tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87448038646909857192024-02-08T04:41:05.583+11:00The Old Tin Shed - Sydney StadiumThe story of the old Sydney Stadium. A story of people, a story of an eraMike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-26270937770519287172013-02-02T19:35:00.000+11:002013-02-02T19:35:18.029+11:00How it Began - Hugh D. McIntosh and the Chinese Market Garden<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgGcgSc1DNiYSBeZnu0hm7WiGI5WqmSElhciD2MvR-AEMKp3JpAew5K1dGClnN7q5c8ZFfhLWpYuzvRTOxg6tuKfgJxLCVlZ2YLnH8vuFR4FH3sUWTzu9w0LRLU7Mago3DEpnmmhqtBgfUBCS/s1600/hugh+d+mcintosh+mike+hitchen+online.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="sydney stadium by mike hitchen" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513701765901415042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgGcgSc1DNiYSBeZnu0hm7WiGI5WqmSElhciD2MvR-AEMKp3JpAew5K1dGClnN7q5c8ZFfhLWpYuzvRTOxg6tuKfgJxLCVlZ2YLnH8vuFR4FH3sUWTzu9w0LRLU7Mago3DEpnmmhqtBgfUBCS/s200/hugh+d+mcintosh+mike+hitchen+online.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 168px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 112px;" /></a>December 26, 1908. It was time for the start of the long awaited world heavyweight championship fight between the holder, Tommy Burns, and Jack Johnson. Johnson, however, was flatly refusing to go into the ring unless he received more money. Grabbing a revolver, promoter Hugh D. McIntosh, burst into his dressing room.<br />
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“If you’re not in the ring in two minutes,” he snarled, “I’ll blow your brains all over the floor.” Johnson rose with alacrity, his gold teeth flashing as he grinned, “Massa Mac, Ah’m on mah way.” It would have taken a shrewder man than Johnson to get the better of Hugh D. McIntosh.<br />
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Hard as nails and cunning as a fox, the bull knecked Hugh D. McIntosh, was an entrepreneurial genius. His father, a local police sergeant, was unimpressed when at the age of ten, young Hugh told him that he was going to make his fortune, and that he didn’t care how he did it. It was a philosophy that stayed with him as he made and lost several fortunes over four decades of wheeling and dealing.<br />
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A millionaire by his early thirties, “Huge Deal,” as he was aptly known, had a diverse career. Starting with a basket of pies, he became a successful restaurateur, newspaper proprietor, theatre magnate and politician. He was responsible for pulling cycling out of the mud, attracting crowds of upto fifty thousand - and always a man of style - was the first to introduce china cups to the top of Mount Kosciusko.<br />
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It was McIntosh’s vision and flair, that made Sydney Stadium possible. With the artfulness that was the hallmark of his career, he succeeded where the world’s top promoters had failed. He enticed Tommy Burns to put his world heavyweight title on the line against the gigantic Negro, Jack Johnson.<br />
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Johnson stepped into the ring and into the history books, as the first colored heavyweight champion of the world. With the world’s press, and writers such as Jack London and Damon Runyan, covering what was as much a battle of the races, as a title fight, Sydney and the open air stadium at Rushcutters Bay, became famous the world over.<br />
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McIntosh promoted some of the greatest fights ever seen in Australia. Fights, which during Australia’s Federal infancy, put the fledgling commonwealth on the sporting map of the globe. The world’s top fighters flocked to Australia, and Sydney Stadium became a Mecca for the pride of the American and European rings.<br />
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Hugh Donald McIntosh was born in 1876 in a tiny house at the bottom of Sydney’s Macquarie Street. After revealing his ambition to his father, and discovering that they did not see eye to eye on business matters, McIntosh left home. As many people would later discover, McIntosh was not one to let anybody stand in his way.<br />
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He became an assistant to a travelling tinker and for two years they wandered throughout NSW. Eventually McIntosh deserted him in Broken Hill, taking a more profitable job picking silver ore.<br />
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However, the back breaking work was not to his liking. He decided that it was better to work with his brain, than with his back. He drifted to Melbourne, where for a while he played the hind legs of a mule in pantomime. Returning to Sydney at the beginning of the booming 1890s, he became a bread carter. It was to be the last time he would work for someone else.<br />
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McIntosh set up in business as a pieman. He started with virtually nothing except a basket and six dozen pies bought on credit from a Redfern factory. Within a few months, he had an army of white coated vendors thronging Sydney’s racecourses, beaches and parks - “coining,” money for him.<br />
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No opening was ignored. He even sent his piemen knocking on the doors of the illicit two-up schools, betting clubs and houses of ill repute, that dotted Surrey Hills, Darlinghurst and Wooloomooloo. With the profits, McIntosh set up his own factory at North Sydney. From there it was an easy graduation to ownership of a chain of plush, ornate restaurants.<br />
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Always on the lookout for money making opportunities, McIntosh set his sights on cycle racing, which was then the most popular sport of the day. With his flair for showmanship and the ability if necessary to control trouble making cyclists with a spanner, McIntosh had no difficulty in making himself the king-pin cycling promoter. When the cycling boom ended, Hugh D. sought out other lucrative ventures.<br />
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I<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwcypDKYnMfYHHYlrOMdoQQvHK0NMXIgqVHc9H9zRtfzS5gwzZT7fGRD_YN3f-HKdFqZhNsDWhcEE_4kJGb1b5ahToNH4QUJjbptM19DK44cFfosE-iugMHAWBjxkxHVDHUg_Di02Q-KjQ6a_g/s1600/sydney+stadium+mike+hitchen+online.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513791403266622850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwcypDKYnMfYHHYlrOMdoQQvHK0NMXIgqVHc9H9zRtfzS5gwzZT7fGRD_YN3f-HKdFqZhNsDWhcEE_4kJGb1b5ahToNH4QUJjbptM19DK44cFfosE-iugMHAWBjxkxHVDHUg_Di02Q-KjQ6a_g/s200/sydney+stadium+mike+hitchen+online.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 140px;" /></a>n 1908, the Prime Minister, Mr. Alfred Deakin, orchestrated a goodwill visit of 16 warships of the US Navy. It was the impending arrival of The 'Great White Fleet', that planted in McIntosh’s mind, the seed that would grow into Sydney Stadium.<br />
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He had for some time thought of bringing world heavyweight champion Tommy Burns to Australia. McIntosh believed that the 12,000 American sailors would pay good money to see a world title fight. Forming a company called the Scientific Boxing and Self Defense Ltd., McIntosh cabled Burns an offer of £4000, to defend his title against the slogging Australian miner, Bill Squires.<br />
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With the contest arranged, Hugh D. now had to find somewhere to stage it. He initially chose the Exhibition Building, which was situated in Prince Alfred Park, near the Railway Station. However, when he went to view it, McIntosh found barriers erected. and a large man, making unmistakable signs with his huge fingers. McIntosh decided to seek out an alternative venue.<br />
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He wandered down to Rushcutters Bay in an old shabby suit selected for the occasion, and gazed over a waste where once a Chinese market garden had bloomed. While he looked and nosed around, the owner approached him and asked McIntosh what he wanted.<br />
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McIntosh looked sadly at the site of the garden. He told him he was looking for a place to put up a nice two man show with a view to making a bob or two during Fleet Week. After some negotiation, McIntosh agreed to rent the land. The rent was £2 per week for two years, with the right to renewal for the same term at £4 per week!<br />
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A few days later the owner was astounded to see vast piles of building material being dumped on the land. When he made inquiries he was taken to the man he had met in patched pants, but who was now resplendent in an expensive suit. “Huge Deal” handed him a cigar and said, “It’s for my two man show - the Burns - Squires fight.”<br />
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At a cost of £2000, McIntosh quickly erected a huge unroofed timber stadium, that was destined to become, “The Old Tin Shed.”<br />
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The fight was a huge success, but not because of the American Sailors. They stayed away in thousands. It is said that only two sailors were present and both were drunk, staggering down to the ring, offering to fight anybody for two dollars. Twenty thousand Sydneysiders, however, paid the unprecedented gate of £13,600 to see Burns win easily.<br />
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The success of that fight spurred him to renew his lease and stage the biggest boxing match in Australian history.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepBQtd4DJaPBth_sEfWKOVKVISPZO8G60I1xb07AVwOpcRZEZ5mVa2hgzELKPPwNkLvJHcizIcm_XUL0z3G66H0ciksW21LsRy_jVMQbZveg_dNG06GbSPkyBFhRdkjIHMlQk31twVlrxiB0c/s1600/jack+johnson+sydney+stadium+mike+hitchen+online.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513792174990637522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepBQtd4DJaPBth_sEfWKOVKVISPZO8G60I1xb07AVwOpcRZEZ5mVa2hgzELKPPwNkLvJHcizIcm_XUL0z3G66H0ciksW21LsRy_jVMQbZveg_dNG06GbSPkyBFhRdkjIHMlQk31twVlrxiB0c/s200/jack+johnson+sydney+stadium+mike+hitchen+online.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 139px;" /></a>For years Jack Johnson had been trying to get into a ring with Tommy Burns, but the champion had persistently dodged him. McIntosh asked Burns what he would want to meet Johnson. Believing that McIntosh would never pay it, Burns demanded £6000. The Australian promoter accepted on the spot and Tommy was trapped.<br />
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The jubilant Johnson was satisfied with £1000 as his payment, (later raised to £1500), and the fight was on.<br />
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For Burns it was the end of the road. It is now ring history how Johnson cruelly and methodically carved him to pieces, and won the title that he was to hold for the next seven years.<br />
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With ringside seats at £10, McIntosh made his greatest financial killing. The gate receipts were £26000, then a world record. From these boxing promotions and others over the next few years, Hugh D. McIntosh raked in more than a quarter million pounds.<br />
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McIntosh went to England and America and made a name for himself in London as a fight promoter. When he returned to Australia, he was followed by a crowd of the world’s best boxing talent.<br />
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Boxing was lifted to a high level. The only thing that prevented it being completely respectable was the “Fear of The Dark”. McIntosh introduced a stream of colored fighters to the white boxing world, helping to make heavyweights like Sam Langford and Sam McVea world famous.<br />
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Until McIntosh, promoters believed there was little money to be made by putting two colored fighters in the same ring. However, Australia gazed with mingled awe and delight at the spectacle of McVea and Langford knocking corners of each other.<br />
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It was also under his management that Jimmy Clabby, Billy Papke, Cyclone Johnny Thompson and a team of French boxers, descended on Sydney and Australia.<br />
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McIntosh decided to expand. The first thing was to put a roof over the Stadium. The arena was entirely transformed. From having an exterior consisting of hideous poster hoarding, it became an elegant castellated structure. Solid concrete foundations were put in to support the weight of the roof and when it was finished, it was possible to have boxing, or any other sport there all the year round. On August 3rd, 1912, Sam Langford outpointed Sam McVea, in the first fight held under cover.<br />
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Later that year, McIntosh thought it was time to develop the more artistic side of his entrepreneurial genius. One morning, Sydneysiders awoke and learned with amazement that Hugh D. McIntosh had paid £100,000 to take over the huge Rickards theatre circuit.<br />
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For a brief while he ran both establishments, but on December 2nd 1912, the Stadium was taken over on approval by Reginald (Snowy) L. Baker. In March 1913, he bought the business lock, stock and barrel and Hugh D. McIntosh ceased to have any but sentimental interest in the great stadium he had created.<br />
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McIntosh began to live the role of the successful tycoon, buying a mansion, “Bellhaven,” at Bellevue Hill and a fleet of Pierce-Arrow cars with his crest prominently displayed on the doors.<br />
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A personal friend of the Premier, W.A. Holman, he was elected to a seat in the NSW Legislative Council, which he held till he was made bankrupt in 1932.<br />
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Hugh D. entertained on a fabulous scale. Many visiting celebrities, enjoyed his hospitality. He made his money easily and he squandered it the same way. His gifts of motor cars to friends, diamond studded wrist watches to chorus girls and gold cigarette cases to mere acquaintances, became the talk of the town.<br />
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Hankering for fresh fields, McIntosh now bought the Sydney Sunday Times the oldest Sunday newspaper in Australia. It was a vehicle he would later use to persecute the great Les Darcy.<br />
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McIntosh had his own ideas on how to increase circulation. One such example was an offer to a notorious murderer named Simpson on the eve of his execution. Simpson would be paid £5000, if he would endeavor to come back from the dead and appear at the Sunday Times office before witnesses.<br />
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Visited in his cell, Simpson accepted the proposition eagerly. He jotted down the address of the newspaper office, so he would not “get lost on the way,” and promised to do his best to solve “the age old riddle of whether the dead could return.” Forty people gathered in McIntosh’s office on the night following Simpson’s execution. Simpson, however, was not one of them.<br />
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By such stunts, McIntosh did more harm than good to the paper, which had previously enjoyed a valuable prestige. It became one of his financial failures.<br />
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In 1928 Hugh D. McIntosh tried his luck in England. He bought Broome Park, a seventeenth century mansion set in 600 acres and formerly owned by Lord Kitchener.<br />
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In association with C.B. Cochran, he promoted a few fights in the Olympia Annex in London and also at stadiums in Paris. None of them earned enough to keep him in cigars.<br />
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For four years, McIntosh lived a fantastic round of pleasure in England. He poured out his money entertaining the rich, the famous, the titled, and beggared himself in the process.<br />
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In 1932 he returned to Australia broke. Bankruptcy proceedings were instituted against him. His liabilities were proved at a staggering figure.<br />
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But Hugh D. McIntosh could not be kept down for long. He was soon staging a comeback, promoting fights at the Sydney Stadium. Full of enthusiasm, he imported the American heavyweight Young Stribling and matched him with the Australian heavyweight Ambrose Palmer, hoping to repeat his 1908 clean up with Burns and Johnson.<br />
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It was not to be. The takings amounted to only £3800 and Stribling alone had been guaranteed £3000. Another financial body blow followed with the failure of a boomed match between Ron Richards and Fred Henneberry.<br />
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The now aging promoter was down - but he was not out. He threw himself into the flotation of a chain of cake shops and opened a large guest house in the Blue Mountains.<br />
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In 1935 he sailed once more for England, where on August 1 he opened what was to be the first of a chain of 500 McIntosh milk bars throughout the country.<br />
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With an excess of ballyhoo, a company was floated which McIntosh said would soon be disposing of the milk output of a million cows, to two million customers a week.<br />
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McIntosh opened a dozen milk bars in London, and it seemed he was on the right foot again. However, lack of capital and cut-throat competition beat him.<br />
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When he died in 1942, he was penniless. His old time friends had to contribute to a fund to defray his funeral expenses.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-size: 78%; font-style: italic;">Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>
Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-41178708568600180232013-02-02T19:29:00.001+11:002013-02-02T19:29:40.867+11:00Jack Hassen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ssw9b2eLphjkMFil28AqE-ZfSua43wRJjnOTfdDPsfcZ9MWg6H7lC4dYzKdMtwtRPOtDiu8ixioEO_lYL2iQOpL7YE2Lzs7Hp7xCrvaKUl01hMGzvTMOsgrHkpBSIAfPIjMdu8sV2OSClWAz/s1600/jack+hassen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ssw9b2eLphjkMFil28AqE-ZfSua43wRJjnOTfdDPsfcZ9MWg6H7lC4dYzKdMtwtRPOtDiu8ixioEO_lYL2iQOpL7YE2Lzs7Hp7xCrvaKUl01hMGzvTMOsgrHkpBSIAfPIjMdu8sV2OSClWAz/s200/jack+hassen.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>Jack Hassen knocks Archie Kemp's head back with a right hand blow in their bout
at Rushcutter's Bay Stadium on Sept. 19th, 1949 </i><br />
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Watching the Geale-Mundine fight the other night, I began thinking of some of the great Aboriginal boxers of the past. <br />
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The first that sprang to mind was not surprisingly, Lionel Rose, although I remember my disappointment when he beat Alan Rudkin! Other names quickly followed; Tony Mundine, Jerome Jerome, Elley Bennett, Wally Carr, the great Dave Sands and his brothers. <br />
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One boxer often overlooked, is lightweight Jack Hassen.<br />
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I was fortunate enough to have access to footage of his fights. He was darn good, though he lost to a great Mexican boxer - Rudy Cruz. I spoke to Jack while researching the old Sydney Stadium, a really nice gent. <br />
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He seemed destined for greatness, but then came the night he fought Archie Kemp<br />
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Archie was in trouble - a lot of trouble. Jack asked the referee to stop the fight, the ref ordered him to continue. Joe Wallis was like that. The next day Archie died. <br />
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Jack was never the same after that fight, it hit him hard and his boxing career went downhill. It was reported that in the weeks following Archie's tragic death, and receiving threats, Jack lost 71 pounds in weight. Six of his eight defeats came after his fight with Archie.<br />
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Jack was an active unionist fighting for the rights of waterside workers with the same zest as at the peak of his career. He passed away 2002. None of the old timers I have spoken to had a bad word to say about him. He was a boxer who talked with the tools of his often cruel trade.<br />
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<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-size: 78%; font-style: italic;">Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>
Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-48639116786405073442013-02-01T19:36:00.000+11:002015-02-06T19:37:52.800+11:00Tommy Burns<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Eugene Corri, the famous English boxing referee, once described Tommy Burns as being unpopular, insolent and arrogant; his attitude earning him the titles “Emperor Burns.” or “Napoleon.” However, whatever personal qualities he may have lacked, for two years he reigned as heavyweight champion of the world. <br /><br />For a heavyweight who stood only 5’7” and weighed just 175 pounds (79 kg), Burns had a remarkable record. In a career spanning twenty years, Tommy Burns (real name Noah Brusso,) lost only five times; winning forty-five of his fifty-nine bouts. He won the title in 1906, in Los Angeles, by outpointing Marvin Hart<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8744803864690985719#_ftn1">[1]</a>, who before becoming champion in 1905, had earlier outpointed Jack Johnson. <br /><br />Burns was born in Hanover, Canada, on June 17 1881. His father being French and his mother German, he became the first world heavyweight champion who was not of English, Irish or American descent. <br /><br />Young Tommy was a first rate, all round sportsman, excelling at lacrosse, football, skating, swimming, basketball, and hockey. Burns took up boxing by accident. One night, he was a spectator at a special boxing night arranged by The Detroit Athletic Club, of which he was a member. One of the entrants failed to turn up and Burns volunteered to help out by taking his place. He went on to win his first public fight in the fifth round.<br /><br />Spurred on by his success, Burns decided to concentrate on boxing. His first two official fights were against Frank Thornton, whom he knocked out on both occasions.<br /><br />For a couple of years Burns continued to win, suffering his first defeat in Detroit in 1902 at the hands of Mike Schreck, who was considered a future world champion. Burns went undefeated in his next 18 fights and it was nearly two years before he suffered his second defeat against “Philadelphia” Jack O’Brien. Burns continued his winning ways, losing only to “Twin” Sullivan in 1905. Incredibly, he would lose only two more fights before he retired in 1920.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8744803864690985719#_ftnref1">[1]</a> There has been some considerable discussion concerning Hart’s claim to the title. <br /><br />When Jim Jeffries retired as champion in March 1905. He named Marvin Hart and Jack Root as leading contenders and agreed to referee their fight in Reno, Nevada., on July 3, 1905, with the stipulation that he would term the winner the champion. Hart, knocked out Root, in the 12th round. <br /><br />Jeffries right to make such a stipulation has been called into question by many boxing writers, but at the time, Hart was generally considered world champion.<br /><br />After Hart won the title, Burns began clamoring for a fight with the new champion. Hart considered Burns an easier opponent for his first title defence, than the likes of Jack Johnson and Gus Ruhlin, who were also pressing their claims. Hart paid the price for underestimating Burns and Tommy won easily on points.<br /><br />Between February 1906 and August 1908, Burns defended his title 11 times. As well as two knockouts over Bill Squires, he also claimed the scalp of British champion Gunner Moir and knocked out the Irishman Jem Roche in one round.<br /><br />After beating Bill Squires at Sydney Stadium, Burns went to Melbourne, accounting for Australia’s Bill Lang in six rounds. It was the last time Burns successfully defended his title. He returned to Sydney for his historic Boxing Day encounter with Jack Johnson. How Johnson taunted him and methodically pounded him to defeat, will be told later.<br /><br />After his defeat by Johnson, Burns did not fight again until April 1910, when he was given a controversial points' decision over Bill Lang at Sydney Stadium. Over the next ten years, Tommy fought only five more times, before retiring in 1920. Of those he won three and fought a no decision contest with Canadian Arthur Pelkey. In London, in July 1920, he was knocked out in seven rounds by Britain’s Joe Beckett. Though Burns would later beat Beckett in a brawl, in a hotel corridor in Leeds, his official fighting career was over.<br /><br />He became a manager, taking Jack Lester and Arthur Pelkey under his wing. Pelkey was beaten by Bill Lang at Sydney Stadium in 1914. He retired after Luther McCarthy died as a result of his bout with him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />Lester had several fights at the Stadium with mixed success. On one occasion he was billed to fight at the Stadium, whilst Burns was in Melbourne. At this time the Stadium was unroofed. Concerned about the size of the gate, Burns asked Lester to wire him as to how the crowd “rolled up." Soon after 8 o’clock, Tommy received a message from Lester that just said, “Thousands turned away.” <br /><br />A delighted Burns retired to contemplate his percentage of a full house. Next morning he read in a newspaper, that a last minute thunderstorm had caused the postponement of the fight and that “thousands had been turned away.”<br /><br />Burns tried his hand at many other ventures. At various times he owned a string of hotels in the north of England, became an insurance agent, a lacrosse promoter, café proprietor, a hockey player and owner of a New York “speakeasy.”<br /><br />In the early thirties, Tommy became plagued with arthritis and thought he would never walk again. He turned to religion for comfort and gradually his legs strengthened Drifting to the West Coast, he became a Pastor with the Church of Brotherhood of Universal Love, and began preaching in a little church in Seattle.<br /><br />In 1946 Burns moved to California. He met a woman he had first fell in love with, 43 years earlier in Detroit. Their love was rekindled and they married in July that year.<br /><br />Tommy Burns died from a heart condition in Vancouver, in May 1955. He had travelled to Vancouver from his home in California two weeks earlier, to enter a religious order.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br />Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>
Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-3088683140471408372011-11-06T19:56:00.004+11:002011-11-08T21:52:12.117+11:00Joe Frazier<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4z-cEQOpymmsuOsSog6Ook5FejEVvp8FGb2M9KzZU6YV1h-GEzk94cjZmNThWo1TDegqNrQegS2eakcMPmuCF45zawliZwjAIydvmf25neocauMu0Pc5F22WpKrENt-SYRNfdGW7WxUkaaoT9/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 127px; height: 99px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4z-cEQOpymmsuOsSog6Ook5FejEVvp8FGb2M9KzZU6YV1h-GEzk94cjZmNThWo1TDegqNrQegS2eakcMPmuCF45zawliZwjAIydvmf25neocauMu0Pc5F22WpKrENt-SYRNfdGW7WxUkaaoT9/s200/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671811340302547170" border="0" /></a>Although this blog is supposed to focus on boxing at the old Sydney Stadium, I was deeply saddened to hear that Joe Frazier has been diagnosed with liver cancer.<br /><br />I have many fond memories of 'Smokin' Joe". As a fifteen year old, the lead up to his first fight with Ali, was as exciting as Christmas, as I counted off the days to the fight.<br /><br />I have never been very good at drawing or art, but Joe fascinated me and I tried to capture with a charcoal drawing, the Joe that I saw in my mind. I spent weeks working on and perfecting that drawing. It did actually receive praise from the school art teacher, then I went back to my normal pictures of matchstick men!<br /><br />I have included a link to this clip from 'Carmen Jones." I fell in love with the movie when I first saw it as a toddler and Joe always reminded me of Husky Miller. I sincerely hope that Joe, who never took a backward step in the ring, will "stand up and fight." Sure, we will all hear the final bell one day, but till then - stand up and fight like hell.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49M_RclmA10"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stand Up And Fight - Carmen Jones</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update:</span><br /><br /><div>Today brought the sad news that Joe Frazier passed away. Thanks for the memories Joe, you were one of the breed of boxers that has not been seen since. I would often lie wake with a transistor radio hidden the blankets waiting for the results of your fights - especially your first fight against Ali. </div> <div> </div> <div>You may have been responsible for my being late for school many times, but it was worth it. What you taught me about courage and never giving up, was worth more than any teacher could ever teach.</div> <div> </div> <div>R.I.P. Joe, a class act in and out of the ring.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><br />Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-51119020636062594352011-09-27T21:00:00.003+10:002011-09-27T21:07:01.640+10:00Herb McCoy - cheeky little ball of muscle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOI-nltkbFb5iWnE9Wv0TNN_8-A1I7c9FfpXxpuNW4m2euvvM_OHMOb_fNGEbROhVVliYHqr2ZNy1__gQBG4z9PrP8dRl7TUzD9igjCoK_h3rkbc0PTSxz741K5lQ3c_HbJKDPwpiVKRsnnVFr/s1600/herb+mccoy.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 156px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOI-nltkbFb5iWnE9Wv0TNN_8-A1I7c9FfpXxpuNW4m2euvvM_OHMOb_fNGEbROhVVliYHqr2ZNy1__gQBG4z9PrP8dRl7TUzD9igjCoK_h3rkbc0PTSxz741K5lQ3c_HbJKDPwpiVKRsnnVFr/s200/herb+mccoy.jpg" alt="herb mccoy sydney stadium" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656993344208454002" border="0" /></a><a href="http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=52149&cat=boxer&pageID=1"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Herb McCoy</span></a> was a great lightweight champion who fought and beat some of the world's best. Below is an "electronic" translation of an old newspaper clipping I have. Sadly much of the clipping is barely readable.<br /><br />The article is from the Adelaide Mail, dated May 15, 1937 and is written by Sam Gray, one of the great names of Australian boxing<br /><br />****<br /><br />Fifty years' active participation in the sport of boxing as fighter, instructor, promoter, manager, and second, with scarcely a day in that span passing without donning the gloves, is the record of Sam Gray, who claims it as a world's record. An ex-champion featherweight, he is one of the few fighting men who have been able to impart his knowledge to pupils, and many of his boys have won fistic honors, while he himself has been one of the mainstays of the sport through its years of depression and riches. It was Sam Gray who launched 'Kid' McCoy, former lightweight champion of Australia, on the road to fame and fortune. He piloted the destinies of McCoy from his first fight up to his last ring appearance 13 years later. McCoy met the world's best, and his 103 fights include some of the most stirring battles seen in Australia.<br /><br />BOXING has enjoyed many bursts of popularity in Australia in the last half -century,but none to equal the boom that began about 1908, and; fizzled out during the years when the world was at war. Jack Johnson, Sam McVea, and Sam Langford came to these shores, chasing the golden rainbow of boxing, and Tommy Burns. Burns and Johnson focused the eyes of the world on Australia when they fought for the world's heavyweight title at Sydney. Men of smaller stature had to play a part in keeping a fight-crazed public interested, and Billy Papke, Jimmy Clabby, Eddie McGoorty, and a host of other middleweights invaded the Commonwealth to find the weight of the late Les Darcy's punch. But the Stadium coffers bulged through the agency of the galaxy of world-famed lightweights, who in that decade clashed in a series of clever, fierce, and inspiring battles. They came from America, England, France, Holland, and Africa, and all had to meet the Stadium drawcard, McCoy, before they won the approbation or disapproval of the fight fans of the Commonwealth. Win, lose, or draw, all knew they had been fighting before getting through an engagement with the per fectly moulded fighting machine that was McCoy. Had Meteoric Rise So meteoric was McCoy's rise to the highest rung of the fistic ladder that the story of his entry into the ranks of professional pugilists is worth telling.<br /><br />In June, 1908, a bright-faced, stocky little fellow came to me and told me that he wanted to take boxing lessons. I asked his age, and when he told me he was 15 I said,' 'You're too small, sonny; come and see me in a year's time" I never gave the youngster another thought until he turned up 12 months later. Opening- a book, he said, 'Here I am, Mr. Gray, the 12 months are up today; I've got the date marked here.' What could I do, but take him? When I asked hirn his name, he told me it was Herb Wilson, but he stipulated there and then that when he fought it would be under the name of 'Kid McCoy.' The world-famous fighter of that name was a hero in the eyes of the bright, strong little fellow who marked me down as the man to put him in the game- of hard knocks. First let me say that the pupil must be made of the right stuff if he wants to get anywhere in the sport of boxing — amateur or professional. He must have confidence in himself, and above all, confidence in his manager-trainer, together with a respect for him. A boxer without a pal and adviser in his corner is like a rudderless ship. Many fights have been won and lost by the man behind the fighter.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I'll Do the Fighting, You Do the Thinking' </span><br /><br />McCoy was the perfect pupil. 'I'll do the fighting, and you' do the thinking,' he said to me more than once.<br /><br />I became attached to him as though he were my son, and I saw unlimited possibilities in him. Quick to learn, eager to train, and a nipper with stamina out of the ordinary, I was afraid at first that he would overtax his strength, but he proved to be made of the stuff of which champions are' made. I knew in the first three months be was in my care that he was a coming Australian, if not world's, champion lightweight. Within eight months of the day he came to me, he had three victories ? points decisions over Bull Williams, Soldier Rogers, and Tommy Jones, and a glorious defeat at the hands of Frank Thorn, a champion who at different times held the feather, light, and welter championships of Australia. Fight promoters realised the merit of the performance for a lad 16 years old, and Frank Thorn told me that I had the best boy he had ever seen. Frank was sincere, too, and when McCoy defeated him three times the following year. Thorn generously shook hands and told me that my kid was too vigorous and clever.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Close Contest With Hock Keys </span><br /><br />When only a lad of 17, I had no alternative but to allow McCoy to go into the ring against Hock Keys, one of the really clever men we have seen in this country. Hock won a close decision at the end of 20 torrid rounds. The hallmark of boxing was now stamped on McCoy. He was in the forefront of Australian lightweights, and the day was near at hand when Hughie Mehegan would have to guard his lightweight crown. - Still, there were tons of fighting for both of them, and I was not in a desperate hurry to pit my charge against Mehegan, who was a hard man to get a decision over. , McCoy resisted invasions from West Australians in Alf Morey and Dick: Cullen in 1912, and then strung together four knock-outs at the expense! of Frank O'Grady, Rod Standon, Les! Gleeson, and Alf. Goodwin. He then had to meet the Frenchmen, Paul Til and Jean Poesy. I told him not to take risks with either of them, as we did not know much about overseas form/<br /><br />Paul Til could not go any further than nine rounds, while his compatriot went 15 rounds before crying enough. In between those two triumphs, McCoy had two fights with Hock Keys, one ending in a draw, and the other going to McCoy after 20 rounds. As one of those fights was an epic of Australian boxing, I will deal with it in a later story.<br /><br />In this story, the first of a series by Sam Gray, who has been associated with boxing for 50 years, he tells many untold and behind the scenes tales of the fight business, also some of the thrilling experiences he had with the 'apple of his eye,' Kid McCoy. Gray's eyes sparkle with pride when he speaks of his protege. 'McCoy was the greatest lightweight since Griffo,' he declares. Great Invasion Of Lightweights By this time, 1913 and 1914, Australia had some magnetic attraction for the world's greatest lightweights, and the influx included Waldemar Holberg, Pal Brown, Nat Williams, Milburn Saylor, Joe Shugrue, Kid Lewis, Matt Wells, Young Abe Attell, and another French team, comprising Eugene Volaire, Fernand Quendreux, Marcel Denis, and Louis de Ponthier. The doughty McCoy was stacked up against them all. Just as war broke out, McCoy met Hughie Mehegan at Sydney for the lightweight title, and was knocked out in 17 rounds. Undismayed, McCoy took the setback in the right spirit, and his words to me in the dressing room after the bout were prophetic and true. He told me that Mehegan would never defeat him again if be lived to be 100. They met again at Mel bourne, in February, 1915, and McCoy won the lightweight championship of Australia by knocking the ' redoubtable Hughie in 14 rounds<br /><br />To prove that he was Mehegan's master he repeated the performance in July of the same year, taking 15 rounds to hammer Hughie into submission. Further meetings between them could not be arranged, as Hughie Mehegan enlisted and sailed to the war, never to return. And so passed a gallant little gentleman. McCoy was not a 'glass case' cham pion, and no fighter can say that he side-stepped them if they wefe worthy of a crack at his title. In the year that he won the title of lightweight champion he fought 15 times, having bouts at Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. The next year, 1916, he fought 16 times, meeting men of mettle in Fred Kay, Tommy Uren, Harry Stone, Eddie Moy, Benny Palmer, Arlos Fanning, and the peerless ,Lew Edwards. Lost title to Edwards To Llew Edwards McCoy lost his crown, and be had nothing but respect for the clever, hard-hitting English man, who was a Lonsdale belt holder. They fought seven times, and two of their fights were ring classics, that the referee had no alternative but to de clare draws, while four other bouts were thrillers that had the crowds on their feet throughout McCoy was a generous winner and loser, and he never growled at a deci sion all the time he was boxing. He enthused about the cleverness of Llew Edwards in a manner that would make anyone listening think that he had been in the Edwards corner, instead of being opposed to him in fights. On the night he lost bis title to Edwards at Sydney in 1917, when he was knocked out in 18 rounds, McCoy told me that he bad met his master, and that Edwards would shade him any time they met in the future.<br /><br />We both knew that eight years of strenuous battling in the ring against the best men in the world had taken its toll, and that the end was not far off, but we also knew that only topnotchers could push McCoy to his limit, even though a tired man. His knock-out victories over Dave Meakin, * Mattie Smith, Jimmy HilL and Mattie Smith again — four in succes sion, were proof that he was not easy money for anyone. I claim that McCoy was the greatest Australian lightweight since Griffo, and his record will prove it. He fought any time and any where, and always delivered himself at the ringside in fettle good enough to fight for a king dom. As pointed out previously, he foueht whenever a fight offered, sometimes three times a month, and the better the opponent the keener McCoy was to get in the ring with him. As a box office attraction he has had no equal and stadium managers and boxing promoters will remember him for the value he always gave for the money he received. No fighter in Australia was ever called on to meet so many good men from overseas and at borne, and most of bis opponents looked back over their careers and admitted that McCoy was the best man they had met. He heard the gong go for 1,625 rounds, and in each one of them he fought with a clever fury that lasted till the referee called 'corners.' His cleverness, fighting spirit, indifference to punishment, recuperative powers, will to win, and general love of the noble art, made him a great fighter, and in my humble opinion, the best since Griffo, undefeated featherweight champion of the world.<br /><br />HERB McCOY in bis heyday cheeky little ball of muscle said, 'Don't worry, Sam, I'll have a go at toppling them over.' And over they went.<br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><br />Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-71862288558566032412011-08-18T23:19:00.008+10:002011-09-05T22:30:07.964+10:00Eugene Criqui - he came, he saw, he conquered<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYKyzDvZVN_FBur95FcYSzW-vYk5TH9JCrB04hkPGeMSpyS6OBrQvewROy2ov6qPq9csMMdcYBLj4cgl_5g1KfoSG90Pj4aaHbSGTgD4YfjU7K8qWEu_347TG57Ek1gh2SBgqoYXntGqvbUJp/s1600/godfrey+criqui.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYKyzDvZVN_FBur95FcYSzW-vYk5TH9JCrB04hkPGeMSpyS6OBrQvewROy2ov6qPq9csMMdcYBLj4cgl_5g1KfoSG90Pj4aaHbSGTgD4YfjU7K8qWEu_347TG57Ek1gh2SBgqoYXntGqvbUJp/s200/godfrey+criqui.jpg" alt="boxing sydney Eugene Criqui" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642190567647869474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sid Godfrey on the left, Criqui on the right</span><br /><br />Sydney Stadium became a Mecca for boxers from all over the world. One of the finest boxers to grace our shores was the great French featherweight world champion, Eugene Criqui. During a career that spanned eighteen years from 1910-1928, Criqui won 99 fights, losing only 17 along the way.<br /><br />In 1920 and 1921, Criqui fought several times at The Old Tin Shed, beating such fine boxers as Vince Blackburn, Jackie Green, Bert Spargo, Sid Godfrey, Cabanella Dencio. and the plucky little boxer from the Philippines, Silvino Jamito.<br /><br />· It was claimed his “steel” jaw, which was reconstructed after injury, made him impervious to punches on the chin.<br />· Famous fight with Sid Godfrey at the Stadium.<br />· Fought Bert Spargo, knocking him out in the 16th round. At that stage, Spargo was well ahead on points<br />· Epic contest with Cabanella Dencio.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiEl1b5kIpqlqgrFyp62k9YiXwL9W5rETOlngge4BNxLzUl8kvFBBdmWqKsiyKR2rIgmWSV_AQIaysCNwkKkRGYgjYLivoXCoalmw8ZB4Wt2fbB47b9UKpJ0343KGMzmUWuM4pmUMwe9bqV0l/s1600/dd.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiEl1b5kIpqlqgrFyp62k9YiXwL9W5rETOlngge4BNxLzUl8kvFBBdmWqKsiyKR2rIgmWSV_AQIaysCNwkKkRGYgjYLivoXCoalmw8ZB4Wt2fbB47b9UKpJ0343KGMzmUWuM4pmUMwe9bqV0l/s400/dd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642191272939916290" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-80529517518695889342011-06-21T21:09:00.004+10:002011-09-05T22:31:08.999+10:00Tommy Uren<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmsnBPnXQJE2Nn_hHtxfArrhSvKpLGjGRqJHdv9JsaIMDMU37VAcP-e0uxKl2DbiVw7ZQRaQ1UuyKVvZ7rmAiOkyM4Ib6e6tK1cEOcGTvYkgn8MWdjVzJ02hTe6oC3vR-xbo5cbeQUhcGUuCT/s1600/uren.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 123px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmsnBPnXQJE2Nn_hHtxfArrhSvKpLGjGRqJHdv9JsaIMDMU37VAcP-e0uxKl2DbiVw7ZQRaQ1UuyKVvZ7rmAiOkyM4Ib6e6tK1cEOcGTvYkgn8MWdjVzJ02hTe6oC3vR-xbo5cbeQUhcGUuCT/s200/uren.jpg" alt="Tommy Uren sydney boxing mike hitchen" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620631767790379698" border="0" /></a>Although a perfect gentleman, Tommy Uren was not the sort of bloke a two-bob thug would like to upset on a dark night. Under-rated and if there is such a word - "under-remembered"! Tommy was a former Australian light, welter, and middleweight champion. He also fought as a heavyweight.<br /><br />Tough an determined Tommy fought and beat some of the great names of the day - Clabby, Harry Stone, Fernand Quendreux, Eddie McGoorty and Fred Kay. His career spanned from 1916 to 1930 notching up 70 wins and 28 losses.<br /><br />Born in 1893, Tommy died in 1954 aged 61.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Townsville Daily Bulletin, Tuesday 26 August 1924</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxh3OoXfpdkZD3XVAHQdDbv2FTTV0t3OvELiJvjFFXktHkW5k7rqXdwTfaK1hxxneinfN0c6YnaIo7Y1QkUkkSS3K3HzyqSpFaAGgUp8g50LpYS8NidUbPFe_EFZqiZ49qWBODJN75kDOde6Z/s1600/article63531713-4-001.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 196px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxh3OoXfpdkZD3XVAHQdDbv2FTTV0t3OvELiJvjFFXktHkW5k7rqXdwTfaK1hxxneinfN0c6YnaIo7Y1QkUkkSS3K3HzyqSpFaAGgUp8g50LpYS8NidUbPFe_EFZqiZ49qWBODJN75kDOde6Z/s200/article63531713-4-001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620631322017685074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">At the Stadlum, Tommy Uren, 10.01, outpointed Merv Williams, 11.6, for the middleweight championship of Australia. In the first ten rounds Uren outbozed his opponent, using bis right to splendid .advantage. Williams was aggressive, but most of his leads were cleverly taken on the gloves. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Williams rushed his opponent all round the ring until a left to the Jaw floored him for two seconds. Williams did most of the leading from the thirteenth to the twentieth round and repeatedly scored </span><span style="font-style: italic;">with lefts to the Jaw. Uren seemed content to box on the defensive and blocked many uppercuts. The referee's decision for Uren was a good one</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-14198184927972325582011-03-02T19:47:00.005+11:002011-03-02T20:29:08.134+11:00Dave Smith<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrxCm8DNCIhMbQwilihf11nTqLH_bXyaeKsMphVSx8B9Asnz1c6soekG_tRGCh9aXSnwvDIqVblTSEJ8ygqX2odgBeZ61pt7g0Blr2u0AH6GbiqnEzAqAMDE6hlMUIX5azEPUi17G3ZZ3kAVf/s1600/dave+smith.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrxCm8DNCIhMbQwilihf11nTqLH_bXyaeKsMphVSx8B9Asnz1c6soekG_tRGCh9aXSnwvDIqVblTSEJ8ygqX2odgBeZ61pt7g0Blr2u0AH6GbiqnEzAqAMDE6hlMUIX5azEPUi17G3ZZ3kAVf/s200/dave+smith.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579410944418837394" border="0" /></a>Dave Smith was a typical journeyman. Three times Australian champion, a great fighter, tough, rugged and determined. During his career he beat some of the great names of the era - Jimmy Clabby, Billy Papke, Cyclone Johnny Thompson, Jerry Jerome and Fritz Holland (vanquisher of Les Darcy).