries slowed
him up towards the end of his career Johnny could still give anyone trouble and
at thirty<span style="font-family: inherit;">-</span>seven years of age he fought his final bout in 1959 at the Morecambe
Winter Gardens on a show that was one of two he co-promoted with his friend
Malcolm Woodhouse. Johnny topped the bill and gave the fans something to shout
about in an exciting encounter with Huddersfield's (much younger and future Area <span style="font-family: inherit;">C</span>hampion) Ted Williams, before losing a points decision. During his time in the
ring Johnny crossed gloves with the best men of his day, others included George
Walker, George Dawson, Tony Lord and British <span style="font-family: inherit;">C</span>hampions Alex Buxton and Albert
Finch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Following his retirement
from the ring Johnny showed himself to be an astute businessman and had a very
successful career as the owner of a large family<span style="font-family: inherit;">-</span>run caravan park near
Carnforth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Very pragmatic and unsentimental
about his time in the ring, Johnny always said he boxed for the extra capital
it provided him with. Nevertheless he was a real crowd<span style="font-family: inherit;">-</span>pleaser, and when this
‘hard as nails’ Lancastrian was on the bill no boxing fans ever went home
without having had their mon<span style="font-family: inherit;">ey's</span> worth.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><i>Readers may be interested to know that Larry has produced two excellent books about boxing in Lancaster and Morecambe. If you would like to order copies then he can be contacted on 01539 535459. Copies are also available at the tourist information centres at Morecambe and Lancaster.</i></span></span></b></div>
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Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-65680486692181393872014-11-18T08:30:00.000+00:002015-01-15T20:11:17.292+00:00Boxing in Morecambe Bay - a new book by Larry Braysher<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyQFQz2J_EyPluQOTGBsokNsG2H72lCGhYKfaHHdNk086P13zy8lDgzFMKt7KAO0uVBQqbY2l-6slqtc-w-isVAD4tNjG1eGnKsLE8By0O_NP6ke51i8Leef12g-7ph6KkR7CyrMSLQp3/s1600/BoxersfromtheBay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyQFQz2J_EyPluQOTGBsokNsG2H72lCGhYKfaHHdNk086P13zy8lDgzFMKt7KAO0uVBQqbY2l-6slqtc-w-isVAD4tNjG1eGnKsLE8By0O_NP6ke51i8Leef12g-7ph6KkR7CyrMSLQp3/s1600/BoxersfromtheBay.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">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’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Copies of this
informative book are still available directly from the author.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you want to read about the two boxers who fought for the
favours of a young lady, with a quite farcical outcome, about the Grange boxer,
Alex Newton, whose ring prowess was well known despite the fact that he had
lost all of the fingers on his right hand due to an accident with explosives or
about the Lancaster favourite Kid Dempsey who had a ring encounter with a
boxing kangaroo then this delightful book is well worth getting hold of.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once again, I have made a large number of boxer’s records
available to Larry to assist him in his research and I am delighted to see that
he has included twenty-seven of them in this book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Larry has interviewed a number of ex-professionals from the
area, including Bobby Day, Alvin Finch, Frank Harrington and Alan Lamb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘The Lancaster Lion’, as Lamb was known,
came very close to capturing the British Light-Welterweight Title in an epic
fight with Clinton McKenzie.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What really makes the book stand out for me is the quality
of the photographs that Larry has included.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many of these are outstanding and there are very many of them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overall this book contains a wealth of material on the
boxers, the managers and promoters, the gyms and the characters associated with
the sport in the boxing hotbed around Morecambe Bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With records, photographs and personal
memories of the many quality fighters that the area produced it is well worth
<b>£12 (+£2.50 p+p).<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>Copies available from the author on 01539 535459 or at the
Tourist Information Centres at Morecambe and Lancaster.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-20377172984237921682014-05-17T19:39:00.002+01:002014-05-18T23:08:14.986+01:00Pride of Poplar Boxing Statue Does London Proud<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZD6j4O7TsgbLZkqFt1qnq4lPbNeKJZdM_GKDEr2oPGibZT6XRKhaX9xsSTNlvwjlJcDVDnsc5OXSTIQ6D3v5jL7WtehoAwzTr563Z8H9148CbdexQCWrEOALzqt-2dAM0PVg67_qCViE/s1600/Statue+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZD6j4O7TsgbLZkqFt1qnq4lPbNeKJZdM_GKDEr2oPGibZT6XRKhaX9xsSTNlvwjlJcDVDnsc5OXSTIQ6D3v5jL7WtehoAwzTr563Z8H9148CbdexQCWrEOALzqt-2dAM0PVg67_qCViE/s1600/Statue+1.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><i>A statue to honour Britain’s youngest-ever world boxing champion, Teddy Baldock, has been unveiled in east London.</i> </b></div>
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It had been 82 years since his last professional fight and 43 years since his death, but rumour had it a London boxing legend was back in town and about to make a comeback. Incredibly, the rumour was true... </div>
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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 <a href="http://www.carlpaynesculptures.co.uk/" target="_blank">Carl Payne</a>, has been erected at the Spotlight youth centre, fittingly just a few hundred yards from Baldock’s one-time Byron Street home.</div>
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The boxer who inspired a generation of East Enders in the roaring 20s and depressed 1930s will now provide inspiration to 21st-century youngsters who study and practise sport at the ultra-modern Spotlight centre, which aptly enough has a state-of-the-art boxing gym. </div>
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The statue’s creation is the culmination of years of planning and fund-raising by one of Baldock’s grandsons, Martin Sax, who was aided in his endeavour by the Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association (Poplar HARCA). </div>
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Speaking at the event, Martin told the large crowd: “A lot of people here will have never heard of Teddy Baldock, but back in 1927 he was the hero of British sport, when he beat the American Archie Bell at the Albert Hall on 5 May 1927 for the vacant world bantamweight championship. When he won the title he was only 19 years old, so he remains Britain’s youngest ever world boxing champion. Tragically, when he passed away, there were only a handful of people attending his funeral – he was a forgotten champion. </div>
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“He was immensely proud of Poplar and he once said in an interview that Poplar was what made him the man he was. When Teddy fought he was known as the Pride of Poplar. Well, he’s back here now and I hope that the people of Poplar can be proud of him again.”<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhTnn7XOd_ZXSBh-usVQo1d1wswQy2m9b83dJZm6BWHyHFyrJaa8Zt-zXIdLVGBWwotlm5QgnB8jnD-DodZ43d8OB3LLTudzZ1zbij3TbfS0c47Qd_DUFY3FbnDT-jfimzzCTeU3zj3Q/s1600/Archie-Bell-%2526-Teddy-Baldock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhTnn7XOd_ZXSBh-usVQo1d1wswQy2m9b83dJZm6BWHyHFyrJaa8Zt-zXIdLVGBWwotlm5QgnB8jnD-DodZ43d8OB3LLTudzZ1zbij3TbfS0c47Qd_DUFY3FbnDT-jfimzzCTeU3zj3Q/s1600/Archie-Bell-%2526-Teddy-Baldock.jpg" height="458" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>1927: Teddy Baldock (right) and Archie Bell of America shake hands before their classic Royal Albert Hall ring battle for the vacant
bantamweight championship of the world.</b></td></tr>
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As well as winning the world bantamweight title, Teddy Baldock lit up the British sport scene of the late 1920s and early 30s with his exciting battles with other boxing stars such as Kid Pattenden, Johnny Cuthbert, Dick Corbett, Johnny Brown, Willie Smith and the legendary Panama Al Brown. In 1926, Baldock sailed to America and thrilled US fight fans with a whirlwind four-month campaign, into which he crammed 12 fights (11 wins and a draw).</div>
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His final professional record of 73 wins, three draws and five losses from 81 fights is a superb achievement, but also proof of the gruelling regime he endured in an era when the welfare of boxers was an afterthought. Consequently, Baldock was burnt out before he had reached his peak and retired from the ring aged 24.</div>
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For anyone interested in London’s boxing heritage, the unveiling of the Teddy Baldock statue is easily the most important event of recent years. Not only does the statue symbolise Teddy Baldock’s achievements, but it may also stand as a tribute to other British boxers of the 1920s and 30s, that exciting but impossibly harsh era which Baldock epitomised.</div>
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With statues in place to honour boxing heroes Jim Driscoll, Howard Winstone, Eddie Thomas and Johnny Owen, Wales rightly remembers the men who brought it glory and entertainment while putting everything on the line. With the Teddy Baldock monument, and the prospect of a similar statue being unveiled soon for Henry Cooper, London can now do the same.<br />
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<b>More about Teddy Baldock</b></div>
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To learn more about Teddy Baldock visit <a href="http://www.teddybaldock.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.teddybaldock.co.uk</a>.<br />
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<b>More statue photographs</b> <br />
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See more pictures from the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.580006298763443.1073741830.513986368698770&type=1" target="_blank">statue unveiling event</a>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbva3CwMjC7yFe__cTPo_QlE8jYBqCwLUZEhFyKIbgOKWn1e7kN5AU30k-lH5u6KfvNsQPhUl1tMBkFGCr8tbTY3zBS4aKGH-iKXeXdDbIqJHvDiz9nIQ0y0Z46oaJQsV6EDoxwEwczrg/s1600/teddy-baldock-v-mick-hill-oct-1928-the-ring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbva3CwMjC7yFe__cTPo_QlE8jYBqCwLUZEhFyKIbgOKWn1e7kN5AU30k-lH5u6KfvNsQPhUl1tMBkFGCr8tbTY3zBS4aKGH-iKXeXdDbIqJHvDiz9nIQ0y0Z46oaJQsV6EDoxwEwczrg/s1600/teddy-baldock-v-mick-hill-oct-1928-the-ring.jpg" height="502" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b> Lightning fast: Mick Hill (Tooting) feels the effect of Teddy Baldock's rapier straight left (</b><b>The Ring, Blackfriars, 1928)</b><b>.</b></td></tr>
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Alex Daleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04309474030696756474noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-22397038540181138932014-04-22T17:55:00.000+01:002014-04-29T19:47:11.263+01:00The tragic death of Tom Simmonette<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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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.
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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.<a name='more'></a>
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Uddingston lies about seven miles to the south-west of Glasgow and lies within the heart of a coal-mining community. Tom’s principle occupation was as a coalminer and besides being engaged in this tough occupation since his early teens he was also forging a decent career as a featherweight boxer. He will have had quite a number of contests throughout 1920 and 1921 that I have not been able to trace but he soon came to the attention of the promoters at the National Athletic Club, Charles Street, Bridgeton in Glasgow’s East End. </div>
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At the time this was Glasgow’s leading venue. Boxing was also held at the Victoria Athletic Club and at the Physical Culture School in Parkhead but it was at the ‘National’ where the really top bouts were held. The shows were held weekly, on a Monday evening, and Tom made his debut there on November 7th 1921 when he outpointed Andy Grieve of Springburn over ten rounds and a fortnight later he stopped Johnny Quinn of New Stevenston in five rounds. </div>
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The promoters must have liked the look of young Tom for he was then invited to take part in his first fifteen rounder in a top of the bill contest on Boxing Day 1921. His opponent was Stanley Walsh of Warrington, a battle-hardened veteran of more than one hundred contests. Walsh had been with some of Britain’s leading featherweights and Simmonette’s handlers were being very optimistic in matching Tom with such a man at this early stage in his development.
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Tom was most unfortunate to lose the contest when he injured his hand and the report of the contest in ‘Boxing’ stated that “Simmonette was by far the cleverer boxer, but his punches were so light that Walsh was content to take them all and wait his chance to land a knockout punch. Simmonette had a long lead on points at the end of the tenth round, and it was a great surprise when his seconds threw in the towel”.
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Seven days after this contest Tom was asked by the management of the ‘National’ to step in as a late substitute to fight Willie Devanney of Hamilton over fifteen rounds. Devanney had been contracted to fight Cast Iron Hague of Oldham, a man well known to Scottish audiences. Hague wired to say that he could not attend and Tom was approached to step in. Simmonette had met Devanney on more than one occasion previously and he probably viewed another contest with him as a good opportunity to further impress the management and patrons of his newly-adopted club. </div>
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Once again the report of the contest alluded to the lightness of Tom’s punching and when Devanney saw that Tom was unable to hurt him he stepped in and administered some punishment of his own. “Devanney was the stronger and heavier man, and before then end of the third round he had Simmonette bleeding profusely from nose and mouth. Simmonette fought pluckily, but his blows lacked power and had no effect on Devanney. In the seventh Devanney dealt out severe punishment and had Simmonette on the boards when the bell went. The end came in the eighth round when Devanney again connected to the point and Simmonette was counted out”. </div>
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The ‘Boxing’ reporter added a postscript at the end of his report of the show which was headed “Tragic Sequel” :
“There was a tragic sequel to the Devanney-Simmonette contest, as Simmonette died on Tuesday night at the Royal Infirmary without regaining consciousness. On being examined by a doctor immediately after the fight it was found that his teeth were firmly embedded in his tongue, and he was immediately conveyed to the infirmary, where he passed away. Tommy was a game lad, who gave promise of rising in the game, and his death is deeply deplored by all who have seen him in his various fights. He was twenty-one years of age, and turned professional a year ago, after having been at the game for about three years as an amateur. This is the first occasion within living memory that a local contest has had a fatal sequel”.
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Willie Devanney was extremely upset about the death of his opponent. Tom was buried four days after his death and Willie attended the funeral. His presence there must have been difficult for both him and for Tom’s family. One could see how his presence might have been resented, especially as he was directly responsible for Tom’s death, but I would like to think that he was well-received and greatly respected for being there. The Bellshill Speaker reported that “The funeral was a public one, and one of the principal mourners was Willie Devanney. Many well-known figures in city sporting circles were conspicuous. Our readers will join with us when we tender our heartfelt sympathy to Tom’s sorrowing parents and trust that this dark cloud will contain for them something resembling a silver lining”.
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At the inquest into Tom’s death, which was held some time towards the end of January, Tom’s brother John, who was acting as a second to Tom during the contest, stated that his brother’s death was a pure accident. Tom had made no complaint during the progress of the fight but that before going up for the eighth and last round he had stated that he felt unwell. When the referee stopped the contest Devanney had a blow in progress and Tom received it before the contest could be stopped. Everything was, in John’s opinion, perfectly fair and there was nothing regarding the contest that he could take objection to. </div>
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According to the doctor in attendance at the contest Simmonette had received a severe blow to the point of the chin which had jerked his head back, rupturing blood vessels in his head. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the evidence finding that “Simmonette had taken part in a boxing contest, properly conducted, in the course of which he had received a blow from which he died”.
The death certificate shows that Tom died at 4.45 am on the Tuesday morning following the contest, in Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
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A benefit was arranged by the National Athletic Club for Tom’s dependants. Once again Willie Devanney was present, as was Tom’s first opponent at the Club, Andy Grieve. There were a number of six-round contests arranged and both Willie and Andy took part. Unfortunately the attendance at the show was not great and whatever money was raised on behalf of the family had to be supplemented with further contributions from various other sporting clubs and associations in and around the city.
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A career that showed considerable promise had been cut short by this dreadful event. The game was a hard one in those days and referees did not look to end the contest as soon as may be the case today. A balance had to be struck between the welfare of the boxer and the demands that the crowds made regarding their entertainment. They wanted to see a hard bout. It took many years for the right balance to be struck and men like Tom paid the price. His memory will, in some small way, be maintained, I hope by this tribute which I make to him now. You died over ninety years ago, Tom, but you are remembered still by Joan and Thomas.
