Boxing History
Yesterday’s heroes: fantastic Mr. Hartley
Published
3 days agoon

In the 1980s, there was a very popular advertisement on British television for yellow BT pages, in which the elderly gentleman finally follows his beloved book “Fly Fishing by Jr Hartley”. Well, boxing has its own bibliophile named Hartley and was a special man.
I communicated sporadically with Ra Hartley many years ago, because he bought and sold books and magazines, but he is best known for his work, The Life’s Work, The the History and bibliography of boxing books. Bob tried to write a full compendium of every boxing book ever published, both in Great Britain and abroad, and he managed to find and detail, over 2,100 of them. For anyone who is seriously interested in building a collection of boxing books, and there are many of you, Bob’s book is an indispensable source of reference.
Bob has always turned out to be quite a scholar and scientific gentleman, and many were a complete surprise to say that he had a broad career as a professional boxer in the 1930s. I did it something like a personal mission to follow as many Bob duels as possible, and with it in boxing in one of the boxing backwaters at that time, Lincolnshire and East England, it did not turn out to be an straightforward task. A glance at his record shows how extensive professional it was at the moment, with many diminutive towns and villages that had not had a PRO program for over 80 years.
Bob was born in Billingborough in the southern Lincolnshire and was the best of a diminutive group of about eight other boxers who came from the village, and even today his population is only about 1000. He defeated as an average weight and could hit. His plate is decorated with pure knockout against a lot of men who, like him, boxed above all to put food on the family table.
With attendance in some rooms, in which he regularly entertained, carrying only two or three hundred, no one will ever get luxurious in boxing. The first competition, which I can trace for Bob, took place in Forester’s Hall in his own village, six -handed against a boy from nearby Bourne, on the bill promoted by the Boston boxing syndicat, and Bob threw his man in two rounds. Then a week later with a boy from Kirton from one round in Grantham.
Most of Bob’s early duels took place in Boston, Grantham, Spalding and Billingborough, where he was a naturally great favorite, and won his first 14 in a row. His first defeat occurred in March 1934, when he was knocked out from the ring in Grantham in the fight against Arthur “Knocker” Freestone. Despite the brave test, Bob could not return to the ring on time. After this Bob continued to connect mainly eight and 10-rounds throughout Lincs and East England, boxing in Holbeach, Bourne, Skegness, Lincoln, Melton Mowbray and Woodhall SPA.
In 1936 he conducted a campaign in Suffolk and Essex, and then, in October 1937, he showed in the Empress cinema, Chatteris in the act crowned by the local hero Eric Boon, whose meteor’s career was just beginning to achieve. This brought Bob the first and only competition in London. He pulled over eight rounds with George Thurcel in Canning Town Marina, and the BN report for the fight tells us about the style of Bob’s fight “Real Sizzler and Slam finger to the fingers with Hartley fighting.”
In his last competition, Bob kept the great Dick Turpin at the next draw of eight rounds in rugby. After a 56 career, with only 11 losses, Bob left the ring for the convenience of his research to create a final boxing bibliography. What a man.
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In the Ring edition in November 1930, the 10 best medium scales are fine for the master, Mickey Walker. It is crucial that the most crucial contender is California, Dave Shade. Right behind him is two Europeans, Rene de Vos from Belgium and Great Britain Len Harvey.
Shade defeated De Vos within 10 rounds at the Yankee stadium in Recent York in July 1929, but he never met Harvey. Shade has never won the title of the world, but stands out as one of the best men who have never done it. His career lasted in 1918–1935 and lost only 28 competitions in his 221 career, beating such luminaires as Pinkey Mitchell, Augie Ratner, Jimmy Slattery and Ace Hudkins. He also defeated many British fighters in the United States, including Frank Moody, Ted Moore, Bermondsey Billy Wells and Roland Todd.
In the tardy summer of 1930 he announced that he came to London to fight Harvey in the eliminator of the world championship title. Because the fight was to take place in Great Britain, he was content that he should be questioned by a full 15-round course, which did not happen if the fight took place in America. Bn He described him at that time as a “completely seasoned warrior of the ring, a man who fought with one of the fastest, the most complex, the strongest and the most qualified medium in the weight of his time. He literally fought to the front. It can be tiny, if at all, behind Walker, and even he can be a more powerful man than the world champion in medium weight. “
The promoter, Jeff Dickson, sailed to America in August 1930 to complete the contract, and the fight was set for Royal Albert Hall on September 29. Shade left America on September 2, and after arriving in Great Britain, he broke the camp at Fred Dyer’s junior high school in the band, where the photographs accompanying him. Later he finished training in the club in Holborn, and his film material is currently available on YouTube. None of these facilities survived London Blitz 10 years later.
In the competition preview Bn He stated that Shade engaged Harry Mason, Ted Kid Lewis and a feather scale, Harry Corbett to lend a hand him prepare. It was also found that the habit of smoking Shade up to 20 cigars a day was unusual, especially when the American asked if he could smoke between rounds! It was probably an advertising feat, but Shade said he thought smoking did not harm his health or fitness.
In this case, two men fought in a terrifyingly close duel in the fight for very contrasting styles. As expected, Harvey “boxed in a vertical position all the time, while the shadow was tilted, low, he turned and caused that the linen missed sometimes, entering himself to lead a tough left or right to body every time the leftist lenage passed his head.”