<br /><br />More notes on Dave will follow, but here is an introduction.<b style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14pt;"><br /></span></b> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fights at Sydney Stadium</span></span><br /></p>Arthur Cripps drew 20 Dave Smith 29 Nov 1909<br />Dave Smith ko 17 Pat O'Keefe 19 Jan 1910<br />Dave Smith pts 20 Arthur Cripps 12 Oct 1910<br />Dave Smith wf 10 Billy Papke 26 Dec 1910<br />Dave Smith pts 20 Jimmy Clabby 17 Jan 1911<br />Dave Smith pts 20 Cyclone Johnny Thompson 05 Feb 1911<br />Billy Papke ko 7 Dave Smith 11 Mar 1911<br />Dave Smith pts 20 Bandsman Rice 11 Nov 1911<br />Dave Smith drew 20 Jimmy Clabby 09 Dec 1911<br />Dave Smith wf 14 Jack Lester 01 Jan 1912<br />Dave Smith pts 20 Cyclone Johnny Thompson 26 Jan 1912<br />Dave Smith drew 20 Jimmy Clabby 24 Feb 1912<br />Dave Smith ko 3 Ercole De Belzac 01 Jan 1913<br />Dave Smith ko 10 Reg Midwood 01 Feb 1913<br />Dave Smith ko 18 Jerry Jerome 19 Apr 1913<br />Dave Smith ko 16 Les O'Donnell 16 Jul 1913<br />Dave Smith pts 20 Pat Bradley 25 Oct 1913<br />Eddie McGoorty ko 1 Dave Smith 01 Jan 1914<br />Dave Smith pts 20 Jules Dubourg 22 Feb 1914<br />Eddie McGoorty ko 10 Dave Smith 11 Apr 1914<br />Jimmy Clabby ko 1 Dave Smith 01 Aug 1914<br />Dave Smith pts 20 Fritz Holland 30 Jan 1915<br />Dave Smith pts 20 Ben Doyle 13 Feb 1915<br />Dave Smith ko 14 Colin Bell 10 Jun 1916<br />Les Darcy ko 12 Dave Smith 24 Jun 1916<br />Buck Crouse ko 9 Dave Smith 15 Jul 1916<br />Dave Smith ko 4 Buck Crouse 05 Aug 1916<br />Art Maygirl ko 12 Dave Smith 02 Sep 1916<br />Dave Smith pts 20 Joe Chip 14 Oct 1916<br />Dave Smith ko 10 Bill Squires 26 Dec 1916<br />Dave Smith pts 20 Albert Lloyd 14 Apr 1917<br />Jimmy Clabby ko 10 Dave Smith 26 May 1917<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Career Record</span><br /><br />Ranji Burns ko 9 1909 Sydney Australia<br />Starlight pts 8 1909 Sydney Australia<br />George Reidy pts 20 1909 venue ? Australia<br />Pat O'Keefe pts 20 1909 venue ? Australia<br />Reg Dempsey ko 1 1909 venue ? Australia<br />Billy McColl ko 13 1909 venue ? Australia<br />Albert Scanlon ko 9 1909 venue ? Australia<br />Jack Blackmore ko 9 1909 venue ? Australia<br />Arthur Cripps drew 20 29 Nov 1909 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Ted Whiting ko 12 1910 venue ? Australia<br />Pat O'Keefe ko 17 19 Jan 1910 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Arthur Cripps pts 20 12 Oct 1910 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Billy Papke wf 10 26 Dec 1910 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Frank Bungardy lf 7 1911 venue ? Australia<br />Jack Howard ko 9 1911 venue ? Australia<br />Jimmy Clabby pts 20 17 Jan 1911 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Billy Papke koby 7 11 Mar 1911 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Cyclone Johnny Thompson pts 20 05 Nov 1911 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Bandsman Rice pts 20 11 Nov 1911 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Jimmy Clabby drew 20 09 Dec 1911 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Jack Lester wf 14 01 Jan 1912 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Cyclone Johnny Thompson pts 20 26 Jan 1912 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Jimmy Clabby drew 20 24 Feb 1912 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Eddie McGoorty koby 1 02 Sep 1912 New York Usa<br />George Asche nd 6 24 Sep 1912 Philadelphia USA<br />Freddy Hicks pts 12 02 Oct 1912 Boston USA<br />Leo Houck nd 6 Oct 1912 Philadelphia USA<br />Battling Levinsky nd 6 21 Oct 1912 Philadelphia USA<br />Les O'Donnell ko 13 1913 venue Australia<br />Jerry Jerome ko 11 1913 venue Australia<br />Bill Lang pts 20 1913 venue Australia<br />Les O'Donnell pts 20 1913 venue Australia<br />Ercole De Belzac ko 3 01 Jan 1913 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Reg Midwood ko 10 01 Feb 1913 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Jerry Jerome ko 18 19 Apr 1913 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Les O'Donnell ko 16 16 Jul 1913 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Pat Bradley pts 20 25 Oct 1913 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Jules Douberg ko 11 1914 venue Australia<br />Eddie McGoorty koby 1 01 Jan 1914 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Jules Douberg pts 20 22 Feb 1914 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Eddie McGoorty koby 10 11 Apr 1914 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Jimmy Clabby koby 1 01 Aug 1914 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Jimmy Clabby pts 20 12 Aug 1914 venue Australia<br />Fritz Holland pts 20 30 Jan 1915 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Ben Doyle pts 20 13 Feb 1915 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Jimmy Clabby lpts 20 20 May 1916 venue Australia<br />Colin Bell ko 14 10 Jun 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Les Darcy koby 12 24 Jun 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Buck Crouse koby 9 15 Jul 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Buck Crouse ko 4 05 Aug 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Les Darcy koby 11 23 Aug 1916 Brisbane Australia<br />Art Magirl koby 12 02 Sep 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Joe Chip pts 20 14 Oct 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Art Magirl koby 6 28 Oct 1916 Melbourne Australia<br />Bill Squires ko 10 26 Dec 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Albert Lloyd pts 20 14 Apr 1917 Sydney Stadium Australia<br />Jimmy Clabby koby 10 May 26 1917 Sydney Stadium Australia<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Notes On his fight with Colin Bell</span><br /><br />· Take the fight he had with Dave Smith at the Sydney Stadium on June 10, 1916, as an instance. It was typical of other battles which the Moree giant participated in with, if anything, this difference - that he demonstrated his incapacity to become a great fighter in a greater measure than usual. For that night he had victory within his grasp four or five times and was not equal to effecting the “killing” that should have been easy for him.<br /><br />· Smith, who although heavyweight champion of Australia, was little better than a middleweight. As a matter of fact he weighed 13 stone 11 ¾ pounds as against hi opponents 11st 9lb, a difference of over two stones.<br /><br />But this tremendous advantage did not worry Smith, who had the fighting instinct well developed, and besides was a firm believer in the familiar and popular boxing axiom that the bigger they are the harder they fall. And so instead of Bell being the aggressor and endeavoring to overwhelm his man with his strength, it was Smith who took up the attack from the moment they were called together. David and Goliath in a modern setting.<br /><br />The enormous strength which Bell possessed, with the added advantages of skill with his hands and cleverness on his feet, should have counselled the big fellow to carry the war into the enemy camp, but the absence of “devil” that prompted caution proved his undoing. Smith, realising that his strength would not prove equal to the task if he remained on the defensive and allowed Bell to wear him down, punished his man at every opportunity and set a pace that might have caused his own downfall had he not been in superb condition.<br /><br />· The fact was, that Smith knew of Bell’s weakness and, like a good general, capitalized it at every stage of the contest. Ducking and side-stepping and dodging he leaped in and out at the mountain of muscle in front of him and so punished him about the head with lefts and rights that after a few rounds Bell was tottering. But only momentarily. He pulled himself together well and then did what he should have done from the start - opened out. For a round or two he fought as if he really meant it. Smith was hard put to it to defend himself and in the sixth session was in such a bad way that had Bell taken proper advantage of the opportunity he would probably have with a knock-out.<br /><br />· ……with the result that Smith was given the “breather” that enabled him to gather his scattered senses. And having done that and possessing the very thing that Bell was deficient in, he made attack his defence and in a few moments was dominating the fighting again.<br /><br />· Again a few rounds later he caught Smith with a terrific left over the right eye, splitting it badly and causing the blood to flow freely. A second later he hooked a powerful left to the jaw and again Smith was flying distress signals. But did Bell go in to finish his man? He did not. And so Smith, maintaining a relentless attack, continued on until, by the time the tenth round was reached, Bell was obviously done.<br /><br />• For a while the big fellow tried to bluff that all was well, but Smith refused to believe him and continued to pepper him with rights and lefts. And then Bell got another chance. A heavy right to the jaw had Smith in a bad way, but instead of crowding in and administering the finishing punch as he had plenty of opportunities to do, he allowed the damaged warrior freedom from trouble until such time as his head had cleared and then had to take what was coming to him - which was not altogether pleasant.<br /><br />• By the time the fourteenth round was reached Bell was badly used up. Smith had gradually worn him down until he was comparitively easy for the smaller man to handle. And so Smith, who was showing signs of wear and tear, concluded that the best thing to do would be to get the business over. With right and left he pasted Bell unmercifully and drove him staggering, back on to the ropes. As Bell rebounded Smith’s right flashed through the air on to the opposing jaw and Bell crashed to the floor helpless. The finishing punch was not a particularly hard one, but it was all that was necessary to terminate the big fellow’s interest in the proceedings.<br /><br />• If ever a boxer should have won a fight it was Bell that night.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Newspaper clipping from The Canberra Times, Wednesday 30 May 1945. Transcript below</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWOPyeGTjPYJbX_ioTbhIbSH5Ldxtgm4yvjhQNme3-BiCJAj88-VM7E8OxJHxsu3HzAKJXUkeq_RdmqK2lGC8vo1m7qyvE1TOCrgvB7T-2En0XXGhXwWWn8f48uUi1AMUhVkcPqVu2a_xfR5B/s1600/dave+smith.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 349px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWOPyeGTjPYJbX_ioTbhIbSH5Ldxtgm4yvjhQNme3-BiCJAj88-VM7E8OxJHxsu3HzAKJXUkeq_RdmqK2lGC8vo1m7qyvE1TOCrgvB7T-2En0XXGhXwWWn8f48uUi1AMUhVkcPqVu2a_xfR5B/s400/dave+smith.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579409011517939922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Three times heavyweight champion of Australia, Dave Smith died at a private hospital to-day at the age of, 59.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />He was acknow</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ledged as one of the fairest and squarcst fighters Australia had known, and he fought the leading boxers of the world be tween 1914 and 1917.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-63025002437814220202011-02-10T20:24:00.004+11:002011-02-10T20:28:56.948+11:00Eddie McGoorty - The Oshkosh Terror<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicii5yIHkQ52CC739mVOt2ynKRIQzf_ddBwmprdQJ0pBYzAY6f-VavvSi1vHJkUncE4M6NC2490Jtt7s9jGRd4JGBMjuDO7WTByhksKj33lL7BFrnXMBWBzef4lEJPRCJv0e4mZeWTgLLETJpb/s1600/McGoortyEddie.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicii5yIHkQ52CC739mVOt2ynKRIQzf_ddBwmprdQJ0pBYzAY6f-VavvSi1vHJkUncE4M6NC2490Jtt7s9jGRd4JGBMjuDO7WTByhksKj33lL7BFrnXMBWBzef4lEJPRCJv0e4mZeWTgLLETJpb/s200/McGoortyEddie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571990427822476178" border="0" /></a>I will be writing more about Eddie McGoorty when I have cleaned up some of my old paper files. But for now, a brief introduction.<br /><br />Eddie McGoorty, also known as the "Oshkosh Terror" was another favorite with Sydney Stadium crowds. Sadly, like Jimmy Clabby, Eddie's life was short and tragic dying at the age of 40<br /><br />A more than capable middleweight he won 65 fights (44 on knockouts) and lost 18. In addition he notched up 22 "newspaper decisions" for only six losses.<br /><br />Below is a report of his 1915 fight against Les Darcy - a fight he lost when the police stopped the fight in the 15th round after Eddie was knocked down four times. Click to enlarge.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiho0wubdNetzsh_Po4zf-RKExrXyaNFS99c9jqYijssWChyyPC_Do1KHMQ63E4-_y215A5Ec_5JE6jzJtUr9Mu5pz4PmtRbzE-5-ufwHYwsGiBFZHmOY4IwqDb8XgI9EtZRETYmBFwRB7CNPoo/s1600/article28109981-6-001.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiho0wubdNetzsh_Po4zf-RKExrXyaNFS99c9jqYijssWChyyPC_Do1KHMQ63E4-_y215A5Ec_5JE6jzJtUr9Mu5pz4PmtRbzE-5-ufwHYwsGiBFZHmOY4IwqDb8XgI9EtZRETYmBFwRB7CNPoo/s200/article28109981-6-001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571990162195144866" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-86206519663933803952011-02-08T19:52:00.005+11:002011-02-08T20:16:01.065+11:00Fred Kay<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxysMvHPKlugKOq0BMgSg9xjlM-JJ_Eh6WL16DZ_PANntKLNIzc4vXdQkpA8vldfNttrcTCAQuq6uNR9ykt3qI3W7LaPB8YooDhj9wAYl5G5JXAPA1uXjMtZwVh05iAaEB8-sLNGxnutl__3-w/s1600/fred+kay.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxysMvHPKlugKOq0BMgSg9xjlM-JJ_Eh6WL16DZ_PANntKLNIzc4vXdQkpA8vldfNttrcTCAQuq6uNR9ykt3qI3W7LaPB8YooDhj9wAYl5G5JXAPA1uXjMtZwVh05iAaEB8-sLNGxnutl__3-w/s400/fred+kay.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571244432029411970" border="0" /></a>Fred Kay was a great boxer and a favorite with crowds at Sydney Stadium. He once advised fellow boxer, the great Jimmy Clabby, "son save your money for when you're old and grey". Rather prophetically, Jimmy replied, "I aint going to be old and grey"<br /><br />Fred's record belies his ability, won 39 (KO 6) lost 20 (KO 6) with 3 draws, but he scored victories over some great boxers - including Jimmy Clabby and Fernand Quendreux<br /><br />Fred was born in Melbourne in 1890 but I have no record of his passing.<br /><br /><br />Below is a photocopy of a report of his victory over Clabby. Click to enlarge<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDryas6b6NgpCWkLz5E6OJtApM4ltYuj5nEdumRTCB_V2z3Q-mJ4x7eStep88yn9xMwBQ1lE6hyphenhyphenTkpHgk4pD6YN5qfu-nsMy5T1RPoLOntC1U3mWaST-xvIFLEkrGi7iL5disDb6gqHetVcN1h/s1600/kay+v+clabby.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDryas6b6NgpCWkLz5E6OJtApM4ltYuj5nEdumRTCB_V2z3Q-mJ4x7eStep88yn9xMwBQ1lE6hyphenhyphenTkpHgk4pD6YN5qfu-nsMy5T1RPoLOntC1U3mWaST-xvIFLEkrGi7iL5disDb6gqHetVcN1h/s400/kay+v+clabby.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571243570696523458" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-27478695583402015382011-01-28T20:17:00.001+11:002011-01-28T20:20:14.228+11:00"Hop" Harry Stone<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgai-BAqR3vX_wpkcx7RC1V353w8R4mxabEgam8jOyc9dwQslWJXNfYusaqSPwlTlODTh1axvrYJbDml0RMueKwb2WT0e-keHBW-dUPiuDvTdXbETX_YplRFNA1UbBluNHZDyAXpjxMOOYfCA7c/s1600/article42702167-5-001.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgai-BAqR3vX_wpkcx7RC1V353w8R4mxabEgam8jOyc9dwQslWJXNfYusaqSPwlTlODTh1axvrYJbDml0RMueKwb2WT0e-keHBW-dUPiuDvTdXbETX_YplRFNA1UbBluNHZDyAXpjxMOOYfCA7c/s400/article42702167-5-001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567163718222246050" border="0" /></a>Out of all the boxers I researched, a few became favorites, even though they were long before my time. One such boxer was the New York born "Hop" Harry Stone, who as a lad, used to sell newspapers at the Bronx Zoo.<br /><br />Harry Stone was both skillful and flamboyant - and a hard worker. He was credited with having over 500 fights, which even in those days was a remarkable achievement.<br /><br />Sadly many of my notes and photocopies have deteriorated over the years - many photocopies were not all that brilliant to begin with!<br /><br />The photo is a report of Harry's death, published in The Cairns Post, 14 December 1950 - courtesy National Library of Australia. Click on the photo to enlarge.<br /><br />The article is hard to read, but below is an electronic attempt at translation<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">SYDNEY, Dec. 12.-"Hop" Harry Stone, one of the most colorful figures in Australian boxing in the 20's, died in Sydney to-day, aged 57.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />A former Australian lightweight boxing champion, "Hop" Harry was the idol of Australia's boxing crowds many years ago, both in Sydney and Melbourne.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />A native of America, he had lived in Australia for many years. In re- cent years he had lived at Marrickville, where he had a business. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />His ring record showed more than 500 fights. He was never knocked out and never lost a fight on a foul. </span> <span style="font-style: italic;">He numbered welterweights, middleweights and heavyweights among his opponents, although his greatest success was in the light- weight class.<br /><br />He took the Australian title in 1920 from Llew Edwards, an Englishman, and lost it the following year to Sid Godfrey</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-75367099464013778582011-01-25T20:55:00.002+11:002011-01-25T20:59:56.325+11:00The passing of Hugh D. McIntosh<div style="text-align: center;">The West Australian 10 February 1942. Click to enlarge<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2e7-0iMVNjIQl_z6VzokAjyopuPWEe-iOym-Rnqq-7qzpmigC6r4n3YF2r-m8PzqaYb39UAX-8OVOYE8LADTS1ihCiItSQMcj4n-gK_2p4xFx-F1shs5AJHrleHYmPzAWY2waAS1E4bKDMzu2/s1600/Mike+Hitchen+Online+Old+Tin+Shed+Sydney+Stadium+Passing+of+Hugh+D+McIntosh.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2e7-0iMVNjIQl_z6VzokAjyopuPWEe-iOym-Rnqq-7qzpmigC6r4n3YF2r-m8PzqaYb39UAX-8OVOYE8LADTS1ihCiItSQMcj4n-gK_2p4xFx-F1shs5AJHrleHYmPzAWY2waAS1E4bKDMzu2/s400/Mike+Hitchen+Online+Old+Tin+Shed+Sydney+Stadium+Passing+of+Hugh+D+McIntosh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566060827328644050" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-3485713573643535432011-01-18T21:06:00.003+11:002011-01-18T21:17:19.562+11:00How Burns and Johnson almost came to blows a week earlyFrom Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW) Monday 21 December 1908. The article describes how Tommy Burns and Jack Johnson almost came to blows a week before their historic fight. It was generaly accepted, it was just a publicity stunt. Click on the photo to see larger image.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_js_dflFoBuDwfmg9N7hISJnvs7DEyewA_6neLFTiJGg5O8uMIj3o5kJFi_vjKB0UCvRFt0gwL6lw1_5GJs4ooN-0ETg04tPxjkHbjC0TvH3ZuleI2D2lxIF4caLGhNZvWt9ZcYIRiZ3ZFZKI/s1600/burns+johnson+dec+1908.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_js_dflFoBuDwfmg9N7hISJnvs7DEyewA_6neLFTiJGg5O8uMIj3o5kJFi_vjKB0UCvRFt0gwL6lw1_5GJs4ooN-0ETg04tPxjkHbjC0TvH3ZuleI2D2lxIF4caLGhNZvWt9ZcYIRiZ3ZFZKI/s400/burns+johnson+dec+1908.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563467331293875922" border="0" /></a></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-47757441913677164362010-12-09T19:56:00.004+11:002010-12-09T20:08:06.260+11:00When Les Darcy was a babysitterWhen I was researching the history of the old Sydney Stadium, I was introduced to a lady named Cathy. Cathy's father had been a well known senior government official and advisor, who used to put on benefits at the Stadium.<br /><br />She told me how Les Darcy and fellow boxer <a href="http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=58164&cat=boxer">Les O’Donnell</a>, would sometimes be enlisted to nurse her.<br /><br />Les O’Donnell was a regular fighter at the stadium, and she described how he became ill and his spine shrank making him shorter than the six footer she remembered.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sydney Morning Herald. July 1931 Click to enlarge</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkLOMkHVuk4lIr2gO9FRjBnDNjMIDOQHK5P6qoULQyR7CVfVlYlnkkhXTT9hNNEJnF_6H-YhC5Vx-3PtdJAl7qT2CH6l6i6xR2H8MNJv7mxaRqBa1BYxqhILuDxE_cXF2qZvcXezRG0SqZPXF/s1600/les+o+donnell.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkLOMkHVuk4lIr2gO9FRjBnDNjMIDOQHK5P6qoULQyR7CVfVlYlnkkhXTT9hNNEJnF_6H-YhC5Vx-3PtdJAl7qT2CH6l6i6xR2H8MNJv7mxaRqBa1BYxqhILuDxE_cXF2qZvcXezRG0SqZPXF/s400/les+o+donnell.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548606462082791954" border="0" /></a><br />Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-60304951466234953042010-12-07T17:57:00.008+11:002010-12-07T19:29:49.164+11:00Hughie Dwyer - 'You don't fight your man in America — you fight the whole family'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXvxQ53swu8qA6XW-t2iAlDTTCRDXaJQL2Zr0dJ35isETD8qm48Kb_KpUIq_IEJZ-fGP_1OO8BzkrS2hYoW97j_Yx3HkNH7I3U8djrzgZTMe5E9FGqfX4l9KshDN9zVVDF6ROVROu0XHfLFKN/s1600/hughie+dwyer+mike+hitchen+online+sydney+stadium+old+tin+shed.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXvxQ53swu8qA6XW-t2iAlDTTCRDXaJQL2Zr0dJ35isETD8qm48Kb_KpUIq_IEJZ-fGP_1OO8BzkrS2hYoW97j_Yx3HkNH7I3U8djrzgZTMe5E9FGqfX4l9KshDN9zVVDF6ROVROu0XHfLFKN/s200/hughie+dwyer+mike+hitchen+online+sydney+stadium+old+tin+shed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547854319980286450" border="0" /></a><a href="http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=88846&cat=boxer"><span style="font-size:100%;">Hughie Dwyer</span></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Place Of Birth</span> Gunnedah, NSW<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Of Birth</span> June 05,1898<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Deceased</span> 28-08-1975<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Height</span> 5′ 7½″ / 171cm<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divisions</span> Middle, Welter and Lightweight<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Titles</span> Middle, Welter and Lightweight<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Record</span> won 37 (KO 12) + lost 13 (KO 4) + drawn 8 = 59 Newspaper Decisions won 1<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stadium Span </span>1922-1924<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The following information is an extract from an undated copy of </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Becketts Budget Weekly (circa 30s)</i></span><br /></div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">From his very start in boxing he showed science in attack and particularly in defense, though he had difficulty with the more powerful and heavier opponents he had to meet in his early efforts, as the result of his better speed against those of his own poundage.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This somewha</span><span lang="EN-US">t marred his early record. Owing to the lack of knowledge of promoters, Dwyer did not get the chance his ability deserved, especially after spending quite a long time as assistant instructor to Dave Smith. Because of this he went to New Zealand. Returned to Australia, defeating such people as, Frank O’Connor, Herb McCoy, Harry Stone, Harry Collins, Sid Godfrey and Billy Grime.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> He then went to America. Damaged his hand. When he returned to Aust</span><span lang="EN-US">ralia his hand was still “on the blink”. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> As is the case with most boxers who do likewise, Dwyers periodical lay offs and comebacks put him well out of his stride.