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Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-17166403083020788642014-03-20T22:41:00.004+00:002014-03-20T23:51:37.667+00:00George Markwick – Heavy Hitter from a Sleepy Sussex Village<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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World War 2 disrupted Markwick's climb up the fistic ladder as he was called on to serve in France. Afterwards he was posted to the Army Physical Training staff at Aldershot, where he attained the rank of sergeant. Unsurprisingly, given his army duties, by this time Markwick's form was erratic, and the man who had once been a much-touted prospect was losing fights he previously would have won.</div>
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In September '44 the Cuckfield fighter was stopped in three rounds at Belle Vue, Manchester by Bruce Woodcock, who within a year became British heavyweight champion. Markwick meanwhile continued his army service and was posted to Italy.</div>
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After his demob there was just one more fight for George Markwick: a second-round KO loss to Al Robinson (Leeds). This was enough to convince the Cuckfield man that his best fighting days were behind him, and he retired with a traceable pro record of 52 fights: 37 wins, 14 losses and one draw – <a href="http://boxinghistory.org.uk/records/51072-George-Markwick-Cuckfield.pdf" target="_blank">you can view his record here</a>.</div>
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After boxing, Markwick remained in Cuckfield and worked as a PT instructor at a Sussex college for over 30 years. In later life he was an active member of the Sussex Ex-Boxers Association and president of his local British Legion. He died in West Sussex in 1998.</div>
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Alex Daleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04309474030696756474noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-24006573345275762912013-09-16T09:47:00.000+01:002013-09-27T11:26:29.729+01:00Two-Fisted Gentlemen: a history of boxing in Widnes and Runcorn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Two-Fisted Gentlemen: a history of boxing in Widnes and Runcorn (1900-1960)</b>. 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. </div>
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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. </div><a name='more'></a>
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Every effort has been made in the book to honour the memories of all the many people involved (amateur and professional boxers, their trainers, managers and promoters) in putting both towns on the boxing map of the nation. It is not just a local history of the sport, it is also in part at least a socio-economic commentary on a period which embraces two World Wars and the austerity years of the 1930’s – referred to in the book as ‘the hungry years’. </div>
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With a foreword by eminent historian Derek O’Dell, the book tells the story of boxing in these two towns from the bare-knuckle days through to the reunion, in 1961, of the prominent Widnes and Runcorn boxers of the 1930s and 1940s.
There are many photographs of fighters from this period, some of them quite rare and John has drawn extensively on his collection of handbills, many of which also feature within the text. </div>
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I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the sport.
Two-Fisted Gentlemen can be purchased direct from the author for £18.99 (incl. p & p).
John F Sinnott
173 New Lane
Oswaldtwistle
Lancashire
BB5 3QN
01254 351526</div>Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-6501221949163014992013-04-28T20:12:00.001+01:002013-08-06T20:11:08.800+01:00Panama Al Brown thrills British fight fans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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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. </div>
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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.</div>
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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He turned pro at 21 and took America by storm, then travelled to Europe in 1926. Fighting mainly in Paris, Brown earned a fearsome reputation on this side of the Atlantic and in June 1929 beat Spain’s Gregorio Vidal in New York to became Latin America’s first world boxing champion.</div>
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British fight fans had read all about Al Brown but did not get to see him perform in their home country until 1931. Fervently embracing Parisian nightlife, Brown had made France his European base and until the 1930s rarely boxed elsewhere in Europe.</div>
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And so his first fight on UK soil was an exciting event for British boxing enthusiasts; the clamour to see in action this freakishly built, freakishly gifted boxer from exotic climes was huge. Manchester, it turned out, would be the first city to have the privilege.</div>
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<b>British debut</b></div>
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The King’s Hall at Belle Vue was the venue and it was filled by 5,000 fans, all eager to get a glimpse of the 28-year-old world bantamweight champion. At the weigh-in Brown was 1 1/2 lb over the contracted 8 stone 10 lb weight for the match, while his opponent, Willie Farrell (Winlaton), was well inside. Brown said he’d thought the contracted weight was 8 stone 12 lb and agreed to pay a forfeit. As Farrell was eager to go ahead and raised no further objection, the fight proceeded as planned.</div>
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<i>Boxing</i>, forerunner of <i>Boxing News</i>, reported:<br />
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“Brown had a considerable advantage in height and reach and, moreover, at once showed that he is a real champion. A thin, wispy man, he does not look as though he would be able to produce any formidable punch. Yet without putting out any marked effort, he sent Farrell to the boards twice in the opening round, and further outboxed the Winalton man with consummate ease.</blockquote>
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“Farrell tried desperately hard to connect with a punch, but Brown side-stepped, swerved and swayed and baulked each of his opponent’s attempts. In the second round the plucky Winlaton youth tried to work his way in by crouching low and rushing. It was plain that he wanted to get close enough to smash blows to the body, but the World Champion seemed to be able to keep his opponent at the end of his glove whenever he wanted to do so. He was also as readily able to hook or jab his man with either hand.</blockquote>
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“It had become plain before the third round opened that Farrell could have no chance, and it was evident that Brown did not intend to waste time. Farrell was dead game, but he was outclassed. He tried every move with which he was acquainted, but could never get near enough to land any damaging punch, whereas Brown caught him on the jaw with a left hook, which dropped him for a short count. Willy rose pluckily, but only to be dropped twice more, whereupon, as it was obvious that he could have no possible chance, the referee, Mr Joe Bowker, wisely applied the closure.”</blockquote>
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Referee Joe Bowker, himself a former world bantamweight champion, told <i>Boxing</i> he had been eager to see the latest world champ up close and was quoted as saying, “For sheer sparkling brilliancy, Brown, in my opinion, is in front of the great George Dixon, the original ‘Little Chocolate’. Whether Brown could keep as cool and scientific when under fire as did Dixon, I do not know. I have seen many boxers who are simply wonderful when they are away out in front, but who go into their shell when they are faced with stiff opposition. I am not suggesting that Brown would do this. He shaped like what he is, a 100 per cent World Champion.”</div>
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Evidently just as impressed by Al Brown, <i>Boxing</i> made a gloomy forecast on the likelihood of a British boxer beating the champion. It wrote, “We have to ask ourselves whether we can produce any bantam capable of lowering his colours… Farrell was conceding several lbs in weight, but on the running of the exchanges on Monday evening, it is not to be supposed that he could have had a chance in any event. Yet Farrell on form is one of our leading bantams.”</div>
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<b>'Colour bar'</b></div>
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The boxing trade paper also doubted whether a British boxer would even be able to challenge Brown for his world title, owing to the ridiculous ‘colour bar’ that prevented black and mixed-race boxers contesting titles in Britain. “Our sapient Home Office has refused to sanction any mixed-colour championship contest,” it noted, “but it is possible that a fight might get staged in Paris.”</div>
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Despite <i>Boxing</i>’s prediction, in 1933 Brown defended his world crown against a British fighter – on British soil. Again fighting at King’s Hall, he was challenged by Manchester’s Johnny King, the reigning British bantamweight champion, who put up a valiant effort but lost on points over 15 rounds.</div>
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In total, Panama Al Brown fought in Britain 15 times and lost there only once – to Johnny Cuthbert (Sheffield) via disqualification. Other Brits who took on the legendary Brown included Teddy Baldock, Nel Tarleton, Johnny King, Harry Corbett, Dave Crowley, Alf 'Kid' Pattenden, Jack Garland, Douglas Parker, Johnny Peters, Dick Burke, Tommy Hyams, Frankie Ash, Kid Socks, Albert Ryall and Arthur Boddington.</div>
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Johnny Cuthbert was the only British fighter to secure a win over Brown, while – of Brown's British opponents – only he, Nel Tarleton and Kid Pattenden managed to draw with the Panamanian. Hats off to them for achieving a feat that few others could.</div>
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<b>Footage of Brown</b></div>
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See the unorthodox yet freakishly gifted Al Brown easily deal with Swiss southpaw Maurice Dubois in 1934 (a year before Dubois won the European bantamweight title):
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fPLVl5rVT34" width="560"></iframe>Alex Daleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04309474030696756474noreply@blogger.com162tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-38298428721787800002013-04-20T08:13:00.000+01:002013-04-20T09:20:24.333+01:00Death of Bob Darley - Army and Navy Featherweight Champion 1908 and 1909<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYkODihxJfBq0FXtHtfDKxwGf8MLsQClTVEq2Hq-iyaq30i9nvCmk7TOuhtAIEmh3B0Z9I2s6Bt59k9bRA6r8vZOxmc_KpuxLqI7tJzRBudj2Z7YgVSH1FttJBvKXvUTf40sRP1isMmLS/s1600/120219_cpl_darley_royal+west+kents_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYkODihxJfBq0FXtHtfDKxwGf8MLsQClTVEq2Hq-iyaq30i9nvCmk7TOuhtAIEmh3B0Z9I2s6Bt59k9bRA6r8vZOxmc_KpuxLqI7tJzRBudj2Z7YgVSH1FttJBvKXvUTf40sRP1isMmLS/s320/120219_cpl_darley_royal+west+kents_1.jpg" /></a>
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In the <i>Sporting Life</i> dated Tuesday March 27th 1917 the following notice appeared:</div>
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<b>REPORTED DEATH OF SERVICE CHAMPION AT BAGHDAD</b></div>
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<i>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. </i></div>
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<i>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.</i></div><a name='more'></a>
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<i>His many contests with Driver Windebank created a lot of interest in the Woolwich district, while he defeated Ted Moore, of Tidal Basin, in nine rounds for £25 a side at the National Sporting Club. He met Young Lippo in a fifteen rounds contest at Plymouth on one occasion, but was outpointed by the local man. </i></div>
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<i>Darley, who was exceedingly popular with the men of his company, went out with them to India, but soon after arrival volunteered for service in connection with the Persian Gulf expedition, and was attached to general Townsend's ill-fated force, which capitulated at Kut. </i><i>As Corporal Darley he came from Ireland early in 1914 to Swanley (Kent) where his wife and family are still residing.</i></div>
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Darley was an exceptional Army boxer of the Edwardian era. My record for him shows 36 victories from his 48 contests and he boxed Windebank six times in all, including his final contest when the two met for the Kent Featherweight title on October 27th 1913.
He died on 27th October 1916 and at the time was the Company Sergeant Major (service No. L/6078).</div>Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-71647676023090269532013-04-03T16:03:00.000+01:002013-04-20T09:21:24.583+01:00Famous Pugilists of the English Prize Ring 1719-1870<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMq7dpdGV2V33lCbrxucb315hbtQ_-FI0rY0mNyOOqazfER1n8J4ecAUk1FaeO8sIOanWSBHSwKarzjoS98cXeuqMoKYzi8zvVWL8Fe2KqBcGHmQIRsmTU5yA3FEJa7iVIL0adbjKRswZ/s1600/mickhillbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMq7dpdGV2V33lCbrxucb315hbtQ_-FI0rY0mNyOOqazfER1n8J4ecAUk1FaeO8sIOanWSBHSwKarzjoS98cXeuqMoKYzi8zvVWL8Fe2KqBcGHmQIRsmTU5yA3FEJa7iVIL0adbjKRswZ/s320/mickhillbook.jpg" /></a>
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Mick Hill has recently produced a worthy book on the English Prize Ring. For those of you who don't know Mick, he has long held an interest in boxing, and in particular, the days of bare-knuckle fighting.</div>
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Mick has produced a 200-page book on the prominent boxers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and he has ensured that many of the lesser-known names of this period are included, in the form of mini-biographies. There are nearly 80 pugilists featured within the book and some of them will be new to even the most fervent follower of boxing during the bare-knuckle age. Two of the first three names included within the book, for instance, are Tom Pipes and Bill Gretting, and it is a welcome change to see the stories of men such as these recorded.</div><a name='more'></a>
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As well as producing a page on each boxer that describes their achievements, Mick has also taken the trouble to produce their fighting record, and virtually all of them also have an illustration. Another welcome addition is the inclusion of the nickname, and so many of these boxers were well-known by their nickname. As an example, the exploits of Jeremy Massey aka "The Stunted Lifeguardsman" can be followed on page 184 and, as well as the biographical details relating to his career, which are spread across two pages, one can also see full details of his fight record. 18 contests are listed for the period between 1842 and 1856 and one will find that Massey was once proclaimed the "Best in the land at Featherweight".</div>
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It is a nice little book and would be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of a boxing bibliophile. The price is £13.99.</div>
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To purchase a copy please order from <a href="http://www.fast-print.net/bookshop/1268/famous-pugilists-of-the-english-prize-ring" target="_blank">http://www.fast-print.net/bookshop/1268/famous-pugilists-of-the-english-prize-ring</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Famous-Pugilists-English-Prize-Ri/dp/178035505X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366445509&sr=8-1&keywords=Famous+Pugilists+of+the+English+Prize+Ring" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. </div>
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To contact Mick direct please email <a href="mailto:bare-fists45@virginmedia.com">bare-fists45@virginmedia.com</a>.
</div>Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-84430635788608682722013-03-27T16:38:00.000+00:002013-04-20T09:05:34.133+01:00BBBC Inspector Arthur Musson Saves the Show<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have in my collection a number of items of correspondence relating to a boxing tournament which was held at the Kings Hall, Derby on 11 December 1950. The show was held under the jurisdiction of Central Area Council (Area No 5) of the British Boxing Board of Control. The North Midlands and West Midlands Councils had been abolished in 1947 when the Central Area was formed and this reorganisation had not been popular with the officials in the Midlands and there were clearly one or two teething troubles including events at this show. </div>
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Some short time later the Midlands Area Council (Area No 8) was formed and it took part of the Central Area with it, including Derbyshire. This Council became a very well organised and successful organisation and the sport in the Midlands prospered under its control during the 1950s. This was due, in no small part, to the both the efficiency and the skill of its secretary, Mr G. Arthur Musson.</div><a name='more'></a>
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Musson lived in the village of Kilburn, just outside Derby, and for many years he was the landlord at the Rose and Crown in nearby Draycott. As well as being Midlands Area secretary Musson was also a licensed Board of Control inspector and he also dabbled in the training and, I believe, the management of boxers. He knew the game well and if not always popular with the managers, boxers and promoters with whom he had to deal he was well-respected and highly thought of.</div>
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On the night of the show at Derby, Mussen was attending informally, probably as a spectator. However, due to an administrative cock-up no referee had been appointed for the show. The promoter, Jerry Shaw, was not impressed!
This is Mussen's formal inspector's report, which he provided to the BBBC Head Office four days later:</div>
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<i>"Enclosed herewith please find Result Card and improvised score sheets used for the tournament at King's Hall, Derby on 11th December 1950 (commence 7.30 pm). No referee or for that matter Inspector was appointed for the tournament by the Area Council, consequently it fell to me to make the necessary arrangements. </i></div>
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<i>I arrived at the Kings Hall at approximately 6.30pm and at about 7.15pm was informed by the promoter that the referee had not yet arrived and that he had not been informed by the Area Council who the referee would be and at the same time he asked me whether I could give him any information on the matter. I told him that I did not receive such information and consequently could not help him in his enquiry but requested that I should be advised immediately the referee did arrive. </i></div>
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<i>At 7.40pm, whilst I was in conversation with the doctor in attendance I was again approached by the promoter who was accompanied by the whip and was told that the referee had not yet arrived and that the crowd was becoming irritable. I then phoned Miss Mooney and asked for information regarding the referee appointed for this tournament and was informed that owing to an oversight no such appointment had been made. </i></div>
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<i>As Stan Hiles was already fulfilling an appointment and Joe Smythe was in Ireland it was agreed that the matter should be left in my hands and that I should referee. However, in order that I could complete arrangements with the doctor and other duties in the dressing rooms I asked Inspector Eric Dolby to referee the first contest which was over four rounds. This he did and I refereed the remainder of the programme. </i></div>
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<i>Under the rush circumstances it was not possible to comply with requirements regarding dress whilst officiating. Trusting you are in agreement with the course I took.
Miss Mooney was the secretary of the Central Area Council and, given that she had a large and very busy area to administer, it was inevitable that the odd problem would arise here and there but not appointing a referee for a tournament was quite a grave matter." </i></div>
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Teddy Waltham, General Secretary of the Board of Control, wrote back to Mussen on 20th December, stating that:<i>
"The course you adopted in what might have been an extremely embarrassing situation was most commendable and you are to be complemented on your action."</i></div>
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The promoter, Jerry Shaw, had himself written to Waltham on December 13th: <i>"I have a serious complaint to make, viz: that on the occasion of the above tournament no referee appeared, and I had no alternative, after delaying the start but to request Eric Dolby, an Inspector, to officiate for the first contest. The other inspector, Arthur Musson, who was busy in the dressing rooms, then took over and refereed the remaining contests. This incident has left a very bad impression in the minds of my patrons who are of the opinion that Derby is being ostracised by the "powers that be". Since the new area took over, I have never known who my referee was to be until he walked into the Hall just prior to the opening of the show. The Inspector telephoned Miss Mooney at 7.45pm (the tournament was scheduled to start at 7.30pm) and she said she had entirely forgotten the tournament!"</i></div>
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In writing to Miss Mooney, when presenting the inspectors report to the Central Area, Musson stated that <i>"The tournament was a dismal failure as far as support was concerned and the promoter must have suffered a substantial financial loss".</i>
No doubt this contributed to Promoter Shaw's mood! On the night, the topliner ended in the eighth and final round when Billy Dean of Greenwich knocked out Ernie Comley of Oldbury with a left hook.</div>Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-82078352595940348442013-03-26T14:19:00.000+00:002013-04-20T09:36:11.940+01:00Programme Notes : Albert Finch v Bob Cleaver<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lcGTef248c6MxgQ84GIat4jZiVC2n_amMmM9ovTyRYyg2pAuSJ6hbsJaD-PnR5CdY8cY2YbQvVEXCZXwOSHqGbYG6k0dCKW8glE1o7uNrITqnXgx1NcluhvMm4x3oZWmTmjGMSeFcwee/s1600/pic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lcGTef248c6MxgQ84GIat4jZiVC2n_amMmM9ovTyRYyg2pAuSJ6hbsJaD-PnR5CdY8cY2YbQvVEXCZXwOSHqGbYG6k0dCKW8glE1o7uNrITqnXgx1NcluhvMm4x3oZWmTmjGMSeFcwee/s320/pic1.jpg" /></a>
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<b><b><i>Date:</i></b> May 24th 1949.</b></div>
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<b><i>Venue:</i></b> Selhurst Park Football Ground, Sydenham.</div>
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<b><i>Promoter:</i></b> Bill Goodwin and Alf Hart.</div>
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<b><i>Attendance:</i></b> approximately 4,000.</div>
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<b><i>Contest between </i></b> <i>Albert Finch </i>of Croydon, ranked number 1 contender for the British Middleweight Title and <i>Bob Cleaver </i>of the Borough, ranked 3 star (just outside the top ten) in the British Middleweight rankings</div>
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<b><i>Distance:</i></b> 8 x 3 minute rounds.</div>
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<b><i>Weights:</i></b> Finch 11st 8lbs, Cleaver 11st 4½ lbs.</div>
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Outcome:</i></b>
Finch won by knockout in the seventh round.</div>
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<h2>Programme notes</h2></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZpSIxlM3iSKV09su6lb1aPXu7fQxgFaVv50E3F5TnOwlgatqzzrKYgMh8ooi2mqs14NCJ4xqxNOQ9RT-RM4CCkubmyLFDYptzrZ86GJZMzobFjXEQTcHh0P0TAIq1KtgmMSxDhWhy5Io/s1600/pic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZpSIxlM3iSKV09su6lb1aPXu7fQxgFaVv50E3F5TnOwlgatqzzrKYgMh8ooi2mqs14NCJ4xqxNOQ9RT-RM4CCkubmyLFDYptzrZ86GJZMzobFjXEQTcHh0P0TAIq1KtgmMSxDhWhy5Io/s320/pic2.jpg" /></a></div>
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Albert Finch, Croydon's "local boy makes good" enters the ring tonight to tread the last rung of a ladder that has Dick Turpin at the top, complete with the Middleweight Championships of Great Britain and the British Empire.</div>
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On June 20th, Albert shares that top rung, namely the ring at Birmingham Football Ground, with Dick Turpin for 15 rounds, and must be credited with a splendid chance of bringing back to his home town the aforementioned Middleweight Championships.
He carries with him the best wishes of all Croydon-ians, including those of his old "friendly enemy" and erstwhile Middleweight Mark Hart.</div>
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Tonight's fight is no mere "warming up". Albert has trained and worked with his usual vigour, and is sure to be "in the pink" for what promises to develop into a real "needle" match.
Bob Cleaver, who as one of England's leading Amateur Welterweights, clashed with Albert Finch on four occasions. Honours were shared with two wins each, leaving things rather in the air.
Tonight, therefore can be described as a "rubber match" and we can be certain that both contestants will be striving for a decisive win, to prove to their followers which of the two is the better man.</div>
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During the war years Cleaver was in the ranks of the National Fire Service, and won the Welterweight Championship of that body.
On leaving the N.F.S., Bob became a professional, and began fighting as a Middleweight. The scalps to his credit include those of Alby Hollister, Ron Pudney, George Dilkes, the Northern Area Champion, and Ginger Sadd, Eastern Area Champion. Tonight he hopes to add the golden locks of Albert Finch to that collection.</div>
Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-23293986626266812142013-03-25T18:23:00.002+00:002013-04-20T09:43:01.926+01:00On This Day - March 25th 1934 Sunday Afternoon at The Ring, Blackfriars<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiss0y_VaHUh8bKt-mWRCa7hUhNgEyLlMGJloFco363vKgxGo-HW6ZFNoy2CQwJhTI2Vi9I5AzyL0gfCC0oh95qINLgE_U1eQOqmbng7OMIOfFUpua8uoNKSLK-OFaYfJthp1aurger_5FS/s800/handbill0181.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiss0y_VaHUh8bKt-mWRCa7hUhNgEyLlMGJloFco363vKgxGo-HW6ZFNoy2CQwJhTI2Vi9I5AzyL0gfCC0oh95qINLgE_U1eQOqmbng7OMIOfFUpua8uoNKSLK-OFaYfJthp1aurger_5FS/s320/handbill0181.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 225px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 240px;" /></a>
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Back in 1934 there was boxing every day of the week in London and Sunday afternoon shows were very popular. On March 25th 1934 one could pay "three and a tanner" or less than 20p to get a decent seat and be entertained by boxers of great quality at the Blackfriars venue. On the same day one could also watch boxing in London at East Ham Palais de Danse, the Chalton Ring in Euston, Merton Stadium, at Luna Park in Whitechapel, the Alexandra Arena at Stratford, the Central Ring at Wood Green and also at Stepney, where fans had the choice of boxing at either the Beaumont Hall or at the Osbourne Social Club. </div>
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The real quality was on display at the Ring, London's leading small hall at the time.
There were five bouts on the bill, two ten-rounders involving heavyweights and three contests over twelve rounds. Top of the bill was a match between the big-hitting Camden Town puncher, George Odwell and Norman Dale from Walker in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. At the time these two were at the front rank in the lightweight class and they were matched at 9st 11lbs. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>George Odwell (Camden Town)</b></td></tr>
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Dale had come down to London in late 1933 to take on Harry Mizler and had lasted the full distance at the Blackfriars ring. He had stayed on in London to further his career, as Newcastle, despite being an extremely busy and important fight centre, was just too far away from the action in London for a boxer from there to truly reach the top. He had met with reasonable success by March 1934 and the match with Odwell as a real tester. </div>
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Odwell was a very big puncher with a fearsome reputation. He had gone 47 bouts since his last loss (in 22 months) and the ringside betting boys would have made him the favourite to win this one. However, Dale (below) was a very classy performer and he taught the Camden Towner a real lesson.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJTHugveFbhErPGwn7ccbn88JyC-M3nltmAKMNkEQ3Nvt2BTEzJMB8cQUNA-CaSJXDHnETO2aEAJdsGsLrbwQXhKoph6Cap9nXlmAFm83tjtXaavjDIFHKNFCNXwdhN1ysHHsNFn8BVHh/s800/20822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJTHugveFbhErPGwn7ccbn88JyC-M3nltmAKMNkEQ3Nvt2BTEzJMB8cQUNA-CaSJXDHnETO2aEAJdsGsLrbwQXhKoph6Cap9nXlmAFm83tjtXaavjDIFHKNFCNXwdhN1ysHHsNFn8BVHh/s320/20822.jpg" style="float: left; height: 170px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 140px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Norman Dale (Walker)</b></td></tr>
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The report of the contest in <i>Boxing</i> states that "<i>Dale was on top throughout, except for a short spell in the second round when Odwell proved effective with a double-handed attack, mainly to the body. Dale was never troubled after that, and he built up a commanding lead. He hit the harder, and with the greater accuracy, and he was infinitely superior in defence, so that in the final rounds Odwell was very much hurt and troubled. It looked as though Odwell needed far more experience against strong, skilful boxers, if he is to make the headway that has been expected of him. As it is, he is terribly lacking in versatility, and seems to rely almost solely on efforts to finish matters with his good right hook. But that was not nearly enough to make any headway against Dale.</i>" </div>
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It was Odwell who made the most progress after this contest and later on in the decade he became just short of championship standard.
Dale lost to Sunderland's Douglas Parker in a bid for the Northern Area Lightweight Title in September 1934 and he retired in 1935, his great potential partly unfulfilled.
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Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-86615186118231974282013-01-27T11:46:00.000+00:002013-02-11T23:13:22.936+00:00Bill Chevalley 1925-2013<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhElzcSiLIo8bDELgqq09CLHouaix9zliBKEzobdmkBNdqmKb2CtHMRAS65jMPTpvhActClV9c3F7ZC6533MCW05vd_BHKzAC14HH6qU3y45is2enpetdGXuAeXlRmqmlZgAIaJhKk-30/s1600/bill-chevalley-and-mark-rowe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhElzcSiLIo8bDELgqq09CLHouaix9zliBKEzobdmkBNdqmKb2CtHMRAS65jMPTpvhActClV9c3F7ZC6533MCW05vd_BHKzAC14HH6qU3y45is2enpetdGXuAeXlRmqmlZgAIaJhKk-30/s640/bill-chevalley-and-mark-rowe.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bill supervises Mark Rowe's groundwork during a training session (1970)</b></td></tr>
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<i>I was saddened to hear last week that the veteran boxing trainer Bill Chevalley, perhaps best known for guiding middleweight Mark Rowe to a British and Commonwealth title, had passed away at the age of 87. While it’s perhaps a cliché to say of someone ‘boxing was his life’, this statement is entirely true of Bill, and so I say it here without hesitation. </i></div>
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<i>While there are many people who knew Bill far better than I and who are better qualified to write about him (I wasn’t even born when Bill’s well-known protégé Mark Rowe was making headlines), when I heard the news of his passing I felt compelled to pen a small tribute.</i> </div>
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Bill Chevalley was born in Islington in 1925 and grew up in this London district, which was then a thriving boxing area, close to noteworthy but now forgotten small-hall venues such as the Chalton Ring in Somers Town, Caledonian Road Baths, Hoxton Baths and Shoreditch Town Hall.</div>
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‘I can remember outside the Chalton Ring, as a kid, I used to stand there until someone I knew would take me in,’ Bill told me when I interviewed him four or five years ago. ‘I was watching pro fights when I was about eight, ten years of age.’</div>
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By age 13 Bill was training and sparring in professional gyms, learning all he could and putting the moves and methods of the pros to good use in his own training and amateur bouts.</div>
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Bill served in the Navy between the ages of 18 and 24, and it was during this period that he had the bulk of his amateur bouts, the total of which he said was around 180, which was more than enough, as he put it, ‘to learn the business’. </div>
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After the war, Bill had several approaches from managers who wanted him to turn professional, but he told me none of the offers suited him or seemed worthwhile. And so, as he was already earning good money via a steady job, he turned them all down. Instead, he hired his services out as a sparring partner to professional fighters and travelled the gyms of London, earning cash in his spare time. </div>
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‘I done a hell of a lot of sparring jobs and I earned very good money sparring,’ Bill told me. ‘I sparred with Terry Allen [Islington’s world flyweight champion] a lotta lotta times.’ </div>
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When I asked what it was like sparring with the world’s flyweight champion, Bill told me, ‘Allen wasn’t a generous guy with sparring – he made you work and he was hard to hit, but to be truthful I used to love sparring with him. And the trainers Allen had, he always dominated, you know. He would only bother with sparring when it suited <i>him</i>. He was the guy who had to do the business and say who he wanted to spar with. He was that kind of guy.’ </div>
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That, of course, was during Allen’s heyday in the late 1940s and early 50s, and there were many other pros of that era who engaged Bill as a regular sparring partner, among them Bill’s friend (and fellow Islington man) Jackie Lucraft, who tragically died in an accident at age 29.</div>
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Later – quite by chance – Bill started training fighters. He was working off weight in a gym when amateur boxer Dave Crockford asked him for advice. Bill took charge of Crockford’s training on a private basis and helped mould him into a first-class junior. It was evident then that Bill had a talent for imparting his considerable boxing knowledge to others. </div>
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Afterwards he became an instructor at the Covent Garden Club and then the Fitzroy Lodge, working with good-class fighters such as Dennis Pollard, Tony Burns, Allan Brooks, Johnny Cheshire and the brilliant Nicky Gargano (Olympic bronze medallist in Melbourne, 1956, and three times ABA welterweight champion). </div>
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‘I’ve trained fighters with totally different styles,’ Bill told <i>Boxing News</i> in 1970. ‘I don’t necessarily try to change a boy’s style. I work on what he’s got. I’ve had smooth southpaws like Gargano, honest tradesmen like Larry O’Connell and big wackers like Brooks.’ </div>
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But Bill was a strict disciplinarian. ‘If a boy thinks he knows better, that’s all right but he won’t be trained by me,’ he said. ‘The way I see it, if a boxer knows more than his trainer there’s no point in them staying together.’</div>
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Bill left the amateurs because, as he put it, he became ‘disillusioned with all the back-biting and petty rivalries’ that he felt were creeping into the sport. He then became a prominent figure in British professional boxing through his role in the success of Mark Rowe. </div>