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The West Australian March 1924</span> (transcript of article to the left)<br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Click for larger view</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFWiCO_X-IIoycrVf41jfCvlJA0fnnEYb6b4FcIDe0loENZsdpc7gQeiT7amJicmt9GJvr-KAgi8xyuK0UzydSj2XrtBJ3yzYgja5Fw9_tQnxN8sR1aPphYVVz3HuQuwKy4fZtwCEpMIHayGb/s1600/Hughie+Dwyer+Mike+Hitchen+Online+-+Sydney+Stadium.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFWiCO_X-IIoycrVf41jfCvlJA0fnnEYb6b4FcIDe0loENZsdpc7gQeiT7amJicmt9GJvr-KAgi8xyuK0UzydSj2XrtBJ3yzYgja5Fw9_tQnxN8sR1aPphYVVz3HuQuwKy4fZtwCEpMIHayGb/s400/Hughie+Dwyer+Mike+Hitchen+Online+-+Sydney+Stadium.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547853785607233922" border="0" /></a>With a. suggestion of. disapppintment -colouring his statements, Hughie Dwyer told a representative of the 'West Austrailan' facts concerning his trip abroad<br /><br />Dwyer left Australia about twelve months ago for America, and England, and he returned yesterday on the Orsova.<br /><br />Booked up with a number of .fights ahead, both in America and England, and buoyant with his recent -wins in Australasia, by which he had attained the title of light-weight champion of Australia, and feather, light,welter, and middle weights championships of New Zealand, Dwyer sailed for America.<br /><br />In his first fight be received an injury to his hand, which eventually caused the cancellation of his engagements. In that fight with Jole McCabe he obtained the decision, but was not successful against another opponent a week later. Commenting on boxing in America, Dwyer said it had become commercialised to such a degree that the only persons who obtained any benefit were the promoters, managers, and newspaper men who lived on the game. 'Foreigners have no chance in the States,' said Dwyer, 'and the only fighters that come forward are those that carry around with them their own referees and large entourage.<br /><br />You don't 'fight your man in America — you fight the whole family.' While in America Dwyer saw the Dempsey-Firpo bout He said that the statements that Dempsey is a slogger are incorrect as the world's champion is a fast big man, capable of giving and receiving terrific punishment and a clever fighter.<br /><br />While abroad he did not see any heavyweight that could hope to live in the ring with Dempsey with the possible exception of Harry Wills, who appeared to be a formidable opponent.<br /><br />From America Dwyer journeyed to England, -where he 'was matched to meet Ernie Bice, but acting under medical instructions, he bad to cancel the fight, owing to his hand injuries. He thought it probable that Rice' might come to Australia during this year.<br /><br />In England he found the game clean, but run under old-fashioned rules. Upon an inquiry being made as to why Australian fighters did not succeed in England, Dwyer said that the greatest difficulty appeared to be the matter of acclimatisation. 'You can't breathe in those terrible English fogs, and when you go into even light training your chest simply cries out for some good Australian air,' Dwyer said.<br /><br />It is his wish to get his hand in pro per fighting trim, and to meet anybody of his weight in Australia. 'I ask one thing more,' Dwyer concluded, 'and that is to be given the first fight with any American that comes to Australia, or any imported boxer that lands in the Commonwealth.'<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-30860943998708424982010-12-03T17:36:00.003+11:002010-12-03T17:50:27.601+11:00Bob Fitzsimmons - Ruby Bob<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPPk1vzZnvG5uQ-azuUsgiT_mpw041sTZRgT6grLMeqvbdQd7DSmEIt3I5on9RC6t926SMmCqaZu8sC40I-GY6q3rGD46TREhd3J6qBeaCK4qz4SQbqi3yA5EXKAg9TWkmqEeXucHJTvlr7IB/s1600/bob+fitsimmons.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPPk1vzZnvG5uQ-azuUsgiT_mpw041sTZRgT6grLMeqvbdQd7DSmEIt3I5on9RC6t926SMmCqaZu8sC40I-GY6q3rGD46TREhd3J6qBeaCK4qz4SQbqi3yA5EXKAg9TWkmqEeXucHJTvlr7IB/s200/bob+fitsimmons.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546344685484843986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nickname</span> Ruby Bob<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Place Of Birth</span> Helson Cornwall UK<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Of Birth </span> June 4, 1862<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Deceased</span> Chicago October 23, 1917 (pneumonia)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Height</span> 5ft 11¾<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weight</span> 11st 6lb<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divisions</span> Heavyweight, Light heavyweight, Middleweight <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Titles</span> World Heavyweight, middleweight, light heavyweight <span lang="EN-US"><br /><a href="http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=10552&cat=boxer"><br />BobFitzsimmons</a>, (1862-1917), British-born prizefighter. He was born Robert Prometheus Fitzsimmons in Cornwall, England, and taken as a child to New Zealand. He first fought in the United States in 1890. In 1891 he won the middleweight boxing championship of the world from the American prizefighter Jack “Nonpareil” Dempsey. In 1897 Fitzsimmons became world heavyweight champion by defeating the American prizefighter James Corbett; he held his title until 1899, when he was himself defeated by another American prizefighter, Jim Jeffries. From 1903 to 1905 he held the world light heavyweight title, and he did not retire from competition until 1914, when he was 52 years old and still capable of a remarkable defensive performance.</span> <span lang="EN-US"><br /><br />His link with Australian boxing is that for the first seven years of his remarkable career he fought here and came back at 46 to fight for the national heavyweight crown.</span> <span lang="EN-US"><br /><br />Fitzsimmons astonished crowds not just by his consummate prowess and fearsome punching power, but his very appearance. He was built along the lines of the modern day Detroit bomber Thomas Hearns. At his peak, Fitzsimmons stood a fraction under 6 feet and weighed just under 12 stone. Yet it was nothing for him to meet and beat men of 15 stone and more.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">in 1909 aged 46, he lost in 12 to Bill Lang in Sydney</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-7152392484885388062010-12-02T19:18:00.003+11:002010-12-02T19:27:21.469+11:00Tommy Burns - And an ex-world champion became a parson<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span lang="EN-US">Article dated 16 Mar 1947</span></b></p> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">And an ex-world champion became a parson.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">FACT’S San Francisco Correspondent.</span><br /></div><br />Former world heavyweight champion Tommy Burns is fighting what he calls his greatest fight - against sin. As a pastor of the Church of Brotherhood of Universal Love, the ex-prizefighter has found a new glory, new health, and a new wife.<br /><br /> He told Fact this week that after he lost his title to Negro Jack Johnson on a tumultuous Boxing Night in Sydney in 1908, he felt vaguely dissatisfied with life and his health suffered.<br /> Hunting for something<br /><br />Said Burns quietly: “I always felt I had been hunting for something, but did not know what. I did not find it in the fame and money in the prizering. I went through my money anyway.”<br /><br /> “Sixteen years ago in New York I was crippled by arthritis and I thought I would never walk again. But when religion found me and I found that when you healed the mind you healed the body - and when you heal the mind, you heal the world.”<br /><br /> With his faith his legs strengthened. He drifted to the West Coast, began preaching in a little Seattle church. Burns came to California last year, met and wooed anew a woman he had first met 43 years ago in Detroit. They married last July.<br /><br /> Now 65 and grey, he is a soft spoken man who lives in California’s sunshine in a little cottage surrounded by flowers at Coalinga near the city of Fresno.<br /><br /> The glories of his fistic past mean little to Burns now. Said he “If I had my life over again, I would not be a boxer.”<br /><br /> A grand people<br /><br />“Not that I disapprove of boxing or have forgotten my boxing career. When I lost in Sydney in 1908, the Australian people treated me as if I had won. They are grand people.<br /> He intends to renounce his British citizenship and become an American on June 9th (he was born in Hanover, Canada.) <br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">Miscellaneous Notes.</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">In his fight with Jack Johnson he was badly marked and suffered a twisted ankle.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">Most experts, and Burns himself agrees, that he never recovered from the uppercut that put him down in the first round.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">He insists that on the morning of the fight he weighed under 12 stone (weights were announced as Johnson 13 st 10 lbs and Burns 12 st 0½ lb. Most accounts say Johnson was much heavier, anything upto 15 stone.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">After the fight, he made a quick recovery and drove to the Blue Mountains the next day.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">Burns thinks that police stopped the fight because a rumor went around the Stadium that he had broken his jaw.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">Opened a string of hotels in the North of England. He had also been an insurance agent, Box Lacrosse promoter, café proprietor and hockey player.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">Some reports deny Johnson was in hospital after the fight.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">Eugene Corri, the English boxing referee, described him as unpopular, insolent and arrogant. He claimed he was known as “Emperor Burns.”</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">Burns was involved in a brawl with England’s Joe Beckett in an hotel corridor in Leeds (Burns won easily, in what was mostly a wrestle).</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">When his prodigy Jack Lester was billed to fight at the Stadium, Burns was in Melbourne. At this time the Stadium was unroofed. Concerned about the size of the gate, he asked Lester to wire him as to how the crowd “rolled up”. Soon after 8 o’clock a message came, “Thousands turned away. Jack.” A delighted Burns retired to dream of happy financial days when his percentage of the Stadium cheque came through. Next morning he read in a newspaper “A terrific last minute thunderstorm caused thousands to be turned away from Sydney Stadium last night when the international fight was postponed.”</span></span><br /></p><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-81216300458549112682010-11-30T17:10:00.004+11:002010-11-30T17:36:05.176+11:00Lethal right hook made Sid Godfrey a champ<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgLZvsnOOV5WBuI7Pzfe57A7_RwP6haLA-nejT-X74Nzm1wWFjBJ1KsGVyvNEXUjxVapu0ltMpIxM0WT_-gnauiJ0nJMoKb2OgfH13_d1dCrqWS05M61QBDOSQqFqvmIPX5Epv6snzOTVeHRW/s1600/sid+godfrey+mike+hitchen+sydney+stadium.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 118px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgLZvsnOOV5WBuI7Pzfe57A7_RwP6haLA-nejT-X74Nzm1wWFjBJ1KsGVyvNEXUjxVapu0ltMpIxM0WT_-gnauiJ0nJMoKb2OgfH13_d1dCrqWS05M61QBDOSQqFqvmIPX5Epv6snzOTVeHRW/s200/sid+godfrey+mike+hitchen+sydney+stadium.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545227378102984626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Name</span> <a href="http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=59616&cat=boxer">Sid Godfrey </a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Place Of Birth </span> Raglan NSW<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Of Birth</span> 20 August 1897<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Deceased </span>1965<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Height</span> 5’ 7”<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weight</span> 9st 8lb<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divisions</span> Featherweight, Lightweight<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Titles</span> Featherweight, Lightweight<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Record </span>won 52 (KO 27) + lost 15 (KO 4) + drawn 10<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fights At Stadium</span><br />Patsy Brannigan pts 20 Sid Godfrey 04 Nov 1916<br />Sid Godfrey ko 17 Patsy Brannigan 25 Nov 1916<br />Jimmy Hill pts 20 Sid Godfrey 01 Jan 1917<br />Sid Godfrey ko 11 Frank Thorn 07 May 1917<br />Tommy Ryan pts 20 Sid Godfrey 21 May 1917<br />Sid Godfrey ko 15 Wave Geike 21 Jul 1917<br />Vince Blackburn pts 20 Sid Godfrey 18 Aug 1917<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 Vince Blackburn 27 Oct 1917<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 Vince Blackburn 27 Oct 1917<br />Sid Godfrey drew 20 Vince Blackburn 12 Jan 1918<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 Sam Saunders 25 Jan 1919<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 Harry Holmes 14 Feb 1920<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 Harry Holmes 06 Mar 1920<br />Sid Godfrey ko 2 Digger Evans 20 Mar 1920<br />Jackie Green pts 20 Sid Godfrey 05 Apr 1920<br />Sid Godfrey ko 8 Rug Macario 29 May 1920<br />Sid Godfrey wf 7 Joe Symonds 17 Jul 1920<br />Jimmy Hill drew 20 Sid Godfrey 04 Sep 1920<br />Sid Godfrey wf 8 Silvano Jamito 02 Oct 1920<br />Sid Godfrey ko 9 Arthur Wynns 26 Dec 1920<br />Eugene Criqui ko 10 Sid Godfrey 05 Feb 1921<br />Sid Godfrey wf 15 Francisco Flores 26 Mar 1921<br />Llew Edwards pts 20 Sid Godfrey 02 Apr 1921<br />Sid Godfrey ko 17 Cabanella Dencio 14 May 1921<br />Sid Godfrey ko 2 Leo Patterson 25 Jun 1921<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 Llew Edwards 23 Jul 1921<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 Harry Stone 20 Aug 1921<br />Sid Godfrey ko 9 Pat Mills 15 Oct 1921<br />Sid Godfrey wf 17 Tommy O'Brien 29 Oct 1921<br />Sid Godfrey drew 20 Bert Spargo 04 Feb 1922<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 Billy McCann 18 Mar 1922<br />Sid Godfrey drew 20 Bert Spargo 15 Apr 1922<br />Sid Godfrey ko 5 Tommy Cello 08 Jul 1922<br />Hughie Dwyer pts 20 Sid Godfrey 14 Oct 1922<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 Harry Collins 17 Feb 1923<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 George Eagel 24 Mar 1923<br />Sid Godfrey ko 20 Archie Bradley 26 May 1923<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 Luis Plees 22 Dec 1923<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 Bert Spargo 26 Jan 1924<br />Sid Godfrey ko 12 Eddie Butcher 29 Mar 1924<br />Sid Godfrey drew 20 Archie Bradley 12 Apr 1924<br />Sid Godfrey drew 20 Billy Grime 10 May 1924<br />Harry Collins ko 10 Sid Godfrey 11 Apr 1925<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Random Jottings</span><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">Won featherweight title from Vince Blackburn 1915</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">Won Lightweight title from Harry Stone in 1921</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US">Fought epic fight with Eugene Criqui</span></span><br /></p><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The following article was published in The Daily Mirror Saturday June 1, 1957<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >LETHAL RIGHT HOOK MADE SID GODFREY A CHAMP</span><br /></div><br />FIFTEEN thousand avid boxing fans thronged to Sydney Stadium on the night of February 5, 1921, to cheer on local idol Sid Godfrey against the devastating French importation, Eugene <a href="http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=9863&cat=boxer">Criqui</a>. Already the visitor had humbled the cream of Australia’s boxing talent. Tough, hard hitting Godfrey was almost the only possibility left to defend the national ring honor. He did his best, and for six rounds gave Criqui a boxing lesson. Then his strength began to wane from the<br />drastic weight reduction the French camp had cagily insisted on. The hushed crowd saw the gallant Australian made a chopping block. Finally in the tenth he took the count - but was far from disgraced. The man who beat him went on to win a world title.<br /><br /> Veteran of some 125 fights, Sid Godfrey won all but a bare dozen or so. At different times he won both the Australian featherweight and light weight titles.<br /><br /> One of the greatest draw cards in the history of the Australian ring, he earned £20,000 in eight years of boxing when the pound was really a pound.<br /><br /> He fought 25 importation’s, many of them world rated stars, and for aggression, crowd pleasing fighting spirit and power laden punching took second place to none.<br /><br /> Generally considered in the first three Australian lightweights of all time, Sid Godfrey and his famous lethal right hand punch carved themselves a permanent place in our ring history and in the hearts of thousands of fans. <br /><br /> Sid Godfrey was born on his parents’ farm at Raglan, near Bathurst, on August 20 1897. His father was interested in boxing and fitted up a ring in one of the barns.<br /><br /> There from the age of 12, young Sid took on youngsters for miles round. Two years later he moved to Sydney in search of amateur honors.<br /><br /> Settled at Auburn, he went to work for a blacksmith at 5 shillings a week and began entering amateur tournaments then popular around the suburbs.<br /><br />In One of these affairs at Merrylands, Godfrey won every fight except one by a knockout - sometimes vanquishing four opponents in one night.<br /><br /> When he got a rise in wages, he was able to afford 2/6 for a weekly lesson from old time lightweight champion Jim Barron.<br /><br /> A star of the boxing “Golden Age” in the 1890’s, whose proudest record was a twenty round draw with Young Griffo, Barron conducted boxing classes at St. Benedict’s School in Abercombie Street, Redfern.<br /><br /> While sparring there one evening in 1916, Sid Godfrey impressed Snowy Baker who was then promoting at Sydney Stadium.<br /><br /> As a result he turned professional. He won his first bout against Luke Wright by a knockout in six rounds and was soon battering his way through the grueling twenty rounders then common.<br /> Work at the smithy had developed a strong right arm. Young Godfrey won a following among Stadium regulars as he dispatched most of his opponents with a right hook.<br /><br /> In his second year as a professional Godfrey collected the Australian featherweight tile from Vince Blackburn.<br /><br />He held it for three years until beaten by Jackie Green in 1920.<br /><br /> One of Godfrey’s 1917 victories was in Melbourne over Jack Jannesse when because of the widespread strike that year purses were very poor.<br /><br /> Each boxer received only £10. Godfrey had to pay his return fare from Sydney out of that, but he was still probably better off than Jannesse.<br /><br /> For 16 rounds the Melbourne boy took a fearful hiding before he finally collapsed and was counted out.<br /><br /> Godfrey had no wish to punish his opponent unnecessarily - particularly for a mere £10. From the bell he sailed into action to end it quickly.<br /><br /> Jannesse was soon punched into a semi-coma as Godfrey’s wicked right kept toppling him to the canvas.<br /><br /> Each time, however, he dazedly climbed back to his feet and walked up to continue the battle.<br /> Godfrey’s face blanched at the prospect of further belting into the almost helpless Victorian.<br /> “Go down Jack,” he hissed. “You don’t want to get killed for a tenner do you?”<br /> Jannesse took no notice. Godfrey winced with each punch and pleaded with him to stop taking the sickening punishment.<br /><br /> His words seemed to fall on deaf ears. The beating up continued round after round.<br /> In the 16th, Godfrey pushed his opponent as he seemed to fall forward into a clinch. Jannesse toppled over and lay still.<br /><br /> He was counted out and the fight was over. Godfrey shrugged. Next day he questioned his opponent.<br /><br /> “Why did you take such a hiding Jack?” he asked. “That was worth more than a tenner. You should have gone down as I told you.”<br /><br /> Jannesse grinned and explained: “I didn’t hear you Sid. I don’t remember a thing after the second round - I must have been out on my feet.”<br /><br /> Godfrey was climbing rapidly in Australian boxing. In 1918 he had 18 fights and was beaten only twice .<br /><br /> The following year, unable to get enough fights at home to keep him busy, he tried his luck in the Philippines.<br /><br /> At Manila, lonely and homesick, he met the whirlwind Cabanella Dencio, and suffered one of the few knockouts of his career - in the first round.<br /><br /> Godfrey proved his Manila form was all wrong when the Filipino arrived in Australia in 1921. He evened the score with a ko win in the 17th.<br /><br /> By 1920, Godfrey had proved himself in international class with victories over visiting overseas stars.<br /><br /> His victims included the clever English featherweight Joe Symonds (one of the cagiest boxers ever to visit Australia), the highly rated Arthur Wyns (featherweight champion of Europe_ and the rugged Filipino Salvino Jamito.<br /><br /> Symonds gave Godfrey a torrid time with one of the most vicious exhibitions of foul fighting ever seen at Sydney Stadium .<br /><br /> He specialized in a backward blow known as a “Shamrock.” Designed to injure an opponents face, it utilized the back of the wrist and the elbow.<br /><br /> Symonds made it doubly effective with a special corkscrew action and took heavy toll of Godfrey’s features in the early rounds.<br /><br />Godfrey gave back better he got. Four times his hurricane right put Symonds down, starting in the first round.<br /><br /> By the third the Englishman had been knocked down twice. Godfrey’s heavier punching had him staggering.<br /><br /> He retaliated with his shamrock, illegally tearing Godfrey’s mouth with a swipe of his wrist.<br /> Referee Joe Wallis warned him. Godfrey came bounding in with his own chastisement.<br /><br /> His right shot out in a bone jolting blow to Symond’s jaw. The Englishman was bowled over like a rabbit.<br /><br /> The Stadium crowd was roaring with excitement and let go a cheer as the plucky little pug from Plymouth hauled himself to his feet at the count of eight.<br /><br /> Again Godfrey let go his right hand wallop and Symonds was on the floor once more. He was up at nine, when the bell saved him from a certain finisher Godfrey was winding up.<br /><br /> In the fourth Symonds surprisingly emerged with new strength. That round and the next he took the offensive, cruelly flailing the Australian’s injured mouth with blatant shamrocks whenever he got close.<br /><br /> Referee Joe Wallis warned him repeatedly, but was somehow impressed with the wily Englishman’s repeated apologies and smiling protestations that he would not offend again.<br /> Godfrey’s punching was getting wilder and less accurate as his temper rose. In the seventh he unleashed a furious assault to end it quickly.<br /><br /> Symonds clinched. The crowd booed angrily as he fouled Godfrey again and again with shamrocks.<br /><br /> There was no alternative for the referee but to disqualify him and crown Godfrey winner on a foul.<br /> <br />Godfrey’s fight with the Belgian star Arthur Wyns on December 26th , 1920, definitely proved he was in world class. Wyns had a win over Criqui in his record as well as the European title in his pocket.<br /><br /> The Stadium, as usual for Godfrey’s bouts was packed. He was a sensational puncher and crowds invariably turned up for the thrilling action that was always a feature of his bouts.