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Bill had taken over Mark’s training when Mark joined the Fitzroy Lodge Club at age 13. With Bill as his coach, Rowe captured two junior ABA titles and as a senior won the 1966 Empire and Commonwealth Games (now the Commonwealth Games) light-middleweight gold medal.</div>
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After winning his gold medal, Rowe wanted to turn pro, but initially Bill tried to dissuade him as he was well-off financially, his family owning a profitable pig farm. But when Rowe insisted on joining the paid ranks, Bill worked with him ‘to get the boy the best possible deal’. This turned out to be an £8,000 signing-on fee from manager Johnny Arrow – a munificent sum for signing as a pro in those days. </div>
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Before long Johnny Arrow left boxing and Mark continued his career as a self-managed fighter, but with Bill as his trainer and sage. Theirs was a relationship based on trust and there was no written agreement between them. </div>
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To cut a long story short, hard-hitting Mark became famous as one of Britain’s most exciting pros of the late 60s and early 70s and won the British and Commonwealth middleweight crown from Les McAteer in 1970. The full story of Mark’s career (including his association with Bill) is retold vividly in Melanie Lloyd’s book <i>Sweet Fighting Man Volume II</i>. </div>
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Bill was naturally proud of his connection with Mark Rowe, but was quick to point out that he did plenty of other things in boxing. </div>
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I was introduced to Bill in 2007 at a London Ex-Boxers Association (LEBA) meeting, where I had gone in the hope of meeting people who knew my grandfather, pre-war ‘boy wonder’ boxer and respected post-war trainer Nipper Pat Daly. Bill, it turned out, had known my grandfather well in the 1940s and 50s, spoke very highly of him and had sometimes trained at his gym in New North Road, Shoreditch. Bill recalled, in particular, using the gym for a week when helping Jackie Lucraft prepare for a big fight. </div>
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Several very long and very interesting chats with Bill followed, both on the phone and at LEBA meetings. I soon discovered that if you wanted to know about a London boxing gym of the late 1930s or later, then Bill was the man to see. Chances were he’d worked out there and would have a story or two to tell. </div>
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During our chats we touched on numerous subjects, including Bill’s connection with the famous Thomas a’ Becket gym in the Old Kent Road, where he trained Mark Rowe and many others while working as a newspaper van driver. ‘I spent a lifetime over at the Becket with Danny Holland and people like that,’ he said. ’I used to work for the <i>Evening Standard</i>, and my van spent more time outside the Becket than it did on the road. In fact, they used to ask whether my <i>Standard</i> motor ever got driven!’</div>
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A union steward at the <i>Standard</i>, Bill was a man with strong principles and firm views that he wasn’t afraid to air. At times this put him at odds with the boxing authorities, but Bill didn’t mind and would readily suffer their disapproval in order to do things in what he keenly felt was the right way.</div>
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When I asked him how modern boxing compared with the fight game of his youth, his reply was characteristically frank. </div>
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‘I wouldn’t wanna box today,’ he told me. ‘Some of the people I see – and don’t take this the wrong way – they’d be lucky to get a fight years ago. Honestly, I’m not joking. The difference is, nowadays you get these people that fight every pancake day; them days [i.e. the 1930s] you could have four fights in a week.’</div>
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Bill explained to me that some of the best moves and methods of the old-time fighters had died out and were no longer seen today. As we stood at the bar of an Old Street pub – just around the corner from Bill’s home on Golden Lane – he showed me some of the moves and tricks he was talking about. Subtle yet effective, they involved maneuvering an opponent into positions that left him open to an attack. </div>
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When I met Bill he was slimmer and grayer than in the photo above, and having boxed from flyweight to featherweight, he certainly wasn’t tall. But he had a warm, vibrant personality, a friendly demeanor and old-fashioned good manners. The thing that struck me most about him, however, was his dapper appearance. Always immaculately turned out in a dark suit, gleaming white shirt and carefully knotted tie, Bill looked sharper and smarter than any octogenarian I’ve ever met. </div>
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I regret losing touch with Bill Chevalley and that I didn’t take the time to record more of his reminiscences. I’ve been told by people who’d known him for years that countless young men were steered away from a life of crime and instead taught discipline, manners and respect for others by this fine man, who on occasion – when needed – would put a roof over their heads. I hope that this small tribute goes some way to acknowledging his contribution to the sport he loved and served so well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYgj16wH3d1WmsCPOBHkcNveuWUu_9C7kkjY4BGQMieZ3icGdQsNQf0lRde1OdtbXMmEE6Lddilyswp7JbocQZSCAcMLYGz2QZymKgpBUEEr_Fo1SjkR72CX_2zcV1hw6PFgMJui0bDs/s1600/FitzroyLodgeABCwithBill+Chevalley,+LarryOConnellMark+RoweTonyBurns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYgj16wH3d1WmsCPOBHkcNveuWUu_9C7kkjY4BGQMieZ3icGdQsNQf0lRde1OdtbXMmEE6Lddilyswp7JbocQZSCAcMLYGz2QZymKgpBUEEr_Fo1SjkR72CX_2zcV1hw6PFgMJui0bDs/s640/FitzroyLodgeABCwithBill+Chevalley,+LarryOConnellMark+RoweTonyBurns.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bill Chevalley with his Fitzroy Lodge ABC team. Among the boxers pictured are Larry O'Connell, Mark Rowe and Tony Burns.</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>In the ring: Bill Chevalley and Mark Rowe. Outside the ropes, left to right: John Parry (Bermondsey promoter and bookmaker), Johnny Arrow (then Rowe's manager), Freddie Foreman and Ron Olver and Tim Reilly of <i>Boxing News</i>. Image © Derek Rowe.</b></td></tr>
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Alex Daleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04309474030696756474noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-45577140688991816202013-01-06T14:46:00.000+00:002013-01-28T19:28:09.446+00:00A punch on the proboscis<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>By O. F. Snelling</b></div>
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<i>This article, written in the 1980s, is reproduced here with the kind permission of Derek O’Dell, Editor and Producer of ‘The Southern Ex-Boxer’.</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Teddy Baldock lands a left on the nose of </strong><br />
<strong>Kid Pattenden in their 1929 British </strong><br />
<strong>bantamweight </strong><strong>title clash</strong></td></tr>
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Professional boxing isn’t like entering some beauty competition. And it never was. Certainly, some pretty handsome fellows have taken to the punch-up for fame and fortune, but if they ever worried about their looks excessively they were simply mugs who adopted the wrong occupation. Few of them ever got very far.</div>
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What’s the commonest blow employed in boxing? I’d say, without hesitation, that it’s the straight left lead to the face. It doesn’t always land, but when it does it usually arrives with a plonk right on the schnozzle, and the poor old proboscis is the human feature which takes more than a bit of the brunt in most fistic exchanges.</div>
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Consequently, just as most fighters seldom get through a career without sooner or later knocking up one or two of their knuckles, so very few manage all their days in this tough business without suffering a broken nose.</div>
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In fact, the corrugated hooter is the trademark of the fighting man, and he can wear it like a badge of pride. It’s the boxer’s equivalent of the old soldier sporting the coloured medal ribbons across the left side of his waistcoat, and it’s far, far more evident than the bulbous and mis-shapen ear more usually connected with the so-called ‘cauliflower crew’.</div>
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Unusual indeed is the fighter who avoids this occupational hazard. Although I do know quite a few boxers who never had a broken nose, I can’t think of many men who were so clever at all times that they did not suffer a solid shot to the nasal organ during their careers. </div>
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One example was old James J. Corbett. He boxed some rough bangers in his day. John L. Sullivan, James J. Jeffries and Sailor Tom Sharkey were three. But he fancied himself as an actor more than as a boxer, and he made most of his money on the stage in those days well before multi-million dollar gates and world-wide television got a chance at this spectacle.</div>
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He was one of those rare exceptions who did try to keep his features exactly the way Mother Nature had modelled them, and he did pretty well. Bob Fitzsimmons took his title with the famous ‘solar plexus’ punch to the body, and Jim Jeffries clouted him to the canvas with a wallop to the jaw, but nobody ever got a solid swipe at the old Schnozzola. He retired absolutely unmarked.</div>
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A year or so ago, I was chatting to two great professional fighters, both of whom I had always admired. The occasion was the 87th birthday party of dear old George Sewell – a good-looking bloke himself – and the father of Danny and George, Jnr. The chaps I was talking to were John Conteh, former light-heavyweight champion of the world, and Benny Caplan, one-time featherweight Southern Area title-holder, and foremost among our finest referees after he had retired from active competition.<br />
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Close up, I was impressed by the fact that the Conteh profile was like that of a film star, and that he didn’t have an obvious mark on his face which could have betrayed his earlier profession.</div>
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So I asked him if he ever had his nose busted, and he modestly admitted that he never had. Now, John was a very clever boxer, but he fought some hard battles, and he was lucky to get out of the game as ‘pretty’ as the day he went into it.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Southern Area featherweight champion Benny Caplan (St. George's)</b></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">“I got my nose broken,” said Benny Caplan, “and I’ll let you know how it happened. I was boxing Freddie Miller, and his second suddenly started to bang on the floor of the ring with his hand. I turned to look at his corner, and Freddie caught me with a beauty right on the hooter!”</span><br />
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That was at the old Ring, Blackfriars, back in 1935. A ten-rounder versus the featherweight champion of the world and one of the busiest and hardest-punching little southpaws who ever lived.</div>
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“What do you think my wages were for that fight?” Benny asked me.</div>
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I hadn’t a clue. “About a hundred quid?” was my suggestion, taking into consideration how long ago it had been.</div>
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“Thirty,” Benny told me.</div>
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Over half a century ago he felt quite rich with that share of the purse. Shades of the featherweight purses for world’s champions now!</div>
boxinghistory.org.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625278425271173352noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-71836541268750976072012-11-03T14:08:00.001+00:002012-11-03T15:12:45.948+00:00Sparring partner to Mickey Walker – June 1927 (aged 14)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5HJ7iUNRn68uBaezG65hEdbdAA2lYVOuGnJVnyuZTPTTc5onoE8PDt0GvvJ1mE9QKVBMHYrCFdRt0mTXgGQWA2WO9irtpcADP8Fg1fiCWnGIV9ZdJgboUrktX1O-vim009TsJton8j8/s1600/Nipper+Pat+aged+about+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5HJ7iUNRn68uBaezG65hEdbdAA2lYVOuGnJVnyuZTPTTc5onoE8PDt0GvvJ1mE9QKVBMHYrCFdRt0mTXgGQWA2WO9irtpcADP8Fg1fiCWnGIV9ZdJgboUrktX1O-vim009TsJton8j8/s320/Nipper+Pat+aged+about+15.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Nipper Pat Daly aged about 15</b></td></tr>
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"When Mickey Walker was signed up to defend his world middleweight title against Scotsman Tommy Milligan at the Olympia on the above date the whole world of British boxing fans were agog with interest.
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Jack Kearns, Walker’s manager, struck camp at Taggs Island, which was situated in the middle of the Thames river at Hampton Court. Kearns, who was the former manager of Jack Dempsey, former heavyweight champion of the world, was very businesslike and arranged what order we would spar with his present champ.</div>
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As he looked at me I could see the disappointment in his eyes, and he said, 'You’re far too light for this job.' I weighed 7st-12lb or 110lb, American method. My manager explained to him that I was engaged for my speed, not my strength. Mickey, who was talking to another of his partners, noticed that we were talking, rather excitedly came to us and on hearing the cause of the argument said, 'Okay I’ll just spar with him last to speed me up, and he better be fast.'</div>
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I sat at the ringside and watched Mickey spar two rounds each with a Malcolm Campbell, middleweight champion of Scotland and Tom Fowler, a heavyweight who had served his time as a sparring partner to most of our leading heavies. Walker, not a brilliantly clever boxer but clever just the same, with a K.O. punch in either hand, and I was his sparring partner. One of his punches could kill me. Still, I had a job to do and I intended to do it as well as I could.</div>
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While watching Mickey spar I had noticed that he would make his partner miss with their initial punch by swaying backward, and then counter [the hopelessly reaching boxer] with his right. At the first opportunity I had, I feinted with my left lead, Mickey drew back from his hips and was temporarily defenceless as I moved forward and connected with a perfect right hand punch on his jaw. Mickey stopped boxing, shook hands, patted me on the back and said, 'That was a great punch kid.'</div>
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After I had finished my training I was told that we had been booked to appear at Jimmy Butler’s boxing booth at the Welsh Harp, Hendon in the evening and that I was to stand on the front of the booth and take on all comers. I did two houses, which means I had two fights, three rounds each. Still, it brought my manager in a few shillings and saved me wasting time. I only fought two fights as there was not time for any more, as it was 10pm and the fair was closing down.</div>
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(On another occasion, as I had missed a 15 rd contest at Premierland on Sunday, my opponent Young Siki had not turned up, the Prof sent me the next day, Bank Holiday Monday, to work at a boxing booth at Lea Bridge Road. When I started work I created something of a sensation as it seemed that most of the young men in the crowd wanted to take me on as I was 15 years of age, skinny and did not look like a fighter.)
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Still, the time saved me from having several more bouts. I’d had an easy day, only having sparred with the world middleweight champion and fought two opponents at a booth. I was very proud at having sparred with the world’s middleweight champion and also pleased that Mickey had pulled his punches."<br />
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- Nipper Pat Daly.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLAxTsw2Yprk3IptlB_xK1PseFZY8VHy4LCF_3gXkn9wGJxi3NRTOaIDL1_RNx9haMTeUOaglHnJREfoFlBQhB4WOJwnwqYfVOVduZVcIx7JRHiTQu8RbhscdHD4ny6uw1SMT0cvpBPw/s1600/19270628348+-+Kearns+visiting+Marylebone+Rd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><br /></a>
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<i><b>This extract from Nipper Pat Daly’s memoirs is from the critically acclaimed 2011 biography ‘Nipper: The Amazing Story of Boxing’s Wonderboy’. For more information or to buy the book visit <a href="http://www.nipperpatdaly.co.uk/">www.nipperpatdaly.co.uk</a>.</b></i></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTxKhdJeZGiI1xQjlKv6_ypDqwmBlbDi-JeBun1-qPrFBRLevyBE4EeR4Wmz1_KYzHPzY5Q1TaYV6tnyd4Un0SeSWbd0kJBDes6KVq2Q3kEM6iFIiG5i8DBiOnTThYOzm7I4K56ShH9M/s1600/19270628341+-+Walker+and+Kearns+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTxKhdJeZGiI1xQjlKv6_ypDqwmBlbDi-JeBun1-qPrFBRLevyBE4EeR4Wmz1_KYzHPzY5Q1TaYV6tnyd4Un0SeSWbd0kJBDes6KVq2Q3kEM6iFIiG5i8DBiOnTThYOzm7I4K56ShH9M/s640/19270628341+-+Walker+and+Kearns+cover.jpg" width="465" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Before the big fight: Walker and Kearns on the cover of Britain's boxing trade paper</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLAxTsw2Yprk3IptlB_xK1PseFZY8VHy4LCF_3gXkn9wGJxi3NRTOaIDL1_RNx9haMTeUOaglHnJREfoFlBQhB4WOJwnwqYfVOVduZVcIx7JRHiTQu8RbhscdHD4ny6uw1SMT0cvpBPw/s1600/19270628348+-+Kearns+visiting+Marylebone+Rd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLAxTsw2Yprk3IptlB_xK1PseFZY8VHy4LCF_3gXkn9wGJxi3NRTOaIDL1_RNx9haMTeUOaglHnJREfoFlBQhB4WOJwnwqYfVOVduZVcIx7JRHiTQu8RbhscdHD4ny6uw1SMT0cvpBPw/s1600/19270628348+-+Kearns+visiting+Marylebone+Rd.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>From Britain's boxing trade paper (June 1927)</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5tlcoWKF6FqlgwlG9YVv0ZHv6vFFfHPZmBrhetMJmfRxOT1E79eXsSdTAyFKTfwTNOJ4Toc2iLy3JyX29jgfARuedvuVe3aOrUKZqMxm7e3p78CcrJOYJnfJGK13bgEpkx_rnVtApO8/s1600/19270614298+-+NPD+spar+with+walker,+open+to+meet+any+boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5tlcoWKF6FqlgwlG9YVv0ZHv6vFFfHPZmBrhetMJmfRxOT1E79eXsSdTAyFKTfwTNOJ4Toc2iLy3JyX29jgfARuedvuVe3aOrUKZqMxm7e3p78CcrJOYJnfJGK13bgEpkx_rnVtApO8/s1600/19270614298+-+NPD+spar+with+walker,+open+to+meet+any+boy.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><b>From Britain's boxing trade paper (June 1927)</b><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBhkmeoG7-Fzoe8arxGI7ChQo-tXRC9eWa5BBWS4gSzt1vixD1qhm4TL3vh9VV5pLJ4vYz8NRtdXHQEAJ_kc_o_ZnVyaJ7ZlEa-41HJYLBxD1W8oiPItteLjlsOBt-jM-oNxB048YhEg/s1600/NPD-with-pro-and-trophies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBhkmeoG7-Fzoe8arxGI7ChQo-tXRC9eWa5BBWS4gSzt1vixD1qhm4TL3vh9VV5pLJ4vYz8NRtdXHQEAJ_kc_o_ZnVyaJ7ZlEa-41HJYLBxD1W8oiPItteLjlsOBt-jM-oNxB048YhEg/s640/NPD-with-pro-and-trophies.jpg" width="457" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Daly with his trainer and manager 'Professor' Andrew Newton</b><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsr2Y0__FAgsdKiUJqFrWJCCFJdinZ949aPXqzy_tran3MYGBHq3eyZYTGV8zKemGKBnQWsM8GprJwaIaKFm_FmY3RyAjNs75AW6jGLse4GcIddv3QhQZexTpYYdQtEQZIfJoHIR8ywM/s1600/24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsr2Y0__FAgsdKiUJqFrWJCCFJdinZ949aPXqzy_tran3MYGBHq3eyZYTGV8zKemGKBnQWsM8GprJwaIaKFm_FmY3RyAjNs75AW6jGLse4GcIddv3QhQZexTpYYdQtEQZIfJoHIR8ywM/s640/24.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><b>In 1929, aged just 16, Nipper Pat Daly appears alongside Walker in 'The Ring' magazine's top-10 world ratings.</b><br />
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<h3>
<b>Watch a clip of Mickey Walker's world title fight with Tommy Milligan:</b></h3>
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<i></i>Alex Daleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04309474030696756474noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-26216707032869977252012-06-17T11:53:00.000+01:002012-06-17T14:15:23.187+01:00Story behind this picture – Frankie Burns<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>By Gilbert Odd</strong></div>
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<em>This article and the accompanying photo are reproduced here with the kind permission of Derek O'Dell, to whom they were entrusted by the late Gilbert Odd for publication at a later date. </em></div>
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The boxer on the floor has just been knocked out in a championship contest. A few days earlier he had saved someone from drowning. Did his heroic act cause his defeat?</div>
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Early in 1922 Charlie Lucas, a slim-built, balding Australian, arrived in London with two fighters. One was George Cook, who claimed the heavyweight championship of his country, the other was Albert Lloyd, who was light-heavy titleholder.</div>
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They hadn’t been invited by a promoter; there were no promised fights. But Europe was enjoying a post-war boom in boxing, so they hoped to cash in on the situation. </div>
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Young Cook was tough as teak but he was too short to make a formidable heavyweight, and what’s more, he did not possess a payoff punch. He had to rely on getting to close quarters, where his short arms were ideal for body-punching. But in the course of getting there, he had to take considerable punishment. </div>
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Lloyd, a much older man, was a good, upstanding boxer, but he too lacked punching power. He had plenty of science, but no devil. You could write him down as a plodder.</div>
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Lucas could not expect to do much with a pair of this calibre. Perhaps pick up a few sizeable purses and get their passage paid home? That wasn’t Charlie’s idea. He knew his boxers’ limitations, but he also had great confidence in his own powers of eloquence.<br />
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<strong>Fights with Carpentier and Smith</strong></div>
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A gifted speaker, Lucas talked Major Arnold Wilson into matching Cook with Georges Carpentier for the Aussie’s first fight in this country. </div>
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Actually George had no right in the same ring as the talented Frenchman. But he stayed almost four rounds before succumbing to a spectacular knockout defeat and won many friends for his game showing.</div>
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Lloyd opened his programme with a match at the National Sporting club against Dick Smith, the former British light-heavyweight champion. The Australian lost on points over 20 rounds, but like Cook, he made himself very popular. Lucas thus found it easy to get matches for both his men. So he sent a cable to Frankie Burns, inviting him to join them.</div>
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Burns was middleweight champion of his country, a good-looking young man of 21, pleasant and well-mannered. When I went to see him work out in the gymnasium soon after his arrival, he did not strike me as being anything sensational, in fact, he looked just another boxer.</div>
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“That’s not his true form,” Charlie Lucas assured me. “When he has got his land legs again, he’ll be dynamite. Don’t tell anybody, but he has a right-hand punch that can break a man’s jaw. He knocked out Tommy Uren and Jimmy Clabby just before leaving home.”</div>
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I was young then, but I knew enough to know that both Uren and Clabby were old-timers who it wouldn’t take much to knock over. But I respected Charlie’s request and told no one, although the papers were full of it the next day.<br />
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<strong>Quiet and unassuming</strong></div>
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In contrast with Lucas, Frankie was very quiet and unassuming. He told me he had come from Temora where he had been a blacksmith. He loved boxing, but might have remained unnoticed had it not been for the visit to his town of Dave Smith, a former heavyweight champion of Australia, who persuaded Burns to try his luck in the big cities.</div>
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“I was very shy about boxing in front of a big crowd,” he said. “And for that matter I still haven’t got used to it. But I am hoping to make good in England, my ambition being to win the Empire middleweight title.”</div>
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“You’ll have to fight Ted (Kid) Lewis for that,” I said. </div>
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“He’s washed up,” snorted Lucas. “Carpentier knocked him for a row of skittles the other day. He’s supposed to be a big puncher, well, if he is, I’ve yet to see it. Wait until I get Frankie into the ring with him.”<br />
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<strong>Try-out match</strong></div>
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Smart as he was, Charlie could not get Burns immediately into a match with Lewis. But he persuaded the NSC to give Frankie a try-out with ex-shoeing-Smith Fred Davies, a former Imperial Services champion, who had boxed the best at his weight.</div>
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The Club members were disappointed. They watched carefully throughout the 15 rounds to see Burns put over his terrific right, but nothing happened.</div>
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The Australian champion showed them he was a clever mover who used the ring to advantage; he also demonstrated a neat left jab and a weighty hook from the same hand. But they saw little from the vaunted right.</div>
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Davies caught a good one in the opening round and another in the fifth that had him staggering, but after that Burns put his dexterous hand in cold storage, being content to win a points verdict with his left.</div>
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After the contest Lucas lost no time in telling all and sundry that Frankie had knocked up his right in the fifth round and on his instructions, had refrained from using it for the remainder of the contest.</div>
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“There was no sense in making the damage worse, when he could lick Davis with one hand,” explained Charlie. “Lewis will know all about that right when it knocks him silly.”</div>
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When these disparaging remarks reached Aldgate, the “Kid” was more than peeved, and when the NSC approached him to meet Burns under championship conditions for its annual Derby Week promotion, he lost no time in signing the contract. <br />
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<strong>Too big for the NSC</strong></div>
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It was far too big a fight for the Club and a large skating rink in Holland Park, near Shepherd’s Bush, was hired for the occasion. It would seat up to 10,000, and to pay the purse the Kid demanded, plus the high figure suggested by Lucas, the tickets were priced at 11 guineas ringside, ranging back to 10 bob for the wide-open spaces.</div>
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Lewis, who had trained at Harrow for the ill-fated match with Carpentier that lasted less than a single round, decided to change his luck by moving back to his old quarters at the Norfolk Arms, Wembley.</div>
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The Australians, who had been training at High Beech, accepted the invitation of the New Vaudeville Club at Thames Ditton. Here they were comfortably housed in ideal surroundings, but as it happened, it was a bad thing for Burns.<br />
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<strong>Heroic act</strong></div>
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Four nights before the fight he was sound asleep in bed when he was awakened by cries for help. Scrambling out of the blankets, he ran down to the towing path where he saw that two men were struggling in the water beside an upturned canoe. </div>
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Without hesitating Frankie jumped in and grabbed one man by the hair as he was sinking. He tried to catch hold of the other without success, so swam back to the bank and managed to pull the half-drowned man out of the water. </div>
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He yelled loudly for help then dived in again and searched around for the second canoeist, while his manager danced on the toe-path, imploring him to come out. Only when he knew that there were others to continue the search was Burns persuaded to leave the river. </div>
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He was wrapped in a blanket and rushed back to bed. It had been a pretty brave thing for Burns to do, for the Australian had no knowledge of the river currents, nor had he given a thought to the risk he was taking in getting a chill that might seriously interfere with his forthcoming championship fight. </div>
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The man he had rescued was Capt. Alphonso Austin Smith who, four years later, was to be acquitted of the capital murder charge in the famous ‘Stella Maris’ murder case. </div>
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The Royal Humane Society awarded Frankie a medal, but he should have got one for facing Lewis, who entered the Holland Park ring in a most warlike and destructive mood.<br />
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<strong>The crashing, bashing Kid </strong></div>
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It was the famous crashing, bashing Kid at his very best and poor Burns hardly got a look in. True, he fought gamely and to the utmost of his ability, but Lewis was in championship form and kept his man on the strict defensive from the opening bell. </div>
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Try as he might, Frankie could not keep his aggressive rival at bay. Lewis would wade in, swinging with both hands and once he had got to close range, he would pound at the body in non-stop fashion.<br />
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These tactics gave the Australian little opportunity to exploit his boxing skill, moreover, although he met the Kid with some well-placed punches as he came in, there didn’t seem sufficient power to stop the Londoner.</div>
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After five rounds Lewis had established a long lead, but in the sixth he slowed down from his own exertions and Burns made up a lot of leeway.</div>
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He did well in the next two rounds, making Lewis miss with some clever evasive work. But the Kid came to life again in the ninth and suddenly landed a full-arm left swing to the chin.</div>
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Down went the Australian to a yell from the fans that drowned the voice of the timekeeper. Frankie was so dazed that he rose without taking advantage of the count and stood there swaying – an open target for a finisher.</div>
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In tore Lewis, eager to plant a knockout wallop on his rival’s unprotected chin. But at that moment the bell rang out to end the round and Burns was saved.</div>
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But only temporarily! He managed to coast through the tenth, but Lewis gave him no rest and although he escaped another damaging delivery, he was a very weary warrior as he went back to his corner. </div>
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The Kid had made up his mind to finish things off and tore into Burns at the opening of the eleventh, working him into a neutral corner. Here he bombarded the Australian’s ribs with some hefty digs from each hand then, as Frankie brought his gloves down to protect his midsection, the Kid switched to the head.</div>
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Bang! Bang! Left and right hooks rattled Frankie’s teeth and he fell forward into a clinch. Lewis wrenched himself free, stepped back and then whipped in a right hook that carried his full power and strength.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The punch had ‘winner’ written all over it. Burns staggered three paces sideways, then hit the canvas like a picture falling from a wall. <br />
<br />
<strong>A bizarre finish</strong><br />
<br />
He crashed on his back, his legs waving convulsively in the air. Finally, the soles of his boots contacted the ring post and he seemed to be trying to walk up it. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
In all my experience of watching and reporting fights, I have never seen anything quite so remarkable either before or since. Burns was out to the wide, yet instinctively he was trying to get away from his rival while upside-down.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
There was never a chance of him beating the count and as he finally slithered to the canvas, the Kid walked to his corner and held out his gloves to be untied. He knew it was all over.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