<br /><br /> They were not disappointed with his affray with Wyns. Both men forced the fight from the opening bell, trading punch for punch, round after round.<br /><br /> Each man launched regular, vicious two fisted offensives and the fortunes see-sawed. Each flurry of blows resulted only in rousing his opponent to step up his own attack.<br /><br /> By the ninth, the more experienced Wyns was considered to be in front on points. Godfrey gambled on a knockout blow and took dire punishment to maneuver the Belgian into his sights.<br /> He retreated. The tough Wyns followed, his arms pounding like pistons into Godfrey’s body.<br /><br />Pinned on the ropes, the Australian was obvisouly wilting under the hurricane barrage.<br /> To the crowd it seemed only seconds before Godfrey must go down and Wyns win by a knockout. They underestimated their own idol.<br /><br /> Godfrey took all Wyns could deliver. He was coolly waiting for the break that was inevitable sooner or later in his opponents onslaught.<br /><br /> It came. Wyns nearly exhausted stepped back. Momentarily he dropped his arms.<br /> With the speed of a rapier thrust, Godfrey’s deadly right came over. Straight as a bullet it sped to the target and landed flush on Wyns temple.<br /><br /> Godfrey’s swarms of supporters cheered him to the echo. Standing on their seats to get a better view, they yelled derisively at Wyns as he made a forlorn<br />attempt to rise before Joe Wallis counted him out.<br /><br /> Then a lightweight , Godfrey had already paid the penalty of drastic weight reduction when he lost his featherweight title to Jackie Green in 1920.<br /><br /> He made the same mistake against Frenchman Eugene Criqui whose manager insisted he make 9 stone.<br /><br /> Forced to take 12 lb of quickly, he had almost nothing to eat or drink for the last couple of days before the fight.<br /><br /> He left himself a weakened shell of the great fighter he was. Only his iron will to win kept him going until the inevitable defeat in the 10th round.<br /><br /> Godfrey was satisfied with the then enormous purse of £780, and tried to lure Criqui into a return at a 9 st 5 lb limit.<br /><br /> The Frenchman politely, but firmly declined and went back to Europe, where he defeated Johnny Kilbane for the world featherweight title.<br /><br />For all his torrid encounters with imported boxers, Godfrey’s hardest opponent was probably the rough and rugged Queenslander Archie Bradley known variously as the “Gympie Tiger,” “man-eater,” and “Killer.”<br /><br /> They first met at Brisbane in 1921. Bradley brought into play almost every illegal trick in boxing.<br /> He fought like a ferocious wild bull and the locals loved for it. He belted into Godfrey whenever he stepped back after being ordered to break.<br /><br /> Several times he threw Godfrey out of the ring and rocked him with savage punches as he climbed back.<br /><br /> Bradley did everything but bite. After 20 rounds of what Godfrey called the “Marquess of Queensland Rules,” Bradley got the decision.<br /><br /> Two years later after Godfrey had won the lightweight title championship from “Hop” Harry Stone, Archie Bradley arrived in Sydney with a challenge.<br /><br /> Godfrey k.o.’d him in the 20th, but always said “The Gympie Tiger” was his hardest opponent. It was the first time Bradley had ever been knocked off his feet.<br /><br /> In 1923 Hughie Dwyer - a more brilliant boxer but without Godfrey’s punching power - won the lightweight title from him on points with clever tactics and generalship.<br /><br /> Godfrey was well fixed financially and considering retirement. He owned a city hotel and business was his first concern.<br /><br /> His ring appearances became fewer in 1924. He beat Bert Spargo and Eddie Butcher, drew with Billy Grime and then virtually retired.<br /><br /> A year passed. Godfrey’s weight climbed to 11 stone. A promoter then offered him £850 to fight the sensational Harry Collins for the welterweight title.<br /><br /> The money lured Godfrey back. He threw himself into strenuous training. But when he climbed into the ring on April 11th, 1925, he was still slow and flabby and not a shadow of the former lightweight tornado.<br /><br /> Collins outweighed him and he had run out of gas by the eighth round.<br /><br /> His last desperate throw was a famous Godfrey right which caught Collins flush on the chin in the ninth, but the big welter was able to hang on and finish the round.<br /><br /> In the 10th Sid Godfrey was himself knocked out. One of the greatest Australian boxing careers was finished.<br /><br /> Godfrey returned to the hotel business, in which he continues to this day.<br /> Of his tough boxing years he know says: “I wouldn’t like to go through them again.”<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Following Article By W.F. CORBETT Was Published In The Sun October 28, 1944 </span><br /></div><br />Memories of weight making Sid Godfrey, ex lightweight champion of Australia are like the sweating horror of a child waking from a bad dream. Reducing to the featherweight limit of 9 stone to fight grim, slashing Frenchman Eugene Criqui in 1921, was an agony of body and soul.<br /><br />Sid with his characteristic long rolling stride and still fairly trim figure is today proprietor of “The Horse and Jockey Hotel” in Parramatta Road, Homebush.<br /><br />“ I tremble to think of the torment I went through making my weight. I was as tall as I was now (5’ 7”) and to fight Criqui I was under the feather limit.”<br /><br />Criqui with savage, merciless attacks, stopped the weakened Godfrey in the tenth round before a mass of people, many of whom burst in through the Stadium’s main doors and avalanched down the aisle to ringside.<br /><br />“My fight prior to Criqui was with Arthur Wynns, whom I had in 10. I weighed 9st 5lb and 9st 12lb when I commenced to train for the Criqui fight. Ultimately I got down to 9st 5lb but discovered that though I would reduce 2lbs, I would put 1lb back on again. Even so, I went down to 9st 4lb and 9st 3lb. At this stage I would lose 1lb and build up 2. I couldn’t raise a perspiration, and in the sweat box the bulbs were burning me. I decided the only chance I had to make the weight was not to eat at all. All I eat for 2½ days wouldn’t amount to one square meal.<br /><br />Then at 7:30 on the night of the fight I weighed in at 8st 13¾. Immediately after I drank a pint of milk and eggs. It was one of the worst things I could have done. Not as long as I live, will I forget that ordeal, it was a killer.”<br /><br />Now he plays golf. He weighed 13 stone when he first started playing, but is now little more than 11 stone.<br /><br />The cleverest men he fought he says was Jimmy Hill and Jackie Green and the hardest hitter American Tommy O’ Brien, who introduced the old soup basin haircut which was so fashionable among young bloods at the time. He rates Archie Bradley the toughest. He is convinced Vince Blackburn would have won the world bantamweight title if he would have gone after it when he was at his best.<br /><br />In 1919 he announced his retirement. Jack Munro met him by chance and suggested he make a comeback at the Hippodrome. He replied that he would never be a draw card. Munro persuaded him. He had another 35 fights netting £7000 in 5 years, making £15000 for Stadiums Ltd.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The following is an unfinished article from scrapbook 33 of the Bert Cox Collection. It is written by Bill Lawless (“Solar Plexus”) and parts may be inaccurate.</span><br /></div><br />If it could be claimed that Sid Godfrey was the equal in ability to such previous lightweight champions as Keys, Mehegan, McCoy, Dwyer, Llew Edwards, Jack Hall, he could console himself with the fact that he was such a better drawcard than those mentioned, that in one or two contests alone, he earned more than did some of the other top liners in the whole course of their careers.<br /><br />Another strange feature concerning this worthy fellow is the fact that at one point of his career, he was so sick and tired of boxing for next to nothing, that at one point he seriously considered giving up. However he didn’t and eventually made sufficient money to invest wisely in the hotel business.<br /><br />He began boxing in amateur tournaments in Granville in 1914, in which he failed to win any honors. The first published account of his career was early in 1915 at an amateur tournament in Auburn, where he won the final of the featherweight competition . A little while later he won a similar tournament, but also won the lightweight final.<br /><br />In 1916 he began his professional career with a six round knock out of a promising and hard hitting youth called Luke Wright. He then figured in twelve bouts, winning six by knock out.<br /><br />Early in 1917, he was well beaten by brilliant former featherweight Jimmy Hill who scaled 9st 6½lb. In Feb 1917 he as ko’d in 14 by Bert Spargo. After a defeat against Wave Geike (whom he had previously beaten) he ko’d Frank Thorn twice, then knocked out Wave Geike in 15. Returning to Sydney he cleverly outpointed Tommy Ryan.<br /><br />He tried to win the featherweight crown from Vince Blackburn, but lost on points. However, in October 1917, he won the title in a questionable points decision over Blackburn.<br /><br />In 1917, he fought an Aboriginal featherweight, Sandy McVea, who took a terrible battering for 11 rounds. The referee should have stopped the fight around the sixth round, or failing that his corner should have thrown in the towel. However, it was rumored that a certain individual had bet that McVea would last ten rounds.<br /><br />In 1918, he had another fight with Blackburn and although he was declared the winner on points, he lost the featherweight title because he was overweight.<br /><br />From then until the end of 1918, he was beaten on points by Jimmy Hill and Llew Edwards and was extremely lucky in having a drawn decision with Blackburn, for in the 8th round he accidentally sent a right below the belt and the contest was stopped by police.<br /><br />In 1919 he beat Bob Williams at Sydney Stadium on a TKO in 20 rounds for the lightweight championship of NSW. He then went to Manila He was a sick man. He fought a draw with Flores, but was ko’d in one round by Dencio. He returned to Australia and defeated Eugene Volaire in Brisbane.<br /><br />It was about this time that he sincerely thought about quitting. But the wheel of fortune turned his way by a stream of French, English and Filipino boxers.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-32415361832579979852010-11-26T20:40:00.007+11:002010-11-26T21:12:08.899+11:00Arthur Cripps - three good teeth and several stumps<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxKFgtdD6h1lbrQ_Cz_mfRJ9IXhsJ6SbgMIuR8q3IkahBV9cv46y2T5_TXRDG3TpNX2MAVc6nCEYXxc9TUIB3Aex6cZ-aEfXeYssTVJ8R-ZqCxe5Z9xQX-eByrmn3qPtNL2dmcBaHIoIZfDyu/s1600/Arthur+Cripps+peter+felix+bert+cox.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxKFgtdD6h1lbrQ_Cz_mfRJ9IXhsJ6SbgMIuR8q3IkahBV9cv46y2T5_TXRDG3TpNX2MAVc6nCEYXxc9TUIB3Aex6cZ-aEfXeYssTVJ8R-ZqCxe5Z9xQX-eByrmn3qPtNL2dmcBaHIoIZfDyu/s200/Arthur+Cripps+peter+felix+bert+cox.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543796839863231570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Place Of Birth.</span> Sydney NSW<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Of Birth.</span> 08 Jan 1879<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Deceased.</span> 04 Sep 1934 <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Height.</span> 5’9”<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weight.</span> 11 st 4 lb<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divisions.</span> Middleweight, Heavyweight<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Titles.</span> Australian Middleweight, 1903-1905, 1906-1909<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Record.</span> won 33 (KO 14) + lost 11 (KO 3) + drawn 3 Newspaper Decisions won : lost 1 <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stadium Career. </span>1909-1911<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Career Span.</span> 1902-1914<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fights At The Stadium: 1909 - 1911</span><br /><br />Rudy Unholz pts 20 10 Nov 1909<br />Dave Smith drew 20 29 Nov 1909<br /><br />Gunner Moir koby 7 23 Feb 1910<br />Ed Williams pts 20 11 Mar 1910<br />Dave Smith lpts 20 12 Oct 1910<br /><br />Jimmy Clabby koby 15 18 Nov 1911<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">Random Jottings<br /></div><ul><li>Member of AIF team. (Australian Imperial Force)<br /></li><li>A benefit night of boxing was held for him at the Stadium, shortly before his death. He had been ill for some time.</li><li>Traveled to many places and ended up in New York, knocking out Joe Williams in two rounds</li><li>Returned to Australia and on 09 August 1904 fought Jack Thompson for the third time. Fought a twenty round draw with giant Peter Felix. This was followed by a win on a foul against Bill Squires, when he cleverly threw himself in such a way that the referee thought he had been thrown, and promptly disqualified Squires.</li><li>Born in Victoria Street, Sydney. His father was a well known medico and his mother an accomplished lady with a “glorious voice”.</li><li>He spent much time in Queensland, and on several occasions represented the Queensland Football team.</li><li>He claimed that after being trained by Austin, he never suffered a black eye or a bloody nose.</li><li>Late in his career he fought Jerry Jerome and was offered £1.00 per round during Jerome’s stay in the ring. “One can well imagine he carried Jerry who however, beat the ex champion when the latter was at the end of his tether.”</li><li>Taught by Big Jim Austin, one of the cleverest trainers of the time, who saw him in a crude effort against Bill McCarthy, at the Gaiety Hall in Sydney in Jul 1902. </li><li>From that time, until November, he was not allowed to fight until Jim Austin was satisfied. Following his previous amateurish performance, he was not given much of a chance against clever and capable Harry Dawson, but he had advanced sufficiently to KO him in eighteen rounds .</li><li>In 1903, he dethroned middleweight champion Jack Thompson. He then went to South Africa, where he was beaten by Irishman Mike Williams, who was then the South African champion.</li></ul><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Article From “The Referee”, date unknown.</span><br /></div><br /> Dear old Arthur Cripps, one of the best middleweights Australia has had. When he took his teeth out, Arthur’s jaws fell in, his chin thrust out and his mouth slitted in a thin straight line.<br /><br /> But he was not entirely fangless. He had three good teeth and several stumps. But boxing was not responsible for the gaps. He lost several teeth on the football field. He was a first class Rugby Union player.<br /><br /> Arthur retired from football. He had nine teeth left and his fiancee declared an ultimatum. Cripps was in love, so he took to boxing.<br /><br />Long years afterwards, Cripps told me , that when he was at the peak of his career, he never received £100 for a fight, “But when I was through as a fighter, McIntosh sprouted as a promoter, and I got more money out of four fights, than I collected in all the years I was champion.”<br /><br /> In his early boxing years, he ran a two up school as a sideline. This is no reflection on his character.<br /><br /> He was an honest man and he conducted a “square” game. But his efforts to keep it clean, cost him six of his teeth. So he quit the gaming house and carried on with three.<br /><br /> Mouthguards were not worn in those days, but I never saw Arthur sporting a cut or lacerated lip. He was a brilliant boxer, a man four square in and out of the ring.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Involvement with AIF.</span><br /><br />Arthur Cripps, was selected as Heavyweight, but his place was taken by Corp. R.G. Stephenson, so he could enter the light-heavyweight tournament. However, Cripps was prevented by constant illness from competing.<br /><br />Cripps was not keen on fighting for the AIF, stating, “I’m after a spot of real fighting.”<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Brisbane Cour</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">ier July 1935</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXDvzvTgtjUkSWp7y4PTvFMrXLJYcxsshWQAeWnnVAD6rz23lCAyn3DNXJMo13h82AJMy5Kq8kgdiilKEBGNen9BBY2eq_tUPkcxIgq6vi2wqazfUw81Jok32w1hpr_lc-Sj4PjmsRSKeMTFg/s1600/article36769811-5-001.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXDvzvTgtjUkSWp7y4PTvFMrXLJYcxsshWQAeWnnVAD6rz23lCAyn3DNXJMo13h82AJMy5Kq8kgdiilKEBGNen9BBY2eq_tUPkcxIgq6vi2wqazfUw81Jok32w1hpr_lc-Sj4PjmsRSKeMTFg/s400/article36769811-5-001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543798682072502002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><br /><br />Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All r</span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >ights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-80295001293171201562010-11-25T19:44:00.003+11:002010-11-30T17:20:03.356+11:00Llew Edwards<span style="font-weight: bold;">Name</span> Llew Edwards <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Place Of Birth</span> Porth, Wales<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Of Birth</span> 1894<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date of Death:</span> 1965<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divisions</span> Lightweight<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Titles</span> Australian Lightweight<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Record</span> Fights 93, 35 ko, 33 wpts, 4 wf, 6 draws ,7 lpts, 5 koby, 1 nc, 2 nd<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stadium Span</span> 1915 - 1921<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fights At Stadium</span><br /><br />Llew Edwards ko 2 Jimmy Hill 18 Dec 1915<br />Llew Edwards pts 20 Roughhouse Burns 29 Apr 1916<br />Llew Edwards pts 20 Herb McCoy 27 May 1916<br />Llew Edwards ko 2 Jimmy Hill 27 Jan 1917<br />Llew Edwards ko 18 Herb McCoy 10 Feb 1917<br />Llew Edwards ko 20 Herb McCoy 10 Mar 1917<br />Llew Edwards ko 2 Matty Smith 04 Aug 1917<br />Llew Edwards ko 13 Eddie Wallace 27 Dec 1919<br />Llew Edwards pts 20 Sid Godfrey 02 Apr 1921<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 Llew Edwards 23 Jul 1921<br />Llew Edwards wf 11 Jack Suddington 12 Nov 1921<br />Tommy O'Brien ko 7 Llew Edwards 26 Nov 1921<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">The following article is taken from a newspaper clipping dated Oct, 13 1939.<br /></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Llew Edwards was a Lonsdale belt holder and featherweight champion of Great Britain when he came to this country. His first fight here was against Jimmy Hill for the Empire title, which Llew won.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">These feats and facts are forgotten by fight fans today for more than 20 years have elapsed since Llew wore those crowns, but there is one title he held that will be remembered as long as is his name. One of the greatest two handed fighters and crowd pleasers who ever came to Australia is a title he will never lose.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Llew is a product of Wales, that little country that gave this world such champions as Welsh, Wilde and Driscoll.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">He was 19 when he had his first fight, and before coming to Australia he beat Owen Moran in an elimination series for the featherweight title of Great Britain.</span></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Australian fight fans took to Llew Edwards like a duck takes to water. He was the answer to a promoters dream with his non stop, two handed style of fighting. A clean living boy who trained assiduously, he was always ready to step into the ring, never quibbling where, when, or whom he fought.</span></p><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US">In one month he had as many as four fights covering Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. These are the reasons for Llew Edwards being one of the most popular overseas fighters with fans and promoters alike.</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">After fighting Jimmy Hill, Frank Thorn, Geo Taylor, Bert Spargo and a few other top-notchers, Llew went to the Philippines in 1919 with Vince Blackburn, Tommy Ryan, Harry Holmes and Owen Cairns.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In four contests there he was unbeaten and made history in licking the immortal Dencio Cabanella.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">On his return to Australia he had four or five fights and then went to America. Poor Llew never got warm from the day he landed until the day he left. In the Philippines the tropical heat was almost unbearable; he got back to Australia in the middle of a very hot summer, but on reaching Chicago walked into a climate with a temperature 20 below zero.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">His first fight in the land of Uncle Sam was against Ritchie Mitchell, one of the best lightweights in the world. Llew lost and the only excuse he offers is that Mitchell was by far the best fighter he ever met.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Llew had three or four more fights, but could not get acclimatized, so went back to England, had one fight, and then came back to Australia, where he has been ever since.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">That was in 1920 and he went on fighting the best until he met Harry Stone in 1922. During that fight he was faced with the realization that his eyesight was failing. His sense of distance and timing was all wrong. There and then he decided to quit - and he did.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">He had earned a fortune with his fists, but like most people to whom wealth comes quickly, he spent freely. Unfortunately for him, he did not pay enough attention to the business end of fighting. He left that to others, and when he finished, instead of having plenty, the cupboard was bare. There was nothing left for him but hard work.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Llew took this blow just as he had taken punches - with a smile - and for a while he capitalized his name with a boxing booth. After that he worked behind a hotel bar for a year or so, when he came to Melbourne and got a job as assistant boiler attendant.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">While in that place he attended night school and got his own ticket to tend boilers, but unfortunately most boilers today are so made that they mind themselves.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Llew has no kick with the way the cards have fallen. He can still smile and has his health. If he had his time over, he says he would sit in on the same game.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">Random Jottings<br /></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">Australian lightweight champion. Beat McCoy on points at the end of 1916.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">Not clever, nor was he a stylist, but possessed untiring energy.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">Could deliver a fair punch and take them unflinchingly and maintain a good pace for twenty rounds.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">As training he was made to box twenty rounds a day. Had his training schedule been less, he might have been boxing, longer and better.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">Started boxing at 19. Arrived in Australia in 1916 and was at his best. Had 44 fights here.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">Met Sid Godfrey three times. Won first and second on points, badly beaten in third.