It was interesting to note that while Frankie Burns failed in his effort to win an Empire title, his son George Barnes became welterweight king of the Commonwealth. </div>boxinghistory.org.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625278425271173352noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-86412675333292323392012-04-13T19:36:00.025+01:002013-03-25T16:13:20.720+00:00The story of the boxers who sailed on the Titanic<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyS7qGCaHUW0bqLrGKK9lk-abBF4OhGB0uq5Y_0AlwzTsxEV8pRQ6BUaATuzJ7PEEPh41Y18O6Sn6hhomJw0uViGaD2vQDaot7tHp5y-seHlSA8CiIi0EvJOFqa5ky8zrpODHtaE2t-MN/s1600/poem.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 228px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730962614151590354" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyS7qGCaHUW0bqLrGKK9lk-abBF4OhGB0uq5Y_0AlwzTsxEV8pRQ6BUaATuzJ7PEEPh41Y18O6Sn6hhomJw0uViGaD2vQDaot7tHp5y-seHlSA8CiIi0EvJOFqa5ky8zrpODHtaE2t-MN/s320/poem.jpg" /></a>In the January 21st 1911 edition of ‘Boxing’ under the article headed ‘Welsh Notes’ there appeared the following: “Wanted – a smart boxer. A well-known American sports promoter has just written to me from across the Atlantic to ask me to recommend a smart boxer for a trip across the water, and the terms, which I do not care to make public, will gladden the heart of the selected man. At present I have two lightweights in view, both good men, but I am in no great hurry to make the selection, as circumstances allow me ample time to do so.” The article was penned by the Welsh correspondent, Charles A Barnett, and it referred to an invitation he had received from a wealthy racehorse owner and sports promoter, Frank Torreyson.<br /><br />The following week Barnett wrote that “As might have been expected, quite a shoal of boxers have written to me offering their services in answer to the announcement that I made last week.” Barnett added that he had been given a name by Torreyson and that until this person had accepted or declined the offer he would look no further.<a name='more'></a><br /><br />Nothing further was mentioned regarding the matter until March 25th when Barrett wrote that “Some time ago I announced that I had received £20 from an American promoter in order to select a good class boxer and pay his passage out to the States with a contract lasting a year. Two men were mentioned in the letters that I received – Fred Delaney and Fred Dyer – though I was not pinned down to either. Unfortunately Delaney was up North, and Dyer also had a few engagements on, so that each was forced to delay the acceptance. The American season is now, of course, drawing to a close, and I have decided, after hearing from the promoter, to postpone the offer until next September.” Delaney and Dyer were lightweights of the top class at this time and either one of them would have done well in the States.<br /><br />True to his word, On September 30th 1911 Barnett wrote that Torreyson had been back in contact, offering to increase the amount so that two good boxers could be sent out. As well as enquiring about the availability of Dyer and Delaney, Torreyson also indicated an interest in the Merthyr bantamweight, Eddie Morgan. Again, the matter went quiet, and Torreyson must have been wondering what was going on. In February 1912 Torreyson sent another £40 asking Barnett to arrange for boxers and Barnett wrote, somewhat high-handedly, that “Of course, Torreyson is anxious to get Fred Delaney or Fred Dyer, or Eddie Morgan, but the last word in the selection is left to my discretion. The money is to cover the passages, and the terms of the contract can only be seen by those likely to be sent to America. Applications should be forwarded early to me.”<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCQhIZ8eJNhQwxIbIyyV05Rf4PfYjQPhG3Xjg5_gIdhhYzzyUIuAfVxZCbjl-lJAEoSSbtCcZ6ch_k4x-es0IcDm7OcRWgHSmRYdTNzxU_0OLkLYmkpiy9P07QQOyOaKc2gDUu44y7Zl0/s1600/81529_eddie_morgan_merthyr_1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730965795468183202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCQhIZ8eJNhQwxIbIyyV05Rf4PfYjQPhG3Xjg5_gIdhhYzzyUIuAfVxZCbjl-lJAEoSSbtCcZ6ch_k4x-es0IcDm7OcRWgHSmRYdTNzxU_0OLkLYmkpiy9P07QQOyOaKc2gDUu44y7Zl0/s320/81529_eddie_morgan_merthyr_1.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5Dknq6e2AwjI_zlGjmlHn2XY6ddr0TjpsqnPSNpI4Vy01ebovjHiypyQn6VB2n4PXOEuLFKUQd07rbyv4OnoqIgiGCdyniChOG_yEO9MirVLgbCt8u8bkn-H6L8DkeKlrgguF-855zbX/s1600/80540_fred_dyer_cardiff_1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 203px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730963890622563442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5Dknq6e2AwjI_zlGjmlHn2XY6ddr0TjpsqnPSNpI4Vy01ebovjHiypyQn6VB2n4PXOEuLFKUQd07rbyv4OnoqIgiGCdyniChOG_yEO9MirVLgbCt8u8bkn-H6L8DkeKlrgguF-855zbX/s320/80540_fred_dyer_cardiff_1.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_p1Bm8jjpDh96MXt18dv-dDFsRVfxdUVpN0cKRANd1-R36kgFnRS_-bAg8LFqezTlBQEl8YNgUuJzdhwjXmzRvSuXaErHhAgkPjtRF0FLR55dZLbySqBrRPJZRpxWZz15uOzanoDozCM/s1600/31794_fred_delaney_bradford_1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 198px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730963605382070482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_p1Bm8jjpDh96MXt18dv-dDFsRVfxdUVpN0cKRANd1-R36kgFnRS_-bAg8LFqezTlBQEl8YNgUuJzdhwjXmzRvSuXaErHhAgkPjtRF0FLR55dZLbySqBrRPJZRpxWZz15uOzanoDozCM/s320/31794_fred_delaney_bradford_1.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Five weeks later Barnett reported that “I have pleasure in announcing that I have selected Leslie Williams (Tonypandy) and Dai Bowen (Treherbert) for the trip to America, and they board the ‘Lusitania’ this Saturday on a year’s tour under the management of Mr Frank W Torreyson of Braddock, Pa., a well known racehorse owner and matchmaker. This gentleman has a finger in nearly every boxing concern of that district, and he is able to run shows throughout the summer, so Leslie and Dai ought to do well. At the recent Nazareth House benefit display Leslie Williams showed great form against Joe Bowker, and I am sure he will make good out there. Bowen should also do well, for he fights in clean fashion, and has several victories to his credit.”<br /><br />The following week Barnett added that “By the time these notes appear Leslie Williams and Dai Bowen will be on their way to America. They originally intended to sail last Saturday, however, it was not only too late to book, but Leslie could not possibly get ready in time, and as I did not want either to sail alone, I booked their passages for Wednesday.” Barnett had not booked them on the ‘Lusitania’ therefore, he had booked the on the “Titanic.” How excited these two lads must have been to have been selected to go at all, to be making a trip to the United States, and to be doing so on board the maiden voyage of the largest liner afloat. Barnett further reported that “Bowen was given a great farewell by Treherbert sports, and was presented with a handsome travelling bag at a smoker held in the local Constitutional Club. Williams and Bowen have promised me that they will make good use of the gym on board, so they ought to be fit to hold their own on the other side. The contract which I drew up has proved satisfactory to both, and I am hoping to hear of their prosperity.”<br /><br />The Nazareth House tournament that Williams had appeared on had occurred on March 5th 1912 at the Park Hall in Cardiff. Nazareth House was a Roman Catholic institution and they organised an annual charity tournament to which they invited famous boxers to spar. Williams had impressed Jim Driscoll by his showing against Joe Bowker, the ex World Champion, and Bowen had also boxed on the promotion against Young Walters of Pontypool. I suspect that it was at this show that Barnett fixed on the two men to make the trip. In the spring of 1912 Leslie Williams and Dai Bowen were undoubtedly boxers of promise. They were some way short, however, of the class of Dyer, Delaney and Morgan, and I wonder what Torreyson would have made of them had they ever arrived in the States and stepped into the ring against some of America’s finest.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzhyiIWI3iGss2J3UkEvhAjwqB4To0EW1VTg2j6t4Mx74HRGN22uos59XiCSe7ROGWLeE3HSHIZrYiq3KWYXYQyuOeWsQ9TtMrfiSfrniQu47JQgSFYb9BjZt8dx6qL1xti5XbBjnH4aV/s1600/82481_dai_bowen_treherbert.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730965948902954306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzhyiIWI3iGss2J3UkEvhAjwqB4To0EW1VTg2j6t4Mx74HRGN22uos59XiCSe7ROGWLeE3HSHIZrYiq3KWYXYQyuOeWsQ9TtMrfiSfrniQu47JQgSFYb9BjZt8dx6qL1xti5XbBjnH4aV/s320/82481_dai_bowen_treherbert.jpg" /></a><br />Even allowing for the poor reporting of professional boxing in Wales at the time, and also for the fact that many contests took place on boxing booths rather than in halls where the press would be in attendance, it is difficult to find many contests for either Williams or Bowen before they set sail and I suspect they were much less experienced than any of the boxers that Torreyson had asked for. Williams had had ten traceable contests and Bowen six. Although both men had graduated to 15 and 20 round class against some decent Welsh featherweights and lightweights, they had not yet met the leading lights from England and Scotland. Bowen was a promising young fighter and Williams, although he had beaten the likes of Ike Bradley (Liverpool) and Young Warner (Marylebone) had recently been knocked out by Will Galley (Wrekeneton) and Arthur Evans (Tirphil), men of high class. Barnett must have either seen something special in both men to propose that they make the trip.<br /><br />Barnett booked the two men onto the ‘Titanic’ after Williams had called upon him to say that he wished to delay the crossing until such time as some suits of clothes he had ordered were ready. Williams told Barnett that such clothes were expensive in America and so Barnett told Williams “Very well, we will go to the shipping agent and see what other boats are going and I will send another cable to say you will not be going by the ‘Lusitania’.” Barnett wrote “We immediately went to the agents office and when Leslie heard that the world’s largest liner was going to make a maiden trip on the following Wednesday he was simply delighted.”<br /><br />Meanwhile in Southampton, where the ‘Titanic’ was due to begin her voyage, a young man was taken on by the White Star Line to be a Stoker/Fireman on the new vessel. Frank Dymond was nn years old at the time and he was also a professional boxer. I have only been able to trace one contest for Frank before 1912 and this took place on October 16th 1909 at the Empire Theatre in Southampton when the young boxer was knocked out in the third round by Jack Keller (London). I suspect that Kellar was a relative of Sam Kellar, a leading London flyweight before the first world war. It is most likely that Dymond took part in many contests in and around the Southampton area at this time but these contests have not yet been traced.<br />The great ship left Southampton on Wednesday April 10th 1912 with Bowen, Williams and Dymond all on board. After stopping in Cherbourg, France and then Queenstown, Ireland the ‘Titanic’ commenced her voyage across the Atlantic. One can imagine Bowen and Williams undergoing rigorous exercise in the gymnasium while Dymond was working at least as hard, many decks below, shovelling coal into the ship’s huge furnace.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt774pEa3CahFqKhEhL8Uqy3qTS_wC21SeNK9JiV1TmMegcN3vAQWbaDyvUAErrzQm_pepRTpCWzKu9N31rrTyaLN76tU_CliKg70fjMjEvD9RoBHtr59n8yTQRD02BwRZeO5hqrvLRA0X/s1600/50503_frank_dymond_southampton.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 192px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730966204473327874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt774pEa3CahFqKhEhL8Uqy3qTS_wC21SeNK9JiV1TmMegcN3vAQWbaDyvUAErrzQm_pepRTpCWzKu9N31rrTyaLN76tU_CliKg70fjMjEvD9RoBHtr59n8yTQRD02BwRZeO5hqrvLRA0X/s320/50503_frank_dymond_southampton.jpg" /></a><br />At 11.40 pm on Saturday, April 14th the vessel hit the iceberg and within 150 minutes she had sank.<br /><br />Dymond had been on his way to start his shift when the accident occurred and he found that the door to the boiler-room was shut and the stairwell flooded. He immediately went up onto the starboard deck where he assembled with other crew members. The lifeboats were being lowered and the call had gone out for women and children to get into them. The last two lifeboats on the starboard side, numbers 13 and 15 were readied and Dymond was instructed to get into Lifeboat 15, the last lifeboat to be lowered from this side of the ship. As he was being lowered Dymond saw that Lifeboat 13, which was still under tension, had drifted back towards the ship, due to the backwash caused by the condenser of the ‘Titanic’ and was now directly below Lifeboat 15. Dymond desperately shouted up to the deck to ask the officer in charge to stop the lowering but was not heard. The crew of Lifeboat 13 managed to cut the ropes and drift away in the nick of time and Dymond then found himself in charge of about seventy survivors. Eventually they were picked up by the ‘Carpathia’ and they docked at pier 54 in New York City on April 18th.<br /><br />Dymond,along with the other 213 surviving crew members were put aboard the ‘Lapland’ on April 20th and they arrived at Plymouth on April 29th. They were all escorted by Board of Trade officials to a secure building where they could be questioned, although they insisted on trade union officials being present before they would answer any questions. On April 30th Dymond was put onto a train for Southampton and he returned to his family.<br /><br />Neither Bowen or Williams were lucky enough to board a lifeboat. Along with the majority of those aboard ship, and the vast majority of men on board, they perished in the freezing waters of the North Atlantic. With a water temperature of 28 degrees it has been estimated that most died within ten minutes of hypothermia or cardiac arrest. There was room for about 500 more people in the lifeboats but only thirteen lucky individuals were plucked from the sea.<br /><br />Writing in ‘Boxing’ on April 27th, Charles Barnett said that “All readers of ‘Boxing’ will, I feel sure, join in the tenderest vote of sympathy with the relatives of the victims of the ‘Titanic’ and especially with Mrs Leslie Williams (Tonypandy) and Mrs Bowen, the aged mother of Dai Bowen (Treherbert). It seems but a moment ago since the two young boxers gripped my hand in farewell from the train which took them to Southampton. What strange fate!”<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1HRqzGLfHQ2HN9u7T9fSGeJqa65Vsjx3zQ7ExOA9J5TU_VPzLMnDi3CD-ai4vuMu41ecK8zFPmXcPvys38MojNG_Qs8uG6PSJz8WT1IE5j20W546ni5-2eyPfkqbXvhOBAPQhE7fluWU/s1600/19120504023.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 289px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730966311697750754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1HRqzGLfHQ2HN9u7T9fSGeJqa65Vsjx3zQ7ExOA9J5TU_VPzLMnDi3CD-ai4vuMu41ecK8zFPmXcPvys38MojNG_Qs8uG6PSJz8WT1IE5j20W546ni5-2eyPfkqbXvhOBAPQhE7fluWU/s320/19120504023.jpg" /></a><br />Barnett must have felt a degree of responsibility towards the families of Bowen and Williams. He had personally selected these men for the American tour, little realising that in acquiescing to Williams’ request to delay their departure, he was sealing the fate of both men. He was not, of course, responsible in any way for their deaths, but the decisions that he made must have been hard to bear. He took an active part in publicising, and arranging, the many benefit tournament that took place in South Wales during May for the dependants of the two deceased and I am sure that Barnett never forgot them.<br /><br />Dymond's son, also called Frank, boxed after the first world war, when he took part in a number of 15 round contests against some excellent flyweights. I suspect old Frank was in his corner, encouraging his son. He never went to sea again, preferring to work on the tugboats that busied themselves in the waters around Southampton harbour.<br /><br /><strong>This article is from issue 6 of <em>The Old-Timer</em> magazine. For more information visit: </strong><a href="http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/oldtimer.html"><strong>http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/oldtimer.html</strong></a>Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-54572863014263133482012-04-02T12:22:00.005+01:002012-04-16T19:39:13.100+01:00'Boxing by the Sea' - The history of professional boxing at Morecambe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzMqlAO33YHs5WPsGcRAAtqgGc6XwY-OHTCCIA5Tte7n1WGaGWlt_rvJ9ZoUoaTzfZD5wsPsYuCBzxzS8XfEQhDmkAG0T4Vo9OyUiTPK6nYEnl7fZMVSTBqVfENg3e-fL8L9mMRMAv8cC/s1600/morecambe+cover.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzMqlAO33YHs5WPsGcRAAtqgGc6XwY-OHTCCIA5Tte7n1WGaGWlt_rvJ9ZoUoaTzfZD5wsPsYuCBzxzS8XfEQhDmkAG0T4Vo9OyUiTPK6nYEnl7fZMVSTBqVfENg3e-fL8L9mMRMAv8cC/s320/morecambe+cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726762610317192994" border="0" /></a>At one time the Winter Gardens at Morecambe, a seaside town in Lancashire, was one of the most important small hall venues in British boxing. Between 1928 to 1964 no fewer than 644 professional boxing promotions were staged there and men of the calibre of Jock McAvoy, Frankie Taylor, Johnny King, Jackie Brown, Frank Johnson and Jimmy Walsh all fought there. <br /><br />Larry Braysher, one of Britain’s leading boxing memorabilia collectors and a local to the area, has recently published a fine book which tells the story of this famous boxing venue. ‘Boxing by the Sea’ is available direct from the author for £10.90 + £2.50 post and packing.<a name='more'></a> <br /><br />The book has many attributes and these include the many excellent items which Larry has selected for reproduction from his collection, particularly some marvellous photographs, programmes and handbills. Larry has also sought out a number of the surviving boxers from Morecambe and Lancaster who fought at the Winter Gardens and, through them, he tells the story of how the venue thrived throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Another strong point is the inclusion of around 20 boxing records for many of the lads from in and around Morecambe who boxed at the Winter Gardens many times. Most of these records have never been published before and they make a useful appendix to the text.<br /><br />The book also tells the story of the visit of future World heavyweight champion Primo Carnera, who boxed an exhibition at Morecambe in 1931, the sad story of the only ring fatality to ever take place at the venue, and has pen pictures of many of the leading ex-boxers who refereed at the hall.<br /><br />I would strongly recommend this book and copies can be ordered direct from:<br /><br />Larry Braysher<br />Cherry Trees<br />10 Cragg Drive<br />Grange over Sands<br />Cumbria<br />LA11 6BL<br /><br />Tel : 01539 535459Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-40111565612413753902012-01-07T19:29:00.057+00:002012-01-08T12:45:02.134+00:00Boxing letters from 1938<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.boxrec.com/wiki/4/4a/Lynch.Benny.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 354px;" src="http://static.boxrec.com/wiki/4/4a/Lynch.Benny.jpg" alt="Benny Lynch" border="0" /></a>Old-time newspapers really are fascinating. In the absence of TV, radio and archival film they provide an unrivalled insight into the lives of our forebears, including those who once inhabited the boxing world.<br /><br />While fight reports and other newspaper editorial must conform to style constraints and, to an extent, the agenda of a publication, letters from readers need not. Often a letter will tell us as much about the personality of the letter writer as it does the topic of the letter. Like it or not, what we write can say more about us than we intend.<br /><br />Aside from that, historical boxing letters can offer a rare insight into fight fans’ opinions of the time (without the distortion of hindsight), shed light on the careers of long-forgotten fighters and tell us about the lost customs of the ring; all with an immediacy that gives one the feeling, if only momentarily, of stepping through time.<br /><br />The below selection of readers’ letters printed in Britain’s trade paper <span style="font-style: italic;">Boxing</span> in 1938 provides a flavour of the fight game of that era.<a name='more'></a><br /><br /><hr /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Printed 27 April 1938</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lynch-Jurich match</span><br /><br />Sir, I fully agree with all that Mr Webster said in last week’s issue of “Boxing” and think that the leading British boys should have the first tilt at Benny Lynch’s title.<br /><br />If readers will cast their memories back a few years they will remember when Seaman Watson went over to the States to meet Kid Chocolate for the world’s featherweight championship.<br /><br />The New York State Athletic Commission made Watson give an exhibition in a gymnasium before granting him a permit to box at all in New York – what is good for the goose is good for the boxer.