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">KO’d by Ritchie Mitchell in Milwaukee.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">In England beat Jack Regan three times. Returned to U.S. and had ND with Laelar and Noye. KO’d in two by Clonie Tate.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">Returning to Australia outpointed Volaire and Godfrey. Beaten by Harry Stone. KO’d Dick Johnson in Sydney.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">Non drinker, non smoker.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Symbol;" lang="EN-US"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">Tried to become a teacher of boxing</span></span></span><br /></p><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-36789402249737192772010-11-23T13:13:00.004+11:002010-11-23T13:22:13.545+11:00George Chip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ohAUgR7GfEwJm-gZz97AGcUUFpQEmsvHvIORdbInjrkFvvDtsmzU3R6M-R6dY0TOONQK7psvSoIESVwhw_TJgAYhLEhZhZZ1RftaiIpDYCAihITZ4BW8efGhrnw0_ZCVEf1lpWGJy6i0upGH/s1600/canvas.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ohAUgR7GfEwJm-gZz97AGcUUFpQEmsvHvIORdbInjrkFvvDtsmzU3R6M-R6dY0TOONQK7psvSoIESVwhw_TJgAYhLEhZhZZ1RftaiIpDYCAihITZ4BW8efGhrnw0_ZCVEf1lpWGJy6i0upGH/s200/canvas.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542564585569546402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Photo: Bert Cox Collection</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Name:</span> George Chip<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Real Name:</span> George Chipulonis<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Place Of Birth:</span> Scranton, Pa.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Of Birth:</span> 25th August, 1888<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Deceased:</span> 06th November, 1960<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</span> 5’8”<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</span> 158 lbs<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divisions:</span> Middleweight<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Titles:</span> A claimant to the world middleweight title.<br /><br />Won 42 (KO 35) + lost 16 (KO 3) + drawn 3 = 63<br />Newspaper Decisions won 40 : lost 44 : drawn 15<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stadium Career Span: 1916</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Misc.: </span>Manager Jimmy Dime. Tetewanian-American.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Article “Fistic Flashbacks” published in undated “Sports Novels” magazine.</span></span><br /></div><br />After the murder of Stanley Ketchell, the world middleweight boxing title became vacant, and it was several years before George Chip emerged as champion.<br /><br />With the sudden and tragic death of Ketchell came numerous claimants for the vacant middleweight crown. “Cyclone” Johnny Thompson, who stopped former title holder Billy Papke, at Sydney Stadium, probably had the strongest pretensions to this crown, but for some unknown reason failed to force his claims and gradually faded out of the picture as a contender.<br /><br />For several years the title was in dispute. Eventually George Chip became recognized champion when he KO’d Frank Klaus, who in the course of his graduation to the field of claimants had whipped Papke and George Carpentier.<br /><br />The family name was Chipulonis. In those days a boxer with such a name would be frowned upon. Therefore when George launched upon his fistic career, he wisely shortened his name to Chip.<br /><br />Born of Lithuanian parents at Scranton USA on August 25, 1888, George made a successful ring debut early in 1909 by stopping his opponent in the second round. This initial triumph was followed by four more KOs which gained him a bout with a pretty tough customer in the person of Billy Manfredo.<br /><br />George was not a bit overawed by the reputation of his opponent and sailed into him from the first bell to administer a severe thrashing to his rival for two rounds, when in sheer desperation, Manfredo committed an unpardonable foul and was disqualified.<br /><br />This pair of lads met on three occasions during this year, all of which were no decision affairs. Early in 1910 Chip proved his superiority over Manfredo by stopping him in five rounds.<br /><br />From thenceforth George’s ability soared high in the estimation of the promoters and they sent him into the ring opposed to top class boys. He held Buck Crouse to even terms in two no decision bouts, then suprisingly had the better of the “Giant Killer” Jack Dillon. However, before the year ended Crouse came back for another shot at George suffered his first defeat when he was KO’d in the third round.<br /><br />In his first bout in 1911 Chip suffered a further defeat when he was outpointed by Jack Dillon after fifteen rounds of hard and fast fighting.<br /><br />These defeats did not cause any loss of prestige. George had proved conclusively that he was a fighter of the highest quality, therefore, he continued to gain matches with the best of the middleweight brigade. He engaged in fourteen more bouts before he was again declared a loser.<br /><br />This time it was the cagey Jeff Smith who stopped his run of success by gaining a fifteen round's decision. To be whipped by this ring general neither disgraced nor discouraged George. He insisted that he met the best and before he annexed the title he again crossed gloves with Dillon, Crouse, etc.<br /><br />It was on the night of October 11, 1913, at Pittsburgh that Frank Klaus and Chip came together in their championship clash.<br /><br />Frank, although well aware of his opponent's record was so puffed up with his own victories, that he did not take his rival seriously. Consequently, he did not prepare himself as he should have - a lapse that was brought home to him with a vengeance before the opening round was a minute old.<br /><br />With the opening bell, George hurled himself into the attack with a vicious barrage of blows which had Frank stepping around much more speedily than he anticipated would be necessary to retain his high standing in the middleweight division.<br /><br />The boy from Scranton continued his onslaught until midway through the sixth round before he sent his foe crashing to the floor with a vicious right hand to the chin. At the count of nine, Klaus struggled to his feet, but was immediately sent down and out by a similar blow.<br /><br />Two months later Frank made an attempt to reverse the defeat. However, he fared a little worse on this occasion as the winning blow was put over in the fifth session.<br /><br />George’s reign as king of the division was short-lived. Approximately six months later the champion paid the same penalty as Klaus had by underestimating his opponent's ability, when he clashed with Al McCoy at Brooklyn, on April 7, 1914.<br /><br />True, Al had no standing in the first flight of middleweights at that period. Nethertheless, that was no excuse for George to have been lax in his preparation or careless with his defense which Al, quickly demonstrated. Exactly one minute and thirty seconds after the opening bell, George dropped his guard and as quick as a flash McCoy seized the opportunity by driving a powerful right to the chin, which dropped the champion to the canvas for the full count.<br /><br />Although deprived of his crown, George continued to successfully battle among the top class boys.<br />Naturally he was anxious for a return with McCoy and pestered him until he obliged with a ten round no decision encounter. They met at Brooklyn on April 6, 1915, and George administered a severe lacing to his opponent throughout the entire bout. Unable to knock out his man, Chip had to be contented that he had inflicted heavy punishment upon the man who had unexpectedly shorn him of his crown.<br /><br />Whatever chances George had of regaining the title were completely blotted out when he clashed with Les Darcy in Sydney. Darcy proved Chip’s master in every phase of the game, until he KO’d him in the ninth round.<br /><br />Before leaving these shores George engaged in another bout in Melbourne, Art Magirl being the victim of a fourteenth round ko.<br /><br />On his return to his homeland, George continued his ring activities for a further five years, meeting good, bad and indifferent fighters during this period. In none of these bouts did he display the ability he had when fighting his way up to the middleweight crown.<br /><br />During twelve years of ring warfare Chip engaged in 153 bouts, most of which were no decision affairs. Nethertheless, despite the fact that he crossed gloves with such notables as Tommy and Mike Gibbons, Harry Greb, Gus Christie, K.O. Brown, Jeff Smith, Jack Dillon, Jimmy Clabby, Frank Klaus, K.O. Brennan, Billy Murray, Frank Loughrey, Eddie McGoorty, Al McCoy, Buck Crouse and Les Darcy, none of these men, with the exception of the last three mentioned boxers, were capable of stopping him, which proves George Chip was an excellent fighting machine.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-76704757116273691732010-11-20T20:51:00.004+11:002010-11-30T17:20:03.356+11:00Vince Blackburn<span>Sadly the photo I have of Vince Blackburn, is of very poor quality</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Name:</span> Vince Blackburn <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Place Of Birth:</span> Balmain NSW<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Of Birth: </span> 04 Aug 1895<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Date Deceased:</span> Unknown<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Height</span> 5′ 5½″ / 166cm<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divisions:</span> Featherweight, Bantamweight<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Won</span> 21 (KO 2)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lost </span>17 (KO 8)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Drawn </span>5<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Newspaper Decisions</span> won 1<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Titles</span>: <br />Featherweight Champion 1917<br /> Bantamweight Champion 1916 - 1920<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stadium Career Span: 1916 - 1922</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fights At Stadium: </span>(Bert L Cox Collection)<br /><br />Frank Pearson pts 20 13 Nov 1916<br />Jack Jannesse lpts 20 11 Dec 1916<br />Jack Jannesse lpts 20 23 Dec 1916<br />Andy Maguire drew 20 31 Dec 1916<br /><br />Jack Jannesse pts 20 21 Apr 1917<br />Andy Maguire wf 15 30 Jun 1917<br />Sid Godfrey pts 20 18 Aug 1917<br />Jack Jannesse pts 20 29 Sep 1917<br />Sid Godfrey lpts 20 27 Oct 1917<br /><br />Sid Godfrey drew 20 12 Jan 1918<br /><br />Silvano Jamito pts 20 06 Sep 1919<br />Silvano Jamito pts 20 03 Oct 1919<br />Silvano Jamito wf 16 06 Dec 1919<br /><br />Jackie Green lpts 20 17 Jan 1920<br />Eugene Criqui koby 10 23 Oct 1920<br /><br />Joe Symonds koby 7 05 Mar 1921<br /><br />Jackie Green ko 13 20 May 1922<br />Stanley McBride pts 20 03 Jun 1922<br />Larry Jones koby 17 01 Jul 1922<br />Frank Kramer koby 9 29 Jul 1922<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">Notes based on an article entitled “<i style="">Famous Fighters”</i></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span></span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US">(Newspaper and writer unknown)</span><br /></p><span style="font-size: 14pt;" lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US">Boxing fans of an earlier generation will recall when they heard with delight the announcers cry “The Blackburn brothers” and saw little Vince and Lal, hardly able to peep above the middle rope, give an exhibition with dad, their tutor looking on with pride. When sweet charity called the trio, they were always willing and many worthy causes benefited.</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Lal, the more brilliant passed on without showing his brilliance in open company. Vince became bantamweight champion of Australia. He also later took the featherweight title.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">When Vince decide to go into the game seriously, Newtown Olympia asked him to give a three round exhibition. No one was longer in the game, yet they wanted to give him a trial! Three of his opponents shied away.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">He beat <b style=""><u>Billy Molyneux</u></b> then later lost to him. After that, he could not get a fight until he beat <b style=""><u>Mick Mulqueen</u></b>.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In 1916, after winning against <b style=""><u>Harry Holmes</u></b> and Victorian <b style=""><u>George Eddy</u></b>, he beat Holmes again for the State lightweight title, stopping him in 14 rounds. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">He met <b style=""><u>Frank Pearson</u></b> for the Australian bantamweight title, which was dormant through Jack Jannesse being laid aside with illness.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Vince took the title, but <b style=""><u>Jack Jannesse</u></b> came back to reclaim his crown, only to lose it again to Vince. Jannesse and Blackburn fought five times, with Blackburn winning three and Jannesse two.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Whilst in possession of the bantamweight title he gave 8½ lbs to <b style=""><u>Sid Godfrey</u></b> to take the featherweight championship. Godfrey later regained his title.<a style="" href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" lang="EN-US"></span></span></span></span></a> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">He gave away a stone to <b style=""><u>Jimmy Hill</u></b> and drew with him, beating him in a return.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Had two fights against <b style=""><u>Cabanella Dencio</u></b> for one win and one loss.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Went to the Philippines with <b style=""><u>Llew Edwards</u></b>, <b style=""><u>Harry Holmes</u></b>, <b style=""><u>Tommy Ryan</u></b> and <b style=""><u>George Ballieu</u></b>. There he won the bantamweight championship of the Orient (Holmes took the featherweight title). During eight months in the Philippines he lost only to Dencio.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">After winning the bantamweight championship in 1916, he held it until beaten by Jackie Green in 1920<a style="" href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" lang="EN-US"></span></span></span></span></a> </span></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Blackburn traveled to England and the US. He lost two fights in England and beat <b style=""><u>Sammy Mandell</u></b> in America after sustaining a broken hand in the second round. He was offered $2000 to fight <b style=""><u>Bud Ridley</u></b> but refused.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">He retired after losing to <b style=""><u>Eugene Criqui</u></b>, but Stadiums Ltd. persuaded him to make a comeback against Jackie Green, whom he knocked out in thirteen rounds. After that he beat the American <b style=""><u>Stan McBride.</u></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">After retirement he went into the hotel trade and ran several city and country hotels, including one at Redfern. </span></p><span lang="EN-US">Sid Godfrey claimed that Blackburn could have won the World bantamweight title when at his best.</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Described as a keen businessman with a genial personality.</span><br /></p><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-60656463356938291812010-11-19T20:52:00.003+11:002010-11-19T21:11:04.774+11:00When Pat Bradley hit them, they stayed hit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GTFR9hkQ4JlAqRTy38lx9lnY9-dJVQdfrqANpKSesV3SvglL5UU_5D1uNtkgNIg_kyVeq9pBM5PZaxrqrRPuaSf2lTIkfhzxlYPCNwCwRo3RNJMihWVl8SXybQ0SAD1Dc1knQS6tUAuUtFrF/s1600/pat+bradley+sydney+stadium+bert+cox+collection.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GTFR9hkQ4JlAqRTy38lx9lnY9-dJVQdfrqANpKSesV3SvglL5UU_5D1uNtkgNIg_kyVeq9pBM5PZaxrqrRPuaSf2lTIkfhzxlYPCNwCwRo3RNJMihWVl8SXybQ0SAD1Dc1knQS6tUAuUtFrF/s200/pat+bradley+sydney+stadium+bert+cox+collection.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541200920356240466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo: Bert Cox Collection</span><br /><br />Weight: middleweight<br />Country Ireland<br />Residence San Francisco, California, United States<br />won 15 (KO 14) + lost 12 (KO 7) + drawn 3 = 32<br />rounds boxed 236 KO% 43.75<br /><br />Fights At Stadium: </span>(Bert Cox Collection)<br /><br />Jean Adoucy ko 8 08 Feb 1913<br />Charlie Godfrey ko 1 05 Mar 1913<br />Jack Clarke ko 12 19 Mar 1913<br />Sid Stagg ko 13 10 May 1913<br />Jim Sullivan ko 1 05 Jul 1913<br />Jerry Jerome ko 13 13 Sep 1913<br />Dave Smith lpts 20 25 Oct 1913<br /><br />Eddie McGoorty lpts 20 08 Feb 1914<br />Jeff Smith koby 16 13 Apr 1914<br />Frank Loughrey koby 8 12 Dec 1914<br /><br />N. Simpson lpts 20 14 Aug 1915<br /><br /><!--[if !mso]> <style> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults ext="edit" spidmax="1027"> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout ext="edit"> <o:idmap ext="edit" data="1"> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14pt;">The following article is from an undated newspaper, probably <i style="">The Referee</i>.</span></b></span><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:16pt;"><br /></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></i><b style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:16pt;">WHEN PAT BRADLEY HIT THEM</span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:16pt;">THEY STAYED HIT</span></i></b><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:16pt;"><br /></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=""> <table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td height="1" width="205"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td><br /></td> <td><img src="file:///C:/Users/Mike/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image001.gif" height="4" width="147" /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </span><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14pt;">A Wonderful Plodder with Remarkable</span></i></b></div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14pt;"><span style=""> </span>Patience and Endurance</span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14pt;">ENGLISHMAN SID. STAGG AS A STEPPING </span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14pt;">STONE TO FORTUNE.</span></i></b></p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span lang="EN-US">When I hits ‘em they stays hit” was not exactly the motto of Pat Bradley, the welterweight who carved such a swath in the ranks of the welterweights and middleweights of Australia,England and America close on 20 years ago, but if ever a boxer should have had it emblazoned on his crest - that is, of course, if he had a crest - it was the same Pat Bradley.</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>For if he had had to depend on points decisions to build up a reputation he would never have left the novice class. He was the finished knockout merchant if ever there was one - a real one-punch man in every sense of the term -<span style=""> </span>and whether he landed properly with left or right the recipient stayed put and took no further interest in the proceedings.</span></i><b style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14pt;"></span></i></b></p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span lang="EN-US">** Article taken from press clipping. Newspaper and author unknown.</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14pt;">JEFF SMITH’S REFUSAL TO BE</span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14pt;">COWED BY DEADLY PUNCH</span></i></b></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US">ust </span></i></b><i style=""><span lang="EN-US">as familiarity breeds contempt, so does over-respect cause a boxer to fight within himself and present himself to the world as a stultified edition of what otherwise would be a fine fighting machine. </span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>Take the case of <b style=""><u>Eddie</u></b> <b style=""><u>McGoorty</u></b>, American boxer and fighter with a knockout in either hand and Pat Bradley, another American who was essentially a fighter with a terrific punch, an infinite capacity for taking punishment, and a native ring cunning that made him an awkward customer to handle and a dangerous man at all times!</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>Bradley stayed twenty rounds with McGoorty, yet the American had no difficulty in sending <b style=""><u>Dave Smith</u></b>, who gave Bradley one of the trouncings of his young life into dreamland inside a round on two occasions. And on top of that <b style=""><u>Jeff Smith</u></b> another American middleweight who, although McGoorty’s master, was not credited with being the knockout artist McGoorty was, gave Bradley the father of a hiding and made it necessary for the police to intervene in the sixteenth round.</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>That McGoorty found himself in this position was due to the fact that he developed over-respect for a punch - not without cause, it must be admitted -<span style=""> </span>and permitted it to affect his fighting to such an extent that he had to be satisfied with a points decision when he should have won early with a knock-out.</span></i></p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US">ust about this time - early in 1914 - Bradley was bowling the welterweights and middleweights of Australia, America, and </span></i><i style=""><span lang="EN-US">England</span></i><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"> over<span style=""> </span>like nine-pins. He was no respector of persons. And when he entered the ring he had only one idea in view, and that was to annihilate his opponent in short order. Those swings of Bradley’s were dreadful things to contemplate, and when one landed, there was hardly ever a mistake - the full count followed. And unlike the average fighter he could not “pull” a punch: he could not “stall.” And box along quietly: every punch was fully loaded, and although they were sometimes erratic, they were always a deadly menace whenever they were about<span style=""> </span>for no matter where they landed, they hurt.</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>Boxer after boxer had gone down under the weight of that punch, and as far as he was concerned, what was virtually a reign of terror existed. The men round and about his weight were not exactly afraid of him, but although one and all knew that they ought to beat him in ordinary course of event, the menace of that punch was a nightmare to them. They knew they should not get caught with it, but so many good men had fallen victims that the thought was ever present that any one of them-----answer the call of the wild but devastating swing.<span style=""> </span>But when the match with McGoorty was arranged, Australia as a man thought the hoodoo would be ended, for the night at any rate and that Bradley would be forced to swallow some of the medicine he was so fond of dispensing. Nobody imagined for an instant that McGoorty the Puncher would be infected with the terrors of a mere punch, and they looked to him to polish Bradley in that masterly manner that had been evident whenever he entered the ring. Consequently the meeting was regarded as likely to provide a rare fight - while it lasted, which was not expected to be very long.