<br /><br />But, all those things apart, I should like to see Benny Lynch fight Jurich, because one American boxing writer declared recently that Jurich should be rated as the first flyweight in the world, and that he could at any time beat a roomful of Lynchs and Kanes. Personally, I should like to see him do it. I’d much rather him try than I.<br /><br />I would pick Lynch, Kane, Bostock, Whalley and several other boys to win over Jurich. After all, he has done nothing of note except beat Small Montana, a feat that both Benny Lynch and Tiny Bostock accomplished.<br /><br />Hoping that you will publish this letter and not consign it to the w.p.b., and wishing you and the good old paper lots of luck.<br /><br />Yours very sincerely,<br /><br />Billy Farmer<br />Nottingham.<br /><br /><span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Interestingly, Billy Farmer's prediction proved accurate.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Lynch faced Jackie Jurich at Paisley Ice Rink, Scotland on 29 June 1938, and won via a twelfth-round knockout. However, he weighed in a staggering six and a half lbs over the flyweight limit and so forfeited his world title.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">There were just two more fights in the tragic Scotsman's wonderful career - sadly both defeats - and 1938 proved to be Lynch's last year in the ring. The flyweight legend had succumbed to alcoholism and died eight years later, aged 33. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Also in keeping with the letter writer’s forecast, Peter Kane beat Jurich, on 22 September of that same year, when they met at Anfield football ground for the world title vacated by Lynch</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">- Ed.</span><br /><br /><hr /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Printed </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">12 Jan 1938</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Record of an MC</span><br /><br />Sir, Now that I am registered as an MC by the BBB of C under the name of “George” Regan, I would esteem it a favour if you would publish the following record of my achievements as Pat Regan:<br /><br />I enlisted in HM Forces on September 3, 1914, being at the age of 17 years, serving in France, Salonica and right through the Egyptian campaign from Beersheba to Damascus. As a boxer I was undefeated in the British Army, defeating amongst others A. M. Hunt (RAF) twice, Pte. Proudlove, 8st. 6lb. Champion of India, Driver Brown (RFA), Cpl. Little (RFA), drew with Jim Berry (Australia).<br /><br />I was discharged from the Army in March, 1919, carrying on my career as a boxer, having no fewer than 137 professional fights, meeting such men as Johnny Sullivan (Albert Hall), Frankie Brown (NSC), Bill Dixon, Johnny Mills (twice), Cpl. Low, Sgt. Sam Cox (champion of Somerset), also having two fights in one night at The Ring, knocking out my first opponent inside of a round, and winning the other, referee Jim Kendrick.<br /><br />Still while boxing I was acting as MC as well; at The Ring for Dan Sullivan, Plumstead Baths for Fred Nobbs, Lime Grove Baths for Jack Garard (BBB of C), Fulham Baths for Alf Mancini, Manor Place Baths for Ted Broadribb, Ring Gym for Fred Duffett, Winter Gardens, Paddington Baths, and practically all London rings.<br /><br />It was whilst acting as an MC at The Ring that I was engaged as a dance MC on contract, that is the reason why I could not carry on both at the same time, being so heavily engaged as a dancing MC.<br /><br />Yours faithfully,<br /><br />Pat Regan<br />Licensed now for boxing MC<br />George Regan.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Printed </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">20 April 1938</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Jim Clough’s Plaint</span><br /><br />Sir, I was quite interested to read in your issue of March 23 Dick Corbett’s letter about having to go on the dole. I myself am having to stand idle, because of my winning contests. I have sent dozens of letters, but got very few replies.<br /><br />My last two contests were at Morecambe and Manchester, top of the bill. I well won them both, as printed in our “Bible”, but now I am again on the waiting list.<br /><br />I can read of boys I have beaten on more than one occasion boxing quite regularly. Win or lose, they keep on getting contests.<br /><br />My record is one of the best, for of 139 contests I have won 128 of them, and boxed for one promoter on nearly 40 occasions. Some of those I have beaten are: Evan Morris, Fred Wilcox (2), Alec Alston (2), Tiger Ison, Johnny Truesdale, Tony Butcher, Billy Vincent, Stan Hughes, etc.<br /><br />I am now a 9st. 9lb. boy and would like to box the NSC boy, Danahar, and bet him £10 on the result, or pay for Dick Corbett a supper.<br /><br />Hoping you will give this a little space in our weekly.<br /><br />Yours sincerely,<br /><br />Jim Clough<br />Newton-le-Willows, Lancs.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Former British bantamweight champion Dick Corbett had written to the Editor:</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /><br />Having recently defeated John Cusick and Benny Caplan, both at 9 st. 4lb. and Frankie Hill at 9 st. 11lb., though I am barely a featherweight, I cannot get Johnny McGrory, Freddie Miller or other leading featherweights to meet me.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Under the circumstances I now throw out a challenge to Jimmy Walsh, Dave Crowley, Harry Mizler, or any other leading lightweight in Great Britain, in the hope that one of these will come along and give me a contest. Failing their so doing I will either have to challenge heavyweights or go on the dole. </span><br /><br /><hr /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Printed </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">30 March 1938</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Open letter to Ted Barter</span><br /><br />Dear Barter, I desire to address you purely as a consistent follower of the great game of boxing; in fact, as just one of the masses who flock to see you and others like yourself give of their best in the roped square for our entertainment.<br /><br />Actually, you do not know me, but I have seen many of your previous fights, and although but a middleweight, I have known you to meet and beat many of the beef trust. Well done!<br /><br />More recently you met Billy Bird at the Club; you were beaten – decisively. But what of it?<br /><br />I am convinced that Bird will always beat you, and to meet him ever again will serve no purpose.<br /><br />Strangely enough, however, I am also convinced that you will come to beat men who can easily beat Bird! Why? Because Bird is your jinx-man, just as Bird and many another fighter has a jinx-man!<br /><br />So do not be discouraged, and let me say that if you fight half as well as you did in beating Toohig at Mitcham last Monday – after the Bird affair – in all your future battles, you must go a long way upon the somewhat hard road to a championship. Carry on, Barter!<br /><br />Sydney Ward<br />North Cheam.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Printed </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">20 April 1938</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Billy Blyth’s reply</span><br /><br />Sir, I read in our paper recently that one of your readers had made an inquiry regarding myself.<br /><br />I regret to inform anyone that might be interested that I have been resting since October last due to bad hands, and was to have made a reappearance this week at Mitcham Baths, but as luck would have it my hand cracked up during training, so I have been advised to lay off for a further six months.<br /><br />So that I will not lose contact with the grand game I have opened a boxing club in Walthamstow, where I am bringing along some promising boys. During the summer we arrange hiking, swimming and other outdoor pastimes. I would consider it a great favour if you would make this known a bit for me. By the way, you may be interested to know that before I took up boxing I was a former dance band leader and dancing MC. I found this too tame, so I embarked upon a fistic career.<br /><br />I hope to be back in the ring very soon again to start where I left off. I should also like to thank your reader for his kind enquiry.<br /><br />Yours in sport,<br /><br />Billy Blyth<br />Walthamstow E17.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Printed </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">12 Jan 1938</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Excusing Benny Caplan</span><br /><br />Sir, As a close friend and incidentally his hairdresser, I must take up the cudgels on behalf of Benny Caplan. The majority of newspaper writers were unanimous that the display given by Caplan was not his true form.<br /><br />My own impression, which was confirmed by B.C. was that he had not really recovered from his attack of fish poisoning. He sustained this illness in October and was laid up for two months.<br /><br />I have seen Benny in pretty well every one of his London fights, and sincerely hope that the display given the other night will be forgotten by his supporters.<br /><br />Hoping you will give me this opportunity to make excuses for B. Caplan.<br /><br />Yours very truly,<br /><br />Alf Gilbert<br />London, E1.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Printed </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">27 April 1938</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sammy Shaw has it</span><br /><br />Sir, I want to bring to your notice a boy whom you have seen in action at some of the bigger boxing shows in London, a boy who has caused a furore, by his wonderful non-stop fighting abilities, viz., Sammy Shaw, of Hull, aged 18, weight 8.10, and still growing.<br /><br />In 1934 Sammy Shaw won the Jockeys’ and Stable Boys’ Championship at 6 stone. He did the same in 1935, at 6.7; in 1936, he continued by winning the same championship at 7 stone, and again in 1937 at 7.7.<br /><br />He grew too heavy to ride, but continued his boxing as a professional, beating some of the best youngsters at his weight in 1937, including Harry (Kid) Silver (twice), being the only boy to do this, Jud Hill, Tommy Kid Scott, Young Priestley, Boy Pearson, Hebbleston (of Sheffield), B. Lewis (of Swansea), Young Drummer (of Liverpool), Young noble (of Leeds), and quite a few others.<br /><br />Sammy Shaw is in the dairy business in Hull, where he has been put by his dad, and all his earnings are invested in this project.<br /><br />Sammy Shaw is what the public have been clamouring for. He has personality, speed, and punch!<br /><br />He thrilled them at the Stadium Club, London, on the Jockeys’ boxing show, thrilled them at the Harringay Arena, when he defeated Harry (Kid) Silver; also at the National Sporting Club show at Earl’s Court.<br /><br />Every time Sammy Shaw enters the ring the fans know that they are going to see action, with a capital A, for he gives all he has got, and never fails to please.<br /><br />Sammy Shaw weighs in the region of 8.10, and will not be asked to make any other than his natural weight, for within a very short time this ex-jockey will be among the idols of the fans.<br /><br />Yours sincerely,<br /><br />Johnny Sharpe<br />London, E1.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Printed </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">11 May 1938</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reply to A. Smith</span><br /><br />Sir, In last week’s issue of “Boxing” Mr A. Smith, of Wellingborough, wonders if some of the writers have ever seen Jock McAvoy in action or realise just how good he is, and then goes on to say that Jock would beat any two middleweights, with the exception of Roderick and Hyams, on the same night.<br /><br />Might I ask Mr Smith whether he has ever seen Ginger Sadd, the Norwich middleweight, in action or in person. He has not a mark on him, and must be really clever to keep that head of his moving all the time. Ginger has fought the best in the country. He would give Jack Hyams the fight of his life, if not beat him, at 11st. 6lb.<br /><br />Perhaps Mr Smith remembers the last lad who hailed from Norwich to face Jock McAvoy. When the match was made they said he hadn’t a dog’s chance. I am referring to gallant and plucky old Jack Forster, of Norwich; when he took McAvoy all the way to a points decision on Jock’s own ground; and “Mac” was mighty good then.<br /><br />I have never had the good fortune of seeing McAvoy in action, so I don’t know how good he really is. But a lad who can run John Henry Lewis to a points decision over 15 rounds in America, well, ’nuf said!<br /><br />Give Ginger Sadd and George Davis their due. Here are two good boys, and they should battle it out for the right to meet the champion. They would, I am sure, fight as they have never done before to bring honour to their respective towns.<br /><br />Wishing you and the old “Bible” every success.<br /><br />Yours in sport,<br /><br />E. Dix<br />Great Yarmouth.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">As per E. Dix's suggestion, Ginger Sadd and <a href="http://blog.boxinghistory.org.uk/2011/10/george-davis-notting-hill-hardman-who.html">George Davis</a> met later that month (30 May 1938) with Sadd finishing a points winner.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Sadd duly got a shot at Jock McAvoy's British middleweight crown a year later but lost on points. The venue: King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester. The date: 22 May 1939<br /><br />Additionally, in December 1938 Sadd fought Jack Hyams at Harringay Arena and, as Mr Dix had forecast, won the fight (on points) - Ed. </span><br /><br /><hr /><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);" class="" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link"><img src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" alt="Link" class="gl_link" border="0" /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Printed </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">15 June 1938</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Lincoln Gym</span><br /><br />Sir, While reading through this week’s “Boxing” I came across the paragraph where a Lincoln gentleman was asking about a gymnasium round about Lincoln. You answered that you did not know of one.<br /><br />I have the best equipped gym round these parts in Nottingham, where I train Frank Bonser, Jack Robinson, Frank Parkes, etc. George Marsden also trains with me when he is not away fighting and working in Woods’s boxing booth. I am licensed under the BBB of C, and would feel it a great honour if you mentioned these facts in “Boxing”.<br /><br />With sincere wishes for the continued success of your paper, which all my boys buy and read.<br /><br />I used to box in London round about 1914 and 1915 in the name of Young Ticehurst, of Chelsea. I trained under Mr Jimmy Lambert at Lambeth, and used to spar with Alec Lambert and Alf Mansfield. I also fought Joe Bloomfield at the old NSC, and Johnny Curly, of Lambeth, at Mr Lambert’s Church Street shows off the Edgware Road – I remain,<br /><br />yours truly,<br /><br />Bert Fletcher<br />(Late of Marylebone).<br /><br /><hr /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Printed </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">15 June 1938</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Scotch and Irish</span><br /><br />Sir, Re the article, “Jim Warnock’s Return To Ring”, written by “Timekeeper”, a correspondent of “Ireland’s Saturday Night”. He writes that Fred Tennant has been knocked out by Snowball Frame in three rounds. I don’t know if Frame sent in a part of his record to “Timekeeper” or not, therefore I cannot blame him for the above.<br /><br />I boxed Frame on four occasions, drawing three times, and the last time we met I<span style="font-style: italic;"> stopped him</span> in seven rounds; also please mention the fact that I have never been knocked out by <span style="font-style: italic;">anybody</span> since I started boxing 10 years ago, and have participated in over 500 contests in all parts of Britain. I know I was no champion, but I don’t like people to ask me, “When did Snowball Frame knock you out?” I am very “touchy” that way.<br /><br />I trust I am in order writing to you, dear Editor, so with all due respect to “Ireland’s Saturday Night”, this letter, if printed, is of more value to me in your paper.<br /><br />Yours in anticipation,<br /><br />Freddy Tennant (a regular reader)<br />Dundee.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Printed 1 June 1938</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Re Hal Bagwell</span><br /><br />Sir, To win 71 fights and draw 10 and not lose a single one is a record any boxer could be proud of, but Hal Bagwell, Gloucester’s popular bantamweight, not only holds this record but has achieved it before reaching the age of 20.<br /><br />I am delighted to know that Bagwell’s manager, Billy Wagner, is now prepared to receive offers of a fight to take place in Gloucester with any bantams, with sidestakes of £50. It was announced from the ring at our local open-air tournament last week that this is being advertised in “Boxing” and I can assure any interested manager or boxer that whoever meets our local boy will receive a good, clean open fight.<br /><br />I have no interest in the fight except that of a local enthusiast, who follows Bagwell’s progress with admiration.<br /><br />Yours faithfully,<br /><br />J.C. Pritchard,<br />Gloucester.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">***<br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Printed </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">15 June 1938</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Re Hal Bagwell</span><br /><br />Sir, Having noted Mr Pritchard’s remarks concerning Hal Bagwell, of Gloucester, I would like to correct these, and add a few more facts.<br /><br />Bagwell, at 19 years of age, has, apart from booth fights, had fewer than 30 contests, of which he has drawn four and won the rest.<br /><br />Nevertheless, he is, according to Mr Fred Tekell (who is well known to “Boxing”), the cleverest lad produced in Gloucester since Jack Ward and Sapper O’Neil, and I think he is destined to go a long way in the boxing world.<br /><br />He is being trained by Billy Wagner (ex-middleweight champion of the West) and has his next contest on Friday, when Capt. Prince-Cox stages his first show in Gloucester. Bagwell’s opponent will be Jimmy Regan, of Bulford, who has been boxing as “The Dixie Kid”.<br /><br />Maybe readers of “Boxing” will wonder why they have not heard of Bagwell before. Here are the reasons: Of Bagwell’s 30 contests, the majority have been staged by me in Cirencester, where I have been promoting for the past two years.<br /><br />As my shows were unlicensed, the results were never sent to “Boxing” for obvious reasons.<br /><br />However, owing to interference by the BBB of C I have decided to give up promoting myself and am now assisting a licensed promoter.<br /><br />Wishing your paper, which I have been a reader of for six years, every success.<br /><br />I remain, yours faithfully,<br /><br />Fred Cole<br />Tetbury, Glos.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">***<br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Printed 29 June 1938</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Re Hal Bagwell</span><br /><br />Sir, I note Mr Fred Coles reply to my letter, correcting my figure of Bagwell’s wins.<br /><br />I only quote the figure given by promoter Dave Derfield in the programme of May 16, when Bagwell fought and beat George Bick (Blaenavon). He gives: Fought 80, won 70, drawn 10. However, as Mr Coles points out, a number of these have been fought in the booths, and I quite agree. I would add though, that Bagwell has fought quite a number of real “scraps” in the booth, which I have seen. A recent one in friend Gage’s booth at Stroud, had the crowd on their toes, and it was a crowd.<br /><br />Since this, our Gloucester bantam has now fought the “Dixie Kid”, and won in fine style, and I, like many more, predict a great future for him.<br /><br />Captain A. Prince-Cox, our Gloucester promoter, hopes to match him with Kirby very shortly. I also hope to see hime figure in a Hereford tournament when winter shows come round again.<br /><br />We Gloucester folk greatly appreciated the opportunity of seeing Tommy Farr in action at our recent show. He seems to have been very popular, and had a good reception. Droog, the Dutch champion, rather disappointed us, being quickly disposed of by Darkie Ellis.<br /><br />Dick Corbett and Young Beckett fought a very interesting, if not a whirlwind, fight. Have these two ever met before?<br /><br />Yours faithfully,<br /><br />J.C. Pritchard,<br />Gloucester.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Hal Bagwell would go on to amass one of the longest unbeaten runs in boxing history, and for years was included in 'The Guiness Book of Records'.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">'The Ring Record Book' claimed Bagwell held a 180-fight winning streak, but quite how this figure was reached is unclear.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">According to the available fight data for Bagwell, he remained unbeaten for 60 successive pro fights - or 10 years and three months - from August 1938 until November 1948.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">A tremendous feat all the same! - Ed.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>boxinghistory.org.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625278425271173352noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-24145298569154381122011-12-29T16:46:00.018+00:002012-01-02T12:00:52.927+00:00Our new website - boxinghistory.org.uk<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3Q9QtY48dIc9Ss3C7sddNhK9UeI9qhLKPTmynU1iiPh5eVBjMvFiORt31Q6N4aPrJdPqQHrooHJAPYhEgROWG931KDXwLahQAX-ltWxBNwc6UcieKwJKn67577qU_-40a19Oj20SKjAd/s1600/peter+kane+v+unknown1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3Q9QtY48dIc9Ss3C7sddNhK9UeI9qhLKPTmynU1iiPh5eVBjMvFiORt31Q6N4aPrJdPqQHrooHJAPYhEgROWG931KDXwLahQAX-ltWxBNwc6UcieKwJKn67577qU_-40a19Oj20SKjAd/s320/peter+kane+v+unknown1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691592863276233154" border="0" /></a>Although our website <a href="http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/" target="_blank">boxinghistory.org.uk</a> has not been formally launched, web pages are being constructed and plenty of information is already available to anyone interested in the history of boxing in Britain.<br /><br />The site will tell the story of the development of professional boxing in Britain up to the year 1979 and will include a vast range of information, such as:<br /><br />• The complete records, including photos and biographies, of every British Champion between 1909 and 1979.<a name='more'></a><br /><br />• The complete records of the top 2,000 British boxers of the 20th century.<br /><br />• A list of every British boxer active between 1900 and 1979 who had three or more professional contests.<br /><br />• The complete results for every ABA Championship held between 1950 and 1979.<br /><br />• The complete results for every Army, Navy, RAF and Combined Services Championship held between 1892 and 1979.<br /><br />• An overview of the history of boxing in around 200 towns and cities across Britain.<br /><br />• Rankings of the top 10 fighters in Britain, at all weights, between 1909 and 1979.<br /><br />• The complete results for every area title bout and every area eliminating contest in Britain between 1929 and 1979.<br /><br />• A set of results for those unofficial area and county championship bouts that occurred between 1900 and 1929.<br /><br />• A detailed historical overview of the top boxing stadiums in Britain between 1900 and 1979.<br /><br />• A range of additional articles which will tell the story of, amongst many other things, booth boxing, pitmen’s boxing, the leading managers, trainers and promoters, ethnicity in British boxing and the development of the rules and regulations that control the sport.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">British champions' records</span><br /><br />Records of five pre-war British champions (Ronnie James, Fred Webster, Gunner Moir, Charlie Hardcastle and Hamilton Johnny Brown) are already <a href="http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/britishchampions.html" target="_blank">available on the site</a>. We aim to add a new record to the site each Monday, until they have all been published for the period 1909-48. These records draw on the very many previously unpublished contests that Richard Ireland and Miles have uncovered during the last 10 years and will be the most comprehensive and accurate records for these boxers ever published.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">British rankings</span><br /><br />In conjunction with John Mudie we are working on the rankings for British fighters during the period 1909-47. These have never been produced before and once amalgamated with the ratings produced by <span style="font-style: italic;">Boxing News</span> between 1948 and 1979 they will be a comprehensive record of the leading British men at all weights for a seventy year period. The flyweight rankings for this period are <a href="http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/flyweightrankings.html" target="_blank">available now</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ABA contests</span><br /><br />We have produced very detailed lists of the ABA contests at all weights for <a href="http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/amateur/1972-aba-championships.pdf" target="_blank">1972</a> and <a href="http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/amateur/1978-aba-championships.pdf" target="_blank">1978</a>. These include all of the regional and zonal qualifiers and tell the story of how the champions managed to fight their way through the many preliminary events that led to the finals. During 2012 we intend to publish a complete set of results for the period 1960-79.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Army and Navy Championships</span><br /><br />We have also published complete results for the Army and Navy Championships of 1907, 1911 and 1914. During this period many army and navy personnel, as well as being servicemen, were also leading professional boxers and quite a number of them became British champions. These results from 100 or so years ago contain the names of many interesting boxers and will pave the way for a complete record of military boxing during the 20th century.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Area title fights</span><br /><br />The complete set of results for every area title bout and every area eliminating contest in Britain between 1929 and 1979 is now <a href="http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/areachampions.html" target="_blank">available on the site</a>.<br /><br />We have started the process of analysing the history of boxing in Britain’s provincial towns and cities and there is an article available on the development of the sport in <a href="http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/middlesbrough.html" target="_blank">Middlesbrough</a>. During the next year we will produce similar articles for other locations, including Bolton, Norwich, Bristol, Dundee, Merthyr and Derry.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Comprehensive pro boxer lists</span><br /><br />There are details on the site showing <a href="http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/alist.html" target="_blank">all active professionals</a> between 1905 and 1974 who had three or more bouts and during the next 12 months this list will be supplemented with additional material for 1900-4 and 1975-9.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Britain's best 2,000</span><br /><br />We will also be working on a very significant development over the next few months. We aim to try to establish just who were Britain’s best 2,000 boxers during the twentieth century and to produce and publish complete career records for each one of them, along with a mini biography. This is a big task but things will start to happen soon.<br /><br />Check this blog, our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/British-Boxing-History/126816377352749" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/UKBoxingHistory" target="_blank">Twitter account</a> to read about this and other exciting developments as they happen.<br /><br />Also, keep an eye on our <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/69173777@N07/" target="_blank">Flickr account</a>, which will contain a large number of boxer and fight images, many of which have never before appeared online.Miles Templetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00409530243648312989noreply@blogger.com191tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979184753635042735.post-78499581615793154822011-12-19T19:58:00.015+00:002013-09-01T13:46:03.007+01:00Nights at Rochester Casino<span style="font-weight: bold;">By Bill Pullum</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />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 2005.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTrHaE08rxxfzs5guExuNin8BZHGrVN0_YvNxKcoDCciYZOa_8gE1fyG4b8aK7cM-P76E7rtzpOcYiOz_QyTa3zpGNVWwtLaLIVES2F37zDJWdggl8HIL3FFynPP3_1a7R7i9stSG57_l/s1600/rochester-casino.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Rochester Casino" border="0" id="Rochester Casino" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTrHaE08rxxfzs5guExuNin8BZHGrVN0_YvNxKcoDCciYZOa_8gE1fyG4b8aK7cM-P76E7rtzpOcYiOz_QyTa3zpGNVWwtLaLIVES2F37zDJWdggl8HIL3FFynPP3_1a7R7i9stSG57_l/s320/rochester-casino.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 250px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 224px;" /></a>The mists of time spread a haze in the old memory department but I will tell of the things that I do recall and the events that brought me, in a roundabout way, to the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rochester Casino</span>.<br />
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Turning pro in 1930 and barely reaching the flyweight limit, I was taken to the Blackfriars Ring by Matt Wells who thought I had high potentiality and wanted to manage me. I remember being appraised and questioned by Dan Sullivan the general-manager and matchmaker at The Ring who, in my youthful eyes, was a formidable gentleman who had a game leg and leaned on a stick. Matt, carried away by his enthusiasm, wanted me matched with Young Dusty of Newcastle over ten by two minute rounds. Turning to me, Sullivan said: "Lad, you're doing the fighting. What do you feel about it?" I replied, "Mr Sullivan, I would like to start right at the bottom and learn all about the game." "He's got more sense than you, Matt," said Sullivan and straightaway booked me for a six-rounder. Dear old Matt was very miffed with me but that experienced and tough Northern boy would have murdered me in my debut bout.<br />
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I did quite well in those early minor bouts but I was continually matched with heavier opponents. I was light in the legs but big in the chest and shoulders, so I looked heavier than I was. In those days, weight hardly seemed to matter for supporting bouts. The main concern of the matchmaker was if the opponents looked about the same size and if they would make a good fight. I was continually outweighed by my opposite numbers. This annoyed my father, W. A. Pullum. "If you can't get fair weight contests," he said, "I will have to promote some shows of my own to see that you do!" To say was to do. A most determined man was my father. He fought tuberculosis as a youth and beat it. He went on to become, as an adult, undefeated world champion in his chosen sport of weightlifting.<br />
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At that time, Rochester Casino was advertised as being available for boxing and my father called the man in charge, a Mr Forsythe. After negotiating terms, Dad hired the hall for weekly shows and "Pullum Promotions" was born.<br />
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I boxed at the Casino but willy nilly became more involved with the promotional side of the business. Late every Monday afternoon we would leave in my father's car with a London contingent of boxers and speed to Rochester to meet the local fighters. Over the season, I think my father broke even. He put on some really good shows but the magic of having big names, which brings bumper attendances, was usually absent.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTxaNiA08MgADSD_GpzpOByDGK7708yzjzKVjStqHcC12Dwjc60SrCWxU02X8ck_c8lp93pz0wkK4lNuf-kC0Yoif4CT4v_b92Aa2-EgOZfDUWVjeVDrj0QqT1JW7gN5ywVgexJS6opKt/s1600/jimmy-turner-chatham-at-rochester-casino.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Jimmy Turner (Chatham) at Rochester Casino" border="0" id="Jimmy Turner (Chatham) at Rochester Casino" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTxaNiA08MgADSD_GpzpOByDGK7708yzjzKVjStqHcC12Dwjc60SrCWxU02X8ck_c8lp93pz0wkK4lNuf-kC0Yoif4CT4v_b92Aa2-EgOZfDUWVjeVDrj0QqT1JW7gN5ywVgexJS6opKt/s400/jimmy-turner-chatham-at-rochester-casino.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 267px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;" /></a>The one local man who could fill the hall during our tenure was a clever bantamweight from Chatham, Jimmy Turner. This talented ring-general was backed by a local bookmaker, George Galletly from Strood. George, a wonderful character, was a real tough'un and had in the past lived on the other side of the law.<br />
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He was now a legitimate business and family man. He was a red-hot boxing enthusiast and proved to be a real friend to us, not only while "Pullum Promotions" operated at the Casino but for years afterwards. In his younger days he'd done a lot of boxing – some of it with bare knuckles.<br />
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Just before our time at the Casino, three murderous criminal characters arrived from George's old domicile of West London with the intention of pursuing an old vendetta. By making threats to George's wife and children they couldn't have done an unwiser thing. They all ended up in hospital and barely lived to tell the tale. George took over as promoter when we closed our business at the Casino. That would be around 1931. He was, a remarkable man – true to his friends and bad news indeed to his enemies.<br />
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Some names I recall from my days at the Casino are Ted Mason, who later fought some terrific scraps for me when I Promoted in London, Gravesend's Alf "Tiger" Newbiggin, Bert "Kid" Freeman, Goff Williams and Billy Webb (known as 'the King of the Casino – he fought dozens of times for the Pullums – Ed). Then there were Goff Williams, Jack Vinal, the Rubery brothers Joe and Fred, Dick Caulfield, Buller Ford and the four Swinbourne boys. Some years after the war, one of the Swinbournes – I can't place which one – used to stand with the news-seller at Camberwell Green and nearly opposite our offices in Church Street. I used to speak to him on the way to the postbox but he seldom answered, so I don't know if I had unintentionally offended him in the past.<br />
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Some years ago, when I was attending a Croydon EBA meeting, a smiling gentleman introduced himself as Teddy Bryant and reminded me that he'd twice appeared on the same bill as I had. He kindly handed me a batch of newspaper cuttings about boxing at the Rochester venue. For the life of me I couldn't remember him that far back but here he was bringing my forgotten past up to the present. The ensuing conversation with this good-natured and smiling gentleman left me with a warm glow.<br />
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Obviously, in promoting at the Casino we met many fine naval fighters. Some boxed for us down in Kent and when "Pullum Promotions" opened in London at the Ilford Skating Rink, we featured Seaman Wakeling, Seaman Harvey, Seaman Reed, Stoker Morell and Seaman Christie on our bills. Many other naval scrappers came to us from the Medway towns. We also continued to use many Kent boxers on our ever-expanding promotions. I remember a busy gentleman named Darkie Feint. We used to book some of the local fighters whom he trained.<br />
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One Casino night I remember above all others was in January 1931. My father had managed to book the great Seaman Tommy Watson to top the bill over fifteen rounds against Jim Travis of Oldham, who was the featherweight champion of Nothern England and a game fighter. A packed house saw the ex-Seaman stop his man in the eighth round. Watson, who was boxing on a guarantee plus a percentage of the gate, came to the box-office with his representative to draw his money. Tommy was a very dour person. He placed all his "tellers'” figures on the table and demanded a certain figure of payment based on the gate percentage. My father said: "Tommy, our figures do not agree with yours." "Those are the figures of my men on the gate and that is the amount I want and I'll not leave until I get it!" responded Tommy belligerently. "All right, if you insist," said Dad with a smile, "but we make it roughly five pounds more than you do."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYVHgO7SSNkx07FYcVcaZWa_cJMrnGiHOBk3zUdEyyHcuCLB8C6VLgFb6YHw8yvC6ypnBSw9z4EXibfzMGbbMlPYbIII026cgELi2uyPQGMBeSxXakY8_bfd7ODsUTQB8V0AJaoBENmfG/s1600/ex-boxers-outside-rochester-casino.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="Ex-boxers outside Rochester Casino" border="0" id="Ex-boxers outside Rochester Casino" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYVHgO7SSNkx07FYcVcaZWa_cJMrnGiHOBk3zUdEyyHcuCLB8C6VLgFb6YHw8yvC6ypnBSw9z4EXibfzMGbbMlPYbIII026cgELi2uyPQGMBeSxXakY8_bfd7ODsUTQB8V0AJaoBENmfG/s400/ex-boxers-outside-rochester-casino.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 248px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;" /></a>Poor Tommy didn't know where to put his face but he left with the money that was due to him. On the same night, Pat Bransfield of Dublin narrowly beat Seaman Reed of Chatham after ten fiercely contested rounds. In the six-rounders, Gillingham's Fred Rubery beat Chatham's Seaman Dare, Goff Williams of Chatham had to go all out to beat Archie Best of Rochester, Fred Swinbourne of Maidsone drew with Bill Berry of Gillingham and Rochester's Ted Thorn beat' the Scot, Kid Carracher. To complete this great night of boxing, my father, then aged 44, and two of his pupils in Jim Hale and Harry Knight, gave a weightlifting demonstration.<br />
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We opened promotions at Ilford Skating Rink soon after that and later I took over the promoter's banner at Oxford but it was at Rochester Casino that my promoting career started and these fond memories of those kind people remain with me.boxinghistory.org.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625278425271173352noreply@blogger.com255