</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>But the crowd reckoned without their Bradley, without the far reaching effects of his punch. For, despite that he could have scorned the idea that he was troubled, it was obvious throughout the contest, which was decided at Sydney Stadium on </span></i><i style=""><span lang="EN-US">Feb 7<sup>th</sup> 1914</span></i><i style=""><span lang="EN-US">, that the possibility of it bringing him the loser’s end of the gate was never out of McGoorty’s mind.</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>Not that he fought badly. Far from it. But there was a reserve that had never previously been present and although he punished Bradley severely in every round, there was always a sufficiency of respect that prevented his going right after his man and completing his job in the workmanlike manner that was characteristic of him.</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>That punch had him in its tolls and kept him within bounds that were foreign to him.- caused him to refrain from opening out with that liberty that would probably have meant an early finish.</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>Round after round McGoorty pasted his man unmercifully. He hit him with everything he possessed - hooks, swings, jabs, jolts. There was nothing that did not end up on some part of Bradley’s anatomy and even allowing for the toughness of the recipient, there was always lacking the real McGoorty touch, that finished punching that made the difference between the horizontal and the perpendicular.</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>So the fight went on - one-sided and uninteresting. The huge crowd was more or less disgusted. They had smelt blood, and wanted it. But when they realized that they were not going to get it they contented themselves by gambling against the possibility of Bradley seeing the distance out. In this way they developed a renewed keenness in the contest, a keenness that was intensified when Bradley, despite the hammering he was constantly subjected to, every now and then narrowly missed the opposing jaw with one of his ”haymakers”</span></i></p> <i style=""><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" lang="EN-US" ><span style=""> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Bradley was always dangerous. This McGoorty knew, and notwithstanding that he had the strength, ability, and punching power to ease the burden that was</span></span></i><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"> troubling him so greatly, there was always lacking that freedom that kept Bradley on his feet. And so Bradley saw the 20 rounds out, a performance a punter could have written his own ticket about before the fight when it was difficult to wager on a knockout in a specified number of rounds.</span></i> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i style=""><span lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>What a different attitude was adopted by <b style=""><u>Jeff Smith</u></b> when he met Bradley on April 11 of the same year. In the interval, Smith had beaten McGoorty in the famous fight in which McGoorty had been given the decision, to have it repudiated the world over: but despite that, he had handled McGoorty in most finished manner, and boxed and fought him faultlessly, he was still regarded as his inferior in the knock-out department of the game. It was conceded on all sides that he must beat Bradley, barring accidents, but in spite of all his cleverness and shiftiness the thought was always present that one of those accidents that Bradley was so prone to encouraging would assuredly happen.</span></i></p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:applybreakingrules/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14pt;">Miscellaneous Notes<br /></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span dir="LTR"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:black;"></span></span>In the 1930’s he worked on the “SS Mariposa” on which most of the overseas boxers arrived in Australia.<br /></p><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-76820683714618799082010-11-17T19:51:00.003+11:002014-05-18T23:29:56.359+10:00Colin Bell - Lack Of Fighting Instinct Proved Colin Bell’s Downfall<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZYnt3b7m1VcgY2t_FfBl4QZc9qbH_9Tm1Kf1RXX77hXHAirPbpBx5HsEFIxPcARafrs5IjVj9GFkww6pVdeuhgz9Spt86GhrkaGsDqVmLO3gOwaglpSX9HveB72kSR-z004mHagkRsLcyR6X/s1600/colin+bell+sydney+stadium+mike+hitchen+online.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZYnt3b7m1VcgY2t_FfBl4QZc9qbH_9Tm1Kf1RXX77hXHAirPbpBx5HsEFIxPcARafrs5IjVj9GFkww6pVdeuhgz9Spt86GhrkaGsDqVmLO3gOwaglpSX9HveB72kSR-z004mHagkRsLcyR6X/s200/colin+bell+sydney+stadium+mike+hitchen+online.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540442083584908482" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 186px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 149px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Name</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> Colin Bell</span> <span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Place Of Birth</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> Narrabri NSW</span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Date Of Birth</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> October 6, 1883</span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Date Deceased</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> Manly 1948</span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Height</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> 6 ft</span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Weight</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> 13 st 7 lb</span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Divisions</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> Heavyweight</span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Titles </span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> Australian Heavyweight<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Record</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Stadium Span </span><span style="font-size: 85%;">1911 -1923</span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Career Span</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> 1909-1923<br /></span><span style="font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;">Fights At The Stadium</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><br />Jack Howard lpts 20 18 Mar 1911<br />Dave Smith koby 14 10 Jun 1916<br />Les O'Donnell wf 6 09 Dec 1916<br />Tim Tracey ko 3 03 Mar 1917<br />Albert Lloyd koby 2 24 Mar 1917<br />Gordon Coghill ko 5 09 Aug 1921<br />Jim Roland Dwyer koby 13 24 Feb 1923</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Random Jottings</span></div>
<br />
• First Fight May 6, 1909 (Sam Hillings)<br />
• Last Fight February 24, 1923, Jim Dwyer<br />
• Lacked ambition and killer instinct. In his last fight against James Roland Dwyer, he lost against a much poorer boxer.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
THERE’S ALWAYS THE DEVIL TO PAY FOR THE<br />
BOXER WITHOUT “DEVIL”</div>
<br />
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
Heavyweight Who Should Have Been a Champion, but Wasn’t.<br />
Lack Of Fighting Instinct Proved Colin Bell’s Downfall</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
DAVID AND GOLIATH IN MODERN SETTING<br />
(By Jack Gell)</div>
<br />
A BOXER without heart is about as capable as a one armed painter with the itch.<br />
The will to win, with which is incorporated the refusal to acknowledge defeat at all times, is so much a necessity for the ringman that he is doomed to defeat and general failure without it. There is s no half measure. Possessed of the fighting “heart” or “devil,” or whatever you care to call it, there is always the possibility of triumphing lack of skill or condition. But all the attributes in the world will avail nothing unless they are backed up with that very real quality which spurs a man to victory and compels him to go down fighting.<br />
<br />
Australian heavyweight Colin Bell was a man without this brand of “heart.” Not that he was in any sense a coward - the term must not be taken as implying the possession of a “yellow streak,” - but he did not possess the fighting instinct that is so well defined in the average boxer. Although endowed well above the average, both physically and mentally, he was pre-destined never to make a great success in the ring.<br />
<br />
The “find” of a Moree squatter who had the rough edges knocked off him and was<br />
developed by Larry Foley, Bell threatened many anxious moments for the heavyweight world. In the gymnasium he was the personification of everything a heavyweight champion should be. He was skillful above the average…..was as fast on his feet as the fastest lightweight, stood well over 6 foot in his socks, and was built in proportion. Superficially, a fighter every inch of him, but he possessed that hopeless minus quantity, lack of “devil,” which made all the difference between a ring fighter and a gymnasium gloveman.<br />
<br />
And so, while capable of doing everything that was asked of him in exhibition bouts, he could not take into the ring with him the very asset so necessary for success.<br />
<br />
Bell had an indifferent career as a boxer. He placed some good wins to his credit, but other fights he should have won were snatched from him in his hour of victory by men, who had they acknowledged defeat instead of fighting on in the hope that the tide may turn in their favor, would have gone under to him. That was Bell all over. There was a sort of faint heartedness or soft heartedness about him that caused him to hesitate when he should have gone in to finish his man, a shortage of combativeness more in keeping with the kindergarten than the boxing ring.<br />
Still Bell could not help it. He was a sort of boxing misfit, a skilled Hercules who because of his one great failing, was a boxing pigmy. He did his best to overcome his weakness, but Nature remained paramount and he never did the great things that, with his wonderful strength and skill, should have been an easy accomplishment.<br />
<br />
Take the fight he had with Dave Smith at the Sydney Stadium on June 10, 1916, as an instance. It was typical of other battles which the Moree giant participated in with, if anything, this difference - that he demonstrated his incapacity to become a great fighter in a greater measure than usual. For that night he had victory within his grasp four or five times and was not equal to effecting the “killing” that should have been easy for him.<br />
<br />
Bell had just returned from a trip to England and America where he had fought, among others Bombardier Wells (the English false alarm) * and Joe Jeanette (the colored heavyweight who for many years was the idol of Paris), without adding to his laurels. He looked a veritable giant alongside Smith, who although heavyweight champion of Australia, was little better than a middleweight. As a matter of fact he weighed 13 stone 11 ¾ pounds as against hi opponents 11st 9lb, a difference of over two stones.<br />
<br />
But this tremendous advantage did not worry Smith, who had the fighting instinct well developed, and besides was a firm believer in the familiar and popular boxing axiom that the bigger they are the harder they fall. And so instead of Bell being the aggressor and endeavoring to overwhelm his man with his strength, it was Smith who took up the attack from the moment they were called together. David and Goliath in a modern setting.<br />
<br />
The enormous strength which Bell possessed, with the added advantages of skill with his hands and cleverness on his feet, should have counseled the big fellow to carry the war into the enemy camp, but the absence of “devil” that prompted caution proved his undoing. Smith, realizing that his strength would not prove equal to the task if he remained on the defensive and allowed Bell to wear him down, punished his man at every opportunity and set a pace that might have caused his own downfall had he not been in superb condition.<br />
<br />
The fact was, that Smith knew of Bell’s weakness and, like a good general, capitalized it at every stage of the contest. Ducking and side-stepping and dodging he leaped in and out at the mountain of muscle in front of him and so punished him about the head with lefts and rights that after a few rounds Bell was tottering. But only momentarily. He pulled himself together well and then did what he should have done from the start - opened out. For a round or two he fought as if he really meant it. Smith was hard put to it to defend himself and in the sixth session was in such a bad way that had Bell taken proper advantage of the opportunity he would probably have with a knock-out.<br />
<br />
But he did not. He procrastinated. He just could not assert that once of “devil” that constituted the difference victory and defeat with the result that Smith was given the “breather” that enabled him to gather his scattered senses. And having done that and possessing the very thing that Bell was deficient in, he made attack his defense and in a few moments was dominating the fighting again.<br />
<br />
With all this, it must not be imagined that Bell was fighting badly. Far from it…<br />
neglecting to follow up his advantages and consequently was being forced to play a minor role when he should have won his way to victory.<br />
<br />
Again a few rounds later he caught Smith with a terrific left over the right eye, splitting it badly and causing the blood to flow freely. A second later he hooked a powerful left to the jaw and again Smith was flying distress signals. But did Bell go in to finish his man? He did not. And so Smith, maintaining a relentless attack, continued on until, by the time the tenth round was reached, Bell was obviously done.<br />
<br />
For a while the big fellow tried to bluff that all was well, but Smith refused to believe him and continued to pepper him with rights and lefts. And then Bell got another chance. A heavy right to the jaw had Smith in a bad way, but instead of crowding in and administering the finishing punch as he had plenty of opportunities to do, he allowed the damaged warrior freedom from trouble until such time as his head had cleared and then had to take what was coming to him - which was not altogether pleasant.<br />
<br />
By the time the fourteenth round was reached Bell was badly used up. Smith had gradually worn him down until he was comparatively easy for the smaller man to handle. And so Smith, who was showing signs of wear and tear, concluded that the best thing to do would be to get the business over. With right and left he pasted Bell unmercifully and drove him staggering, back on to the ropes. As Bell rebounded Smith’s right flashed through the air on to the opposing jaw and Bell crashed to the floor helpless. The finishing punch was not a particularly hard one, but it was all that was necessary to terminate the big fellow’s interest in the proceedings.<br />
<br />
If ever a boxer should have won a fight it was Bell that night. But, although Nature had endowed him handsomely, the most essential ingredient for the development of a successful fighter had been overlooked. And because of the lack of “devil” there was invariably the devil to pay - for Bell - whenever he entered the ring.<br />
<br />
* Wells was also famous for being the third person to fill the role of the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gongman" title="Gongman">gongman</a>" - the figure seen striking the gong in the introduction to J. Arthur Rank films.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Following Notes Are Taken From An Article in “The Sydney Sun”</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> by W.F. Corbett, dated August 26, 1944.</span></div>
<br />
• “Colin Bell, with the chest of a locomotive boiler, a neck the girth of an Atlantic Funnel.<br />
<br />
• “Hero of fights untold, follower of a dozen callings, he is caretaker of the Australian Railway Union’s building downtown. Colin Bell, as massive as the concrete block he looks after. Hands as huge as a steam grab, a hand that could pulp your bones, Colin has tossed a glove with men who stand out in big type in the record books. Men like, Jack Johnson , Bill Lang, Sam Langford, Sam McVea, Dave Smith, King Levinsky.<br />
<br />
• Of Johnson he says “I was with him in America for three months as his sparring partner. He was the best. Never in that time did I see him off balance. I believed I was a good boxer, but he could do just what he liked with me.”<br />
<br />
• Explaining the rumor that Johnson was afraid to fight Langford, Johnson told him, “Well Colin, I can get £6000 to fight white men who are easier to beat than Langford. The promoters would offer me only £1800 to fight Langford. If I were offered £6000 to fight Langford, I would.<br />
<br />
• Bell was made as hard as a cliff face by a life of vigorous variety before he became a boxer. The strength of his hands was acquired from the old blade method of shearing. He has been a bullock driver, sheep drover, tank sinker, tin miner, done miles of fencing in tough country, took a turn at saw milling and also a taxi driver.<br />
<br />
• One of the strange things about Colin Bell throughout his career was the mercy he showed on his opponents. It used to be said that if he had the killer instinct, he would have beaten all the heavyweights of his time. Bell confirms this, “When I could knock an opponent out with one punch that was all right, but after staggering a man, I could not go in for the kill. I just couldn’t do it, that’s all there is to it.”<br />
<br />
• In 1944 he was 61, 18 stone. His top fighting weight was fourteen stone 10 pounds when he beat George Cook. In the ring he had the pace of a featherweight.<br />
<br />
• For three years he hunted buffalo in the Northern Territory. He rode in wild west shows. Is gentle, courteous, but has a rollicking robustness that would have gone pretty well in a medieval banquet hall.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-size: 78%; font-style: italic;">Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></span></div>
Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8744803864690985719.post-64246593809993663522010-11-12T17:39:00.008+11:002010-11-30T17:20:03.357+11:00The fights: 1908 - 1920<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >FIGHT RESULTS AT SYDNEY STADIUM 1908 - 1920</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Copied in pencil! from the Bert Cox Collection held at the NSW State Library</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1908</span><br /></div><br />21 Aug Sid Russell pts 20 Peter Felix (First fight at Stadium)<br />21 Aug Harry Raff nd 6 Charles Raff<br />(prelim. Harry Raff given newspaper decision)<br />24 Aug Tommy Burns ko 13 Bill Squires (First World Title fight)<br />24 Aug Prendergast ko 4 Harry Raff<br />(prelim. Prendergast was a US sailor)<br />26 Aug Jim Griffin ko 13 Jack Blackmore<br />26 Aug Fredick ko 2 Bowers<br />(prelim. Both from the US Fleet)<br />04 Sep George Sterling pts 20 Joe Gumm<br />21 Oct Frank Thorn pts 20 Arthur Douglas<br />12 Dec Jack Blackmore dr 20 Pat O’ Keefe<br />16 Dec Les O’ Donnell dr 20 Bob Bryant<br />26 Dec Jack Johnson psf 14 Tommy Burns<br />30 Dec Frank Thorn pts 20 Rudy Unholz<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1909</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW3ClrEZVDtDBV-0hABE-LR1NbFiUJWFaxE0_h4qB1_zj6ojZ4gXcN9YnTcdzk9f8aQYD6dy0KzwrVhL6Y5mTbYGbW8aD18qPddmGCY9Xrn5voCl45L-bRcS0vFrsQKpOUkO4ej2AJiHwPyzO/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW3ClrEZVDtDBV-0hABE-LR1NbFiUJWFaxE0_h4qB1_zj6ojZ4gXcN9YnTcdzk9f8aQYD6dy0KzwrVhL6Y5mTbYGbW8aD18qPddmGCY9Xrn5voCl45L-bRcS0vFrsQKpOUkO4ej2AJiHwPyzO/s200/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538551964745031634" border="0" /></a><br /></div>09 Jan Jack Blackmore ko 9 Joe Summers<br />13 Jan Bobby Whitelaw ko 20 Monty Andrews<br />30 Jan Tommy Jones pts 20 Sid Sullivan<br />13 Feb Bill Lang ko 17 Bill Squires<br />27 Mar Arthur Douglas wf 13 Rudy Unholz<br />29 May Arthur Douglas pts 20 Frank Thorn<br />22 Sep Arthur Douglas pts 20 Frank Thorn<br />06 Oct Rudy Unholz pts 20 George Johns<br />13 Oct Les O’Donnell pts 20 Bob Bryant<br />03 Nov Les O’Donnell pts 20 Joey Costa<br />10 Nov Arthur Cripps pts 20 Rudy Unholz<br />29 Nov Arthur Cripps dr 20 Dave Smith<br />08 Dec Pat O’Keefe ko 19 Bill Turner<br />26 Dec Bill Lang ko 12 Bob Fitzsimmons<br />29 Dec Frank Thorn pts 20 Rudy Unholz<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1910</span><br /><br /></div>03 Jan Mark Higgins ko 10 Jack Blackmore<br />05 Jan Johnny Douglas ko 7 George Johns<br />17 Jan Bill Lang ko 7 Bill Squires<br />19 Jan Dave Smith ko 17 Pat O’ Keefe<br />26 Jan Johnny Summers dr 20 Rudy Unholz<br />02 Feb Hughie Mehegan pts 20 Johnny Douglas<br />09 Feb Frank Thorn pts 20 Dick Cullen<br />23 Feb Gunner Moir tko 7 Arthur Cripps<br />04 Mar Johnny Summers dr 20 Arthur Douglas<br />11 Mar Arthur Cripps pts 20 Ed Williams<br />16 Mar Sid Sullivan pts 20 Jack McGowan<br />23 Mar Mike Williams tko 18 Pat O’ Keefe<br />31 Mar Bob Bryant tko 16 Mark Higgins<br />06 Apr Johnny Summers ko 19 Hughie Mehegan<br />13 Apr Special Featherweight tournament:<br />Sailor Duffy ko 6 Joe Conrad<br />Billy Elliot ko 9 Lebres<br />Billy Elliot pts 11 Sailor Duffy (level after 10 rds)<br />27 Apr Billy Elliot pts 20 Sid Sullivan<br />11 May Dick Cullen dr 20 Rudy Unholz<br />23 May Mike Williams ko 3 Ranji Burns<br />16 Jun Tim Land pts 20 Monty Andrews<br />28 Sep Johnny Summers dr 20 Hughie Mehegan<br />06 Oct Arthur Douglas pts 20 Johnny Summers<br />12 Oct Dave Smith pts 20 Arthur Cripps<br />19 Oct Hughie Mehegan tko 4 Arthur Douglas<br />25 Oct Billy Papke tko 6 Ed Williams<br />02 Nov Jimmy Clabby ko 7 Bob Bryant<br />09 Nov Cyclone J. Thompson tko 6 Rudy Unholz<br />16 Nov Ray Bronson pts 20 Sid Sullivan<br />07 Dec Jimmy Clabby ko 8 Mark Higgins<br />13 Dec Ray Bronson tko 3 Frank Thorn<br />21 Dec Jimmy Clabby tko 11 Ed Williams<br />26 Dec Dave Smith w.f 10 Billy Papke<br />29 Dec Cyclone J. Thompson ko 20 Tim Land<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1911</span><br /></div><br />01 Jan Hughie Mehegan pts 20 Ray Bronson<br />07 Jan Ray Bronson tko 11 Arthur Douglas<br />17 Jan Dave Smith pts 20 Jimmy Clabby<br />21 Jan Cyclone J. Thompson ko 3 Tim Land<br />28 Jan Johnny Douglas pts 20 Sid Sullivan<br />05 Feb Dave Smith pts 20 Cyclone J. Thompson<br />11 Feb Cyclone J.Thompson pts 20 Billy Papke<br />14 Feb Jimmy Hill pts 20 Yng. Hanley<br />11 Mar Billy Papke ko 7 Dave Smith<br />18 Mar Jack Howard pts 20 Colin Bell<br />25 Mar Joe Russell pts 20 Colin Fitzjohn<br />01 Apr Jack Howard ko 5 Joe Costa<br />05 Apr Billy Elliot pts 20 Teddy Green<br />15 Apr Billy Elliot pts 20 Colin Fitzjohn<br />03 May Jack Blackmore ko 3 Bill Rudd<br />06 May Frank Picato pts 20 Arthur Douglas<br />13 May Bill Lang wd 6 Jack Lester<br />26 Aug Hughie Mehegan pts 20 Charlie Griffin<br />09 Sep Jack Lester pts 20 Bill Lang<br />30 Sep Sam McVea pts 20 Jack Lester<br />07 Oct Jack Cullen tko 16 Jack Read<br />14 Oct Bandsman Rice ko 11 Jack Howard<br />22 Oct Hughie Mehegan ko 14 Hock Keyes<br />28 Oct Sam McVea ko 2 Bill Lang<br />04 Nov Hughie Mehegan ko 18 Frank Picato<br />11 Nov Dave Smith pts 20 Bandsman Rice<br />12 Nov Tim Land pts 20 Tom Townsend<br />18 Nov Jimmy Clabby tko 15 Arthur Cripps<br />23 Nov Jimmy Clabby ko 10 Tim Land<br />03 Dec Sid Sullivan pts 20 Jack Read<br />06 Dec Frank Picato tko 4 Mark Higgins<br />09 Dec Dave Smith dr 20 Jimmy Clabby<br />16 Dec Bandsman Rice pts 20 Cyclone J.Thompson<br />26 Dec Sam McVea pts 20 Sam Langford<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1912</span><br /></div><br />01 Jan Dave Smith wf 14 Jack Lester<br />?? Jan Hughie Mehegan pts 20 Frank Picato<br />26 Jan Al Thompson pts 20 Tom Townsend<br />26 Jan Dave Smith pts 20 Cyclone J.Thompson<br />12 Feb Sam Langford pts 20 Jim Barry<br />24 Feb Dave Smith dr 20 Jimmy Clabby<br />05 Mar Porky Flynn ko 5 Pat Doran<br />16 Mar Sam McVea pts 20 Jim Barry<br />23 Mar Jack Lester pts 20 Cyclone J.Thompson<br />08 Apr Sam Langford pts 20 Sam McVea<br />10 Apr Jimmy Clabby pts 20 Hughie Mehegan<br />13 Apr Jack Lester pts 20 Jack Howard<br />27 Apr Porky Flynn pts 20 Jim Barry<br />04 May Terry Keller pts 20 Tim Land<br />03 Aug Sam Langford pts 20 Sam McVea (First fight under roof)<br />10 Aug Les O’Donnell wf ?? Terry Keller<br />24 Aug Bill Rudd ko 3 Ernie Zanders<br />30 Aug Herb McCoy tko 9 Paul Til<br />07 Sep Jack Read pts 20 Hock Keyes<br />14 Sep Ernie Zanders tko 18 Jack Sullivan<br />24 Sep Jack Read pts 20 Paul Til<br />05 Oct Hock Keyes dr 20 Herb McCoy<br />12 Oct Jack Read pts 20 Grover Hayes<br />19 Oct Hock Keyes pts 20 Leon Bernstein<br />06 Nov Herb McCoy pts 20 Hock Keyes<br />20 Nov Ercole De Belzac tko 12 Ernie Zanders<br />23 Nov Paul Til pts 20 Jack Read<br />26 Nov Frankie O’Gradie pts 20 Jean Poesy<br />31 Nov Sid Sullivan wf 10 Paul Til<br />14 Dec Jean Poesy pts 20 Hock Keyes<br />18 Dec Frankie O’Gradie pts 20 Leon Bernstein<br />26 Dec Sam Langford ko 13 Sam McVea<br />27 Dec Leon Truffier tko 17 Jimmy Hill<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1913</span><br /></div><br />01 Jan Dave Smith ko 3 Ercole De Belzac<br />04 Jan Jack Read pts 20 Frank Picato<br />11 Jan Jean Poesy pts 20 Hock Keyes<br />12 Jan Bill Sonter ko ?? Ernie Zanders<br />15 Jan Arthur Douglas wf 8 Leon Bernstein<br />18 Jan Jean Adoucy ko 12 Tim Land<br />22 Jan Leon Truffier tko 15 Sid Sullivan<br />25 Jan Frank Picato pts 20 Hock Keyes<br />26 Jan Leon Truffier pts 20 Sid Sullivan<br />01 Feb Dave Smith ko 10 Reg Midwood<br />05 Feb Frank Picato ko 2 Jean Poesy<br />08 Feb Pat Bradley tko 8 Jean Adoucy<br />12 Feb Jimmy Hill pts 20 Leon Truffier<br />15 Feb Jean Poesy ko 11 Herb McCoy<br />?? Feb Ray Kennedy ko 9 Larry Foran<br />?? Feb Joe Atchenson pts 20 Arthur Douglas<br />22 Feb Jerome Jerome ko 5 Ercole De Belzac<br />?? Feb Gordon Coghill ko 4 Sid Fitzsimmons<br />?? Feb Frank Picato ko 12 Alf Morey<br />05 Mar Pat Bradley ko 1 Charlie Godfrey<br />06 Mar Harold Ewers ko 3 Alf Pooley<br />08 Mar Jack Clarke bt ?? Ray Kennedy<br />12 Mar Gordon Coghill ko 1 Harold Ewers<br />19 Mar Pat Bradley ko 12 Jack Clarke<br />22 Mar Alf Morey pts 20 Jack Read <br />23 Mar Johnny Summers ko 19 Frank Picato<br />28 Mar George Taylor pts 20 Billy Wennand<br />02 Apr Black Paddy ko 19 Jack Evans<br />04 Apr Boyo Driscoll ko 13 Yng. Simpson<br />12 Apr Jim Sullivan ko 10 Reg Midwood<br />19 Apr Dave Smith ko 18 Jerome Jerome<br />23 Apr Harry Stone pts 20 Hock Keyes<br />26 Apr Johnny Summers ko 9 Alf Goodwin<br />30 Apr Jimmy Hill pts 20 Harry Thomas<br />03 May Bill Lang pts 20 P.O Curran<br />07 May Jimmy Hill ko 12 Tommy Hanlon<br />10 May Pat Bradley ko 13 Sid Stagg<br />14 May Soldier Thompson pts 20 Black Paddy<br />17 May Herb McCoy ko 16 Alf Spenceley<br />21 May Billy Elliot dr 20 Jack Warner<br />24 May Les O’Donnell pts 20 Harry Mansfield<br />27 May Sid Deering pts 20 Joe Atchenson<br />30 May Alf Spenceley pts 20 Jack Read<br />04 Jun Larry Foran ko 13 Battling Taylor<br />11 Jun Pat Doran ko 10 Gordon Coghill<br />14 Jun Herb McCoy ko 1 Joe Russell<br />21 Jun Johnny Summers pts 20 Sid Burns<br />25 Jun Jimmy Hill pts 20 Charlie Simpson<br />28 Jun Harry Thomas pts 20 Frank Thorn<br />05 Jul Pat Bradley ko 1 Jim Sullivan<br />12 Jul Hughie Mehegan ko 17 Waldemar Holberg<br />16 Jul Dave Smith ko 16 Les O’Donnell<br />26 Jul Alf Morey pts 20 Sid Stagg<br />30 Jul Private Palmer pts 20 Jack Cordell<br />09 Aug Matt Wells pts 20 Hughie Mehegan<br />16 Aug Bill Lang pts 20 P.0. Curran<br />23 Aug Arthur Evernden tko 12 Frank Picato<br />30 Aug Herb McCoy pts 20 Waldemar Holberg<br />06 Sep Jerome Jerome ko 13 Harry Mansfield<br />13 Sep Pat Bradley ko 13 Jerome Jerome<br />20 Sep Arthur Evernden ko 10 Sid Burns<br />27 Sep Matt Wells pts 20 Owen Moran<br />01 Oct Pal Brown pts 20 Hughie Mehegan<br />01 Oct Billy Elliot pts 15 Sid Nelson<br />11 Oct Johnny Summers pts 20 Arthur Evernden<br />18 Oct Jerome Jerome ko 2 Jim Sullivan<br />25 Oct Dave Smith pts 20 Pat Bradley<br />01 Nov Yng. Nipper pts 20 Waldemar Holberg<br />08 Nov Hock Keyes ko 15 Bob Turner<br />15 Nov Les O’Donnell tko 20 Jerome Jerome<br />22 Nov Herb McCoy pts 20 Pal Brown<br />31 Nov Harry Stone pts 20 Matt Wells<br />06 Dec Sid Burns pts 20 Sid Stagg<br />13 Dec Harry Stone pts 20 Pal Brown<br />26 Dec Herb McCoy pts 20 Harry Stone<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1914</span><br /></div><br />01 Jan Eddie McGoorty ko 1 Dave Smith<br />03 Jan Milburn Saylor ko 14 Alf Morey<br />10 Jan Tom McCormick pts 20 Johnny Summers<br />17 Jan Herb McCoy pts 20 Matt Wells<br />24 Jan Milburn Saylor ko 20 Hughie Mehegan<br />01 Feb Johnny Summers pts 20 Arthur Evernden<br />08 Feb Eddie McGoorty pts 20 Pat Bradley<br />15 Feb Tom McCormick ko 1 Johnny Summers<br />22 Feb Dave Smith pts 20 Jules Dubourg<br />29 Feb Matt Wells ko 7 Ray Bronson<br />07 Mar Milburn Saylor ko 18 Herb McCoy<br />14 Mar Eddie McGoorty pts 20 Jeff Smith<br />21 Mar Matt Wells pts 20 Tom McCormick<br />26 Mar Milburn Saylor ko 2 Nat Williams<br />04 Apr Bill Lang ko 19 Arthur Pelkey<br />11 Apr Eddie McGoorty ko 10 Dave Smith<br />13 Apr Jeff Smith ko 16 Pat Bradley<br />19 Apr Milburn Saylor ko 10 Tom McCormick<br />26 Apr Fritz Holland ko 9 Jimmy Fritton<br />02 May Frank Thorn pts 20 Lee Johnson<br />09 May Milburn Saylor ko 12 Hughie Mehegan<br />16 May Joe Shugrue ko 15 Herb McCoy<br />23 May Herb McCoy pts 20 Joe Welling<br />30 May Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis pts 20 Herb McCoy<br />06 Jun Jeff Smith pts 20 Jimmy Clabby<br />13 Jun Ted ‘Kid ‘ Lewis pts 20 Hughie Mehegan<br />20 Jun Joe Welling pts 20 Sapper O’Neil<br />27 Jun Ted ‘Kid’Lewis pts 20 Joe Shugrue<br />04 Jul Jimmy Clabby wf 8 Eddie McGoorty<br />11 Jul Joe Shugrue pts 20 Milburn Saylor<br />18 Jul Fritz Holland pts 20 Les Darcy<br />25 Jul Fred Kay pts 20 Milburn Saylor<br />01 Aug Jimmy Clabby ko 1 Dave Smith<br />08 Aug Jimmy Hill dr 20 Frank Thorn<br />15 Aug Milburn Saylor pts 20 Joe Shugrue<br />22 Aug Herb McCoy ko 17 Hughie Mehegan<br />29 Aug Eddie McGoorty ko 7 Les O’Donnell<br />05 Sep Fred Kay pts 20 Joe Shugrue<br />12 Sep Fritz Holland wf 13 Les Darcy<br />19 Sep Mick King pts 20 Joe Shugrue<br />26 Sep Johnny Griffith dr 20 Herb McCoy<br />03 Oct Hughie Mehegan pts 20 Leon De Pontlieu<br />05 Oct Les Darcy ko 5 KO Marchand<br />10 Oct Eugene Volaire wf 16 Herb McCoy<br />17 Oct Johnny Griffith pts 20 Fred Kay<br />24 Oct Gus Christie ko 3 KO Marchand<br />01 Nov Fred Storbeck pts 20 Ben Doyle<br />05 Nov Les Darcy pts 20 Gus Christie<br />14 Nov Johnny Griffith ko 8 Hughie Mehegan<br />21 Nov Fred Kay pts 20 Jim Coffey<br />28 Nov Mick King pts 20 Jeff Smith<br />05 Dec Herb McCoy tko 3 Leon De Pontlieu<br />12 Dec Frank Loughrey ko 8 Pat Bradley<br />19 Dec Ben Doyle pts 20 Les O’Donnell<br />26 Dec Jeff Smith pts 20 Mick King<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1915</span><br /></div><br />02 Jan Fred Kay wf 7 Herb McCoy<br />09 Jan Frank Loughrey dr 20 Mick King<br />16 Jan Fritz Holland ko 12 Billy McNabb<br />23 Jan Jeff Smith wf 5 Les Darcy<br />30 Jan Dave Smith pts 20 Fritz Holland<br />06 Feb Wave Geike ko 4 Eddie Miller<br />13 Feb Dave Smith pts 20 Ben Doyle<br />20 Feb Jim Coffey bt ?? Fred Jones<br />27 Feb Les Darcy pts 20 Frank Loughrey<br />06 Mar Harold Hardwick pts 20 Les O’Donnell<br />13 Mar Les Darcy pts 20 Fritz Holland<br />20 Mar Henri Demlin pts 20 Frank Loughrey<br />27 Mar Albert Lloyd pts 20 Jim Coffey<br />03 Apr Les Darcy ko 5 Henri Demlin<br />10 Apr Tom Crowley pts 20 Les O’Donnell<br />17 Apr Jack Clune ko 14 Jimmy Hill<br />23 Apr Henri Demlin pts 20 Frank Loughrey<br />01 May Jeff Smith pts 20 Harold Hardwick<br />08 May Henri Demlin pts 20 Billy McNabb<br />15 May Herb McCoy ko 18 Jack Clune<br />22 May Les Darcy wf 2 Jeff Smith<br />29 May Tom Crowley ko 2 Bert Doyle<br />05 Jun Fred Dyer pts 20 Fritz Holland<br />12 Jun Les Darcy ko 10 Mick King<br />19 Jun Tommy Uren pts 20 Billy Gradwell<br />26 Jun Eddie McGoorty ko 10 Harold Hardwick<br />10 Jul Red Watson ko 9 Billy Yates<br />17 Jul Harold Hardwick pts 20 Joe Bonds<br />24 Jul Mick King pts 20 Billy Murray<br />31 Jul Les Darcy ko 15 Eddie McGoorty<br />07 Aug Joe Bond tko 12 Harry Reeves<br />14 Aug N. Simpson pts 20 Pat Bradley<br />21 Aug Red Watson ko 8 Henri Demlin<br />28 Aug Fred Kay pts 20 Red Watson<br />04 Sep Les Darcy pts 20 Billy Murray<br />11 Sep Fred Kay pts 20 Ferdinand Quendreux<br />18 Sep Eddie McGoorty ko 4 Billy Murray<br />25 Sep Eddie McGoorty ko 5 Harry Reeves<br />02 Oct Tommy Uren wf 6 Herb McCoy<br />09 Oct Les Darcy ko 6 Fred Dyer<br />16 Oct Harry Reeves pts 20 Fritz Holland<br />23 Oct Les Darcy pts 20 Jimmy Clabby<br />06 Nov Harry Reeves pts 20 Harold Hardwick<br />13 Nov Henri Demlin pts 20 N.Simpson<br />20 Nov Jimmy Clabby pts 20 Fritz Holland<br />27 Nov Eddie McGoorty ko 11 Mick King<br />04 Dec Fritz Holland pts 20 Red Watson<br />11 Dec Herb McCoy pts 20 Fred Delaney<br />18 Dec Llew Edwards ko 2 Jimmy Hill<br />27 Dec Les Darcy ko 8 Eddie McGoorty<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1916</span><br /></div><br />01 Jan Jimmy Clabby pts 20 Mick King<br />08 Jan Tommy Uren pts 20 Fred Gilmore<br />15 Jan Les Darcy pts 20 K.O. Brown<br />22 Jan Fritz Maki pts 20 Red Watson<br />29 Jan Herb McCoy pts 20 Tommy Uren<br />05 Feb Frank O’Connor wf 10 Fred Delaney<br />12 Feb K.O. Brown pts 20 Fritz Holland<br />18 Feb Les Darcy ko 7 Harold Hardwick<br />25 Feb Fred Gilmore pts 20 Fred Gilmore<br />04 Mar Jimmy Clabby pts 20 Fritz Holland<br />11 Mar Red Watson tko 7 Frank O’Connor<br />18 Mar Fritz Holland pts 20 K.O. Brown<br />25 Mar Les Darcy ko 7 Les O’Donnell<br />01 Apr Tommy Uren tko 16 Frank O’Connor<br />08 Apr Les Darcy pts 20 K.O. Brown<br />15 Apr Fritz Holland pts 20 Tommy Uren<br />22 Apr Harry Stone pts 20 Herb McCoy<br />26 Apr Tommy Uren pts 20 Harry Stone<br />29 Apr Llew Edwards pts 20 Roughhouse Burns<br />06 May Herb McCoy pts 20 Eddie Moy<br />13 May Les Darcy ko 4 Alex Costica<br />20 May Jimmy Clabby pts 20 Dave Smith<br />27 May Llew Edwards pts 20 Herb McCoy<br />03 Jun Les Darcy ko 2 Buck Crouse<br />10 Jun Dave Smith ko 14 Colin Bell<br />12 Jun Jack Cole ko 3 Fred Delaney<br />17 Jun Tommy Uren pts 20 Eddie Moy<br />19 Jun Bill Kilrain ko 7 George Newbury<br />19 Jun Les Gleeson wf ? Otto Frost<br />19 Jun Matt Murphy ko ? Larry Olive<br />19 Jun ?? O’Brien pts 10 Wally Scutts<br />24 Jun Les Darcy ko 12 Dave Smith<br />01 Jul Jimmy Hill dr 20 Bert Spargo<br />03 Jul Jack Read pts 20 Matt Murphy<br />08 Jul Fred Kay pts 20 Harry Stone<br />15 Jul Buck Crouse ko 9 Dave Smith<br />22 Jul Fred Kay pts 20 Tommy Uren<br />24 Jul Jack Read pts 15 Frank O’Connor<br />24 Jul Harry Holmes pts 15 Havilah Uren<br />31 Jul Tom O’Malley wf 13 Billy McNabb<br />05 Aug Dave Smith ko 4 Buck Crouse<br />12 Aug Jack Cole pts 20 Eddie Moy<br />19 Aug Tommy Uren pts 20 Fritz Holland<br />21 Aug Owen Cairns pts 15 Frank O’Connor<br />26 Aug Tommy Uren pts 20 Jack Cole<br />28 Aug Tom O’Malley pts 20 Henri Demlin<br />02 Sep Art Magirl ko 12 Dave Smith<br />04 Sep Les Widders pts 15 Larry Foran<br />04 Sep Owen Cairns pts 15 Ferdinand Quendreux<br />09 Sep Les Darcy pts 20 Jimmy Clabby<br />16 Sep Babe Picato ko 7 Jimmy Hill<br />23 Sep Tom McMahon ko 10 Les O’Donnell<br />28 Sep Matt Murphy tko 11 Jack Read<br />30 Sep Les Darcy ko 9 George Chip<br />02 Oct Eugene Volaire pts 20 Joe Humphries<br />02 Oct Ferdinand Quendreux pts 20 Owen Cairns<br />07 Oct Tommy Uren pts 20 Harry Stone<br />11 Oct Eugene Volaire pts 20 Roughouse Burns<br />14 Oct Dave Smith pts 20 Joe Chip<br />16 Oct Bill Long pts 15 Bert Secombe<br />16 Oct Alf Davis pts 20 George Sellars<br />21 Oct Tom McMahon pts 20 Tim Tracey<br />23 Oct Owen Cairns dr 20 Roughouse Burns<br />27 Oct Fred Kay pts 20 Jimmy Clabby<br />29 Oct Owen Cairns dr 20 Roughouse Burns<br />04 Nov Patsy Brannigan pts 20 Sid Godfrey<br />06 Nov Matt Murphy ko 6 Frank O’Connor<br />11 Nov Fritz Holland pts 20 Joe Chip<br />13 Nov Vince Blackburn pts 20 Frank Pearson<br />18 Nov Fred Kay ko 10 Art Maguire<br />20 Nov Fernand Quendreux pts 20 Owen Cairns<br />25 Nov Sid Godfrey ko 17 Patsy Brannigan<br />27 Nov Tommy Ryan ko 17 Dart Harris<br />02 Dec Jimmy Hill pts 20 Wave Geike<br />04 Dec George Newbury pts 20 Tommy Ryan<br />09 Dec Colin Bell wf 6 Les O’Donnell<br />11 Dec Jack Jannese pts 20 Vince Blackburn<br />16 Dec Fred Kay pts 20 Tommy Uren<br />18 Dec Sid Nelson pts 20 Jack Darcy<br />23 Dec Jack Jannese pts 20 Vince Blackburn<br />26 Dec Dave Smith ko 10 Bill Squires<br />31 Dec Andy Maguire dr 20 Vince Blackburn<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1917</span><br /></div><br />01 Jan Jimmy Hill pts 20 Sid Godfrey<br />01 Jan Harry Kilrain pts 20 Chris Jordan<br />06 Jan Tommy Uren pts 20 Fred Kay<br />08 Jan Harry Kilrain ko 13 Wally Vincent<br />13 Jan Jimmy Hill pts 20 Mally Smith<br />15 Jan George O’Malley pts 20 Herb Sullivan<br />20 Jan Fritz Holland pts 20 Tommy Uren<br />22 Jan Tom O’Malley ko 10 Fritz Maki<br />27 Jan Llew Edwards ko 2 Jimmy Hill<br />29 Jan Wally Scutts pts 20 George Newbury<br />03 Feb Fred Kay pts 20 Harry Stone<br />05 Feb George Sellars pts 10 Ted Uren<br />10 Feb Llew Edwards ko 18 Herb McCoy<br />12 Feb Albert Lloyd ko 13 George Cook<br />17 Feb Tommy Uren pts 20 Jimmy Clabby<br />19 Feb Sam Saunders ko 18 Harry Kilrain<br />24 Feb Tommy Uren ko 8 Jack Coyne<br />26 Feb Herb Williams pts 20 Fred Enok<br />03 Mar Colin Bell ko 3 Tim Tracey<br />05 Mar George O’Malley tko 17 Freddie Fitzsimmons<br />10 Mar Llew Edwards ko 20 Herb McCoy<br />12 Mar George O’Malley pts 20 Jack Humphries<br />17 Mar Teddy Green pts 20 Al White<br />17 Mar Harry Holmes dr 20 Herb Williams<br />24 Mar Albert Lloyd ko 2 Colin Bell<br />26 Mar Jack Cole pts 20 Tim Land<br />30 Mar Bobby Graham ko 5 Freddie Hastie (?)<br />30 Mar Matt Murphy ko 8 Leo Coyle<br />07 Apr Tommy Uren pts 20 Eddie McGoorty<br />09 Apr Matt Murphy ko 16 Percy Young<br />14 Apr Dave Smith pts 20 Albert Lloyd<br />16 Apr Herb Williams pts 20 Harry Holmes<br />21 Apr Vince Blackburn pts 20 Jack Jannese<br />23 Apr Matt Murphy ko 7 Les Kemp<br />28 Apr Jimmy Clabby pts 20 Tommy Uren<br />30 Apr Alf Davis wf 1 Sandy McVea<br />07 May Sid Godfrey ko 11 Frank Thorn<br />10 May Jack Cole pts 20 Tim Land<br />14 May Benny Palmer ko 17 Matt Murphy<br />16 May Jack Humphries ko 5 George O’Malley<br />21 May Tommy Ryan pts 20 Sid Godfrey<br />23 May Eisk (?) Smith ko 18 Ras (?) Martin<br />26 May Jimmy Clabby ko 10 Dave Smith<br />28 May Sandy McVea ko 7 George Eddy<br />02 Jun Andy Reeves (?) pts 20 Frank O’Connor<br />02 Jun K.O. Brown ko 8 Jack Thompson<br />02 Jun Fritz Holland ko 10 Jack Cole<br />04 Jun Andy Greaves (?) pts 20 Frank O’Connor<br />09 Jun Tommy Uren pts 20 Fred Kay<br />11 Jun Wally Scutts pts 20 Herb Williams<br />16 Jun Albert Lloyd pts 20 Eddie McGoorty<br />18 Jun Jack Hilt pts 20 Henri Demlin<br />23 Jun Benny Palmer bt 5 Jimmy Hill<br />25 Jun Jack Humphries pts 20 Stan Champion<br />25 Jun Arthur Evernden ko 6 Al Tierney<br />30 Jun Vince Blackburn wf 15 Andy Maguire<br />02 Jul R. Green ko 6 Jim Miller<br />02 Jul Tom Ralston ko 1 George Martin<br />04 Jul Ernie Goodwin pts 10 Marty Woolfe<br />07 Jul Fritz Holland ko 7 Albert Lloyd<br />07 Jul Bert Secombe ko 2 Roy Fuller<br />07 Jul Art Riordan pts 10 Ray Wilson<br />09 Jul Billy Monty ko 4 Alex Barber<br />09 Jul Harry (??) ko 3 Monty Woolfe<br />09 Jul Tom McDonald ko 1 Jerry Sullivan<br />09 Jul Fred Bone pts 10 Tom Thomas<br />14 Jul Jack Hilt pts 15 Jack Kearns<br />14 Jul Billy Woods pts 10 Billy Monty<br />21 Jul Sid Godfrey ko 15 Wave Geike<br />23 Jul Herb Barker pts 15 Bert Secombe<br />28 Jul Fred Kay pts 20 Fritz Holland<br />31 Jul Wally Scutts pts 20 Eisk Smith<br />31 Jul Bill Long pts 10 Mick Mulqueen<br />04 Aug Llew Edwards ko 2 Matty Smith<br />06 Aug Tom O'Malley ko 1 Fritz Maki<br />06 Aug Bill Long pts 10 George Sellars<br />11 Aug Albert Lloyd dr 20 Jimmy Clabby<br />13 Aug Jack Hilt ko 2 Bill Brodie<br />13 Aug Tom Thomas ko 2 Al Cullen<br />18 Aug Vince Blackburn pts 20 Sid Godfrey<br />20 Aug Harry Holmes pts 20 George Eddy<br />20 Aug Harry Green pts 10 Joe Atchinson<br />25 Aug Harry Holmes pts 20 Jimmy Taylor<br />27 Aug Fred Brett pts 15 Jack Humphries<br />27 Aug Ern Goodwin pts 10 Norm Smith<br />01 Sep Jack Hilt ko 3 Jack Kearns<br />03 Sep George Eddy pts 15 Alf Davis<br />08 Sep George Mendies pts 20 Jack Green<br />10 Sep Harry Green ko ? Ern Goodwin<br />10 Sep Tom Thomas ko 3 Jack Humphries<br />15 Sep Billy McDonald pts 10 George Frame<br />15 Sep Jack Read pts 11 Harry Lake<br />22 Sep Jerry Sullivan pts 6 Tom Dwyer<br />29 Sep Vince Blackburn pts 20 Jack Jannese<br />06 Oct Freddie Fitzsimmons dr 10 Al King<br />06 Oct Eddie Randall pts 10 Jerry Sullivan<br />13 Oct Tommy Uren pts 20 Fred Kay<br />20 Oct George Eddy pts 10 Billy Woods<br />20 Oct George Albert pts 10 Bob Williams<br />27 Oct Sid Godfrey pts 20 Vince Blackburn<br />03 Nov Al Davis ko 7 Bill Long<br />03 Nov Jimmy Holden ko 1 Les Samuels<br />10 Nov Fred Kay ko 9 Jack Hilt<br />17 Nov Frank O’Connor pts 15 Matt Murphy<br />21 Nov Jack Kearns ko 4 Ray O’Donnell<br />24 Nov Fred Kay pts 20 Albert Lloyd<br />28 Nov Ern Goodwin pts 10 Ray Wilson<br />01 Dec Pat Gleeson pts 10 Ray Wilson<br />08 Dec Sid Godfrey ko 11 Sandy McVea<br />12 Dec Jack Green ? ? George Eddy<br />15 Dec George Cook ko 10 George Marchand<br />19 Dec Chris Jordan pts 10 Harry Johns<br />22 Dec Fred Kay pts 20 Harry Stone<br />26 Dec Harry Stone pts 20 Benny Palmer<br />30 Dec Jack Hill pts 20 Jim Millerick<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1918</span><br /></div><br />01 Jan Albert Lloyd pts 20 Jimmy Clabby<br />05 Jan Matt Murphy pts 10 Benny Palmer<br />09 Jan Billy Tingle pts 10 Les Watson<br />12 Jan Sid Godfrey dr 20 Vince Blackburn<br />19 Jan Pat Moran ko 1 Herb Williams<br />19 Jan Bill Long pts 10 Bill Smith<br />23 Jan Jack Hilt ko 1 Billy Ross<br />26 Jan Albert Lloyd ko 13 Fred Kay<br />26 Jan Billy Tingle dr 20 George Eddy<br />27 Jan Pat Gleeson pts 10 Pat Humphries<br />30 Jan Tom O’Malley ko 5 Pat Moran<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stadium closed down Feb 1918, due to lack of suitable fighters.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1919</span><br /></div><br />18 Jan Fred Kay pts 20 Tommy Uren<br />18 Jan Frank Darcy ko 5 Al Cullen<br />20 Jan Bob Williams pts 20 Pat Gleeson<br />20 Jan Bert Secombe ko ? Teddy Uren<br />25 Jan Sid Godfrey pts 20 Sam Saunders<br />27 Jan Jack Cole ko 7 Jack Hilt<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">End of January the government closed down places of entertainment due to the influenza epidemic.</span><br /><br />01 Mar Albert Lloyd pts 15 George Cook<br />03 Mar George Mendies ko 2 George Gray<br />08 Mar Jackie Green pts 20 Jack Finnie<br />08 Mar Harry Lasker dr 10 Frank O’Connor<br />10 Mar Fritz Holland pts 10 Tom O’Malley<br />15 Mar Jackie Green ko 10 Mick Scales<br />15 Mar Mick Mulqueen pts 10 Al Cockling<br />17 Mar George Mendies pts 20 Jack Brown<br />22 Mar Frank Darcy wf 18 Barney Thompson<br />24 Mar Jackie Green (?) ko 10 Mick Scales<br />30 Mar Fritz Holland ko 3 Jim Flett<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">No fights took place for several weeks</span><br /><br />24 May Jackie Green ko 7 George Mendies<br />26 May Tom O’Malley ko 1 Jerry Hansen<br />26 May Art Riordan pts 10 Ray Wilson<br />14 Jun Tommy Uren pts 20 Barney Thompson<br />16 Jun Bill Ugne pts 20 Mick Mulqueen<br />28 Jun Fritz Holland ko 10 Jack Cole<br />30 Jun Tom O’Malley ko 7 Jack Hilt<br />30 Jun Fred Brogan ko 5 Bob Williams<br />07 Jul George Eddy pts 20 Theo Green<br />12 Jul Jimmy Clabby pts 20 Fritz Holland<br />14 Jul Jack Humphries ko 5 Bert Kilrain<br />19 Jul Bobby Gray wf 7 Dave Wall<br />26 Jul George Mendies ko 18 George Eddy<br />28 Jul Tom Reeder ko 1 Jack Humphries<br />02 Aug Tommy Uren pts 20 Red Mitchell<br />04 Aug Barry Lasher wf 9 Matt Murphy<br />10 Aug Bobby Gray ko 12 Dave Wall<br />17 Aug Frank Brogan wf 17 Herb McCoy<br />24 Aug George Cook pts 20 Fritz Holland<br />31 Aug Tommy Uren pts 20 Jimmy Clabby<br />06 Sep Vince Blackburn pts 20 Silvano Jamito<br />27 Sep Jimmy Clabby pts 20 George Cook<br />03 Oct Vince Blackburn pts 20 Silvano Jamito<br />10 Oct Jackie Green pts 20 Jack Jannese<br />17 Oct Llew Edwards ko 11 Joe Mooney<br />24 Oct Jackie Green pts 20 Frank Daley<br />08 Nov Chuck Wiggins pts 20 George Cook<br />08 Nov Frank Smith ko 6 Ray Wilson<br />15 Nov Frank Daley pts 20 Silvano Jamito<br />22 Nov Chuck Wiggins ko 11 Fred Kay<br />22 Nov George Storey pts 6 Fred Madden<br />29 Nov Frank Brogan pts 20 Eddy Keiley<br />01 Dec Pat Gleeson pts 20 Cliff Thomas<br />06 Dec Vince Blackburn wf 16 Silvano Jamito<br />13 Dec Chuck Wiggins pts 20 Albert Lloyd<br />20 Dec Jackie Green dr 20 Silvano Jamito<br />27 Dec Llew Edwards ko 13 Eddie Wallace<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1920</span><br /></div><br />01 Jan Chuck Wiggins ko 11 Tom O’Malley<br />03 Jan Silvano Jamito pts 20 Bert Secombe<br />10 Jan Albert Lloyd wf 16 Chuck Wiggins<br />17 Jan Jackie Green pts 20 Vince Blackburn<br />24 Jan Silvano Jamito pts 20 Eddie Wallace<br />31 Jan Silvano Jamito pts 20 Frank Thorn<br />07 Feb Digger Evans pts 20 Jackie Green<br />14 Feb Sid Godfrey pts 20 Harry Holmes<br />21 Feb George Cook dr 20 Albert Lloyd<br />28 Feb Digger Evans pts 20 Silvano Jamito<br />28 Feb Harry Green pts 6 Roy Morris<br />06 Mar Sid Godfrey pts 20 Harry Holmes<br />13 Mar Frank Brogan ko 17 Fred Brock<br />20 Mar Sid Godfrey ko 2 Digger Evans<br />27 Mar Jackie Green pts 20 Jerry Sullivan<br />03 Apr Digger Evans pts 20 Silvano Jamito<br />05 Apr Jackie Green pts 20 Sid Godfrey<br />10 Apr Fred Brogan ko 8 Chris Jordan<br />12 Apr Joe Symonds ko 9 Silvano Jamito<br />24 Apr Jerry Sullivan ko 17 Arthur Bishop<br />24 Apr Clive Mulhare ko 2 Al Davis<br />02 May Digger Evans pts 20 Rug Macario<br />07 May Tom O’Malley ko 16 Willie Farrell<br />09 May Fred Brock pts 20 Matt Murphy<br />14 May Jackie Green ko 16 Yng. Cortez<br />22 May Joe Symonds ko 8 Digger Evans<br />29 May Sid Godfrey ko 8 Rug Macario<br />29 May Jack Read pts 10 Art Linton<br />05 Jun Jerry Sullivan ko 7 Yng. Cortez<br />12 Jun Jackie Green dr 20 Joe Symonds<br />19 Jun Jerry Sullivan pts 20 Digger Evans<br />19 Jun Jack Read pts 4 Joe Finnie<br />26 Jun Joe Symonds pts 20 Jackie Green<br />02 Jul Len Probert pts 20 Stanley Jones<br />10 Jul George Mendies dr 20 Billy Tingle<br />17 Jul Sid Godfrey wf 7 Joe Symonds<br />21 Jul Billy Shade ko 1 Herbie Hinton<br />21 Jul Billy Smith pts 6 Cec Williams<br />31 Jul Billy Tingle ko 7 Bobby Gray<br />07 Aug Jerry Sullivan pts 20 Joe Symonds<br />14 Aug K.O. Brown pts 20 Billy Tingle<br />21 Aug Jackie Green pts 20 Eddie Coulon<br />28 Aug Joe Symonds wf 18 Jerry Sullivan<br />04 Sep Jimmy Hill dr 20 Sid Godfrey<br />11 Sep Billy Shade ko 19 Tommy Uren<br />18 Sep Jackie Green ko 16 Burt McCarthy<br />25 Sep Joe Symonds ko 3 Jose Alveres<br />02 Oct Sid Godfrey wf 18 Silvano Jamito<br />09 Oct Billy Shade ko 15 Fred Kay<br />16 Oct Jackie Green pts 20 Joe Symonds<br />23 Oct Eugene Criqui ko 10 Vince Blackburn<br />30 Oct Arthur Wynns ko 3 Jimmy Hill<br />06 Nov Francois Charles pts 20 Harry Stone<br />13 Nov Jerry Sullivan pts 20 Andre Dupre<br />26 Nov Eugene Criqui ko 3 Jackie Green<br />27 Nov Billy Shade ko 10 Francois Charles<br />04 Dec Arthur Wynns wf 7 Joe Symonds<br />11 Dec Silvano Jamito wf 3 Jerry Sullivan<br />18 Dec Eugene Criqui ko 16 Bert Spargo<br />18 Dec Jack Hilt ko 2 Billy Black<br />26 Dec Sid Godfrey ko 9 Arthur Wynns<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved</span></div>Mike Hitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04941415634345652481noreply@blogger.com