At the end of 13. There was nothing about it, but Harvey took advantage of that the shadow would get tired and threw both rounds to make an true decision. So much for cigars. Shade was very complementary to Harvey after the fight and stopped here at two consecutive competitions, both against Jacek Hood, a British welterweight master, and both competitions also take place at Royal Albert Hall, and both ended as a draw.
In December 1930, the Ring assessed Harvey as a number one claimant with shadow in second place. Harvey sailed to the States the following year to chase his shot in title, but lost three duels in a row, two against Vince Dundee and one to Ben Jedy. Never shot in Walker, and many observers believed that he was sewn on American soil.
Boxing History
Yesterday’s heroes: Discovering the competition A+ between Sanigar and Smith
Published
14 hours agoon
March 17, 2025
Two pretty exponents of British boxing in the early 1980s are Sid Smith from Forest Hill, London and Chris Sanigar from Bristol. Both were really challenging people who could hit, and although none of them won the British title, they conducted aspirants in super-files.
Chris is now a successful manager, promoter and trainer who devoted his life to sport and is undoubtedly the best man in Bristol Boxing. As an amateur, Bristol Empire ABC raised, and after defeating Steve Early and Sylvester min on the way he reached the final of ABA in 1977, losing to Jim Douglas of Camperdown. Then he won the title of Eastern County in 1978, after the second year, before he abandoned the Professional box.
Smith also had an excellent amateur pedigree. He achieved triple as a adolescent man in 1975, winning the titles of NABC, London Feds and ABA Junior at 60 kg. He boxed many times in the international arena for adolescent England, before he represented London in the match against Paris in 1977, where he convincingly defeated his man. Fitzroy Lodge’s boxing was then won by London South-East Divisionals, after which he lost to Sylvester M-Cituter in the final in London. Like Sanigar, he became a professional in 1978.
Smith signed a contract with Dennie Mancini and soon entered the top ten British in Super-Delicate weight. Despite the early defeat with the useful Frank McCord Swansea, Sid won each of the other 11 competitions, and then was adapted with Sanigar in the free crown of Sothern Area. Chris changed the professional in September 1978, six months later than Sid, and like the Londonian, he started his career, winning his first seven. Then he hit a rocky patch, starting from two round defeats of George McGurka Jarrow in the Midland Sporting Club in Solihull. After that, Chris lost four of the next 12, but some of his victories were very credible, including, in April 1981, victory for a four -shaped break over Dan M’put in Dunkierka, France, and right after this competition Chris got a phone call to the box smith for the title of the southern area.
On paper it was a very evenly matched competition. At that time, Sanigar was rated in fifth place in Great Britain with Smith only one place behind him. Due to the last fiascos on some huge programs promoted by Mickey Duff and Mike Barrett, Bn He had a policy of evaluating upcoming competitions in his previews. The fight of Sanigar-Smith took place at the Royal Albert Hall on a card directed by the heavyweight Gordon Ferris, who was tailored to the American journeyman, twoin Bonds.
Bn The A+fight was rated, stating that “Sanigar can make the narrowest point decisions, but Smith has a chance of Puncher” in how he considered “the fight of the night.”
In this case, the fight for an unsatisfactory ending, when judge Larry O’Connell stopped the fight because of the Sanigar suffered a nasty wound over the left eyebrow after the clash in the third round. It was obvious that the rematch was necessary, and the head of Sanigar, George Francis, did not waste time to organize it, and two men met six months later in the center of Leisura Elephant and Castle in Southwark.
This time the fight was very good Bn The main “such thriller like Sanigar has a title.” Two men constantly exchanged centuries in four rounds, which lasted with a report stating that “in the case of raw, concentrated excitement, compact clash must take this year the best observed in national rings. Fans witnessed boxing chaos, with an venerable -fashioned grit and determination by Sanigar. “After the second round, Chris found strength to blow up his shots in London. After the duel, Chris admitted that “I served my practice and it was challenging. I would not wish this kind of education on my worst enemy. “
They were really two challenging men.
Boxing History
Yesterday’s heroes: Stadium with the greatest presence in history
Published
1 day agoon
March 16, 2025
Every year in 1948–1955 Jack Solomons, then the largest promoter in British boxing, accustomed to the stage of one show per year, in the open air, at the White City stadium at Shepherds Bush in London.
This huge place was built in 1908 for the Olympic Games and was used for boxing sporadically in the 1930s. The capacity was about 90,000 and was exceeded when it was used for the 1939 competition between Len Harvey and Jock McAVoy, still the greatest attendance in the British fight (regardless of what Carl Froch or Tyson Fury can tell you). The place was also used during the 1966 World Championships, when Uruguay met France in a group game.
Solomons introduced here his most spectacular tournaments, and the first, in 1948, managed Freddie Mills and Gus Lesnevich. In the years 1949–1954 they always took place during the first 10 days of June, when Bruce Woodcock defeated Freddie Mills in 1949, and then lost Lee Savold in 1950. The following year, Don Cockell defeated the American Nick Barone in the highest line, and then in 1952, Cockell was beaten by Randolph Turpin in 11 rounds of the British and Empire Lightles. Turpin returned in 1953 to mention Charles Humez in the competition, which Solomons optimistically settled for the title of world average.
In the following year 1954, Don Cockell, which became heavyweight, returned to the stadium, headed by American Harry Matthews. The competition took place on June 1 and was settled as an eliminator of the world’s heavyweight title. Matthews was nearby. Managed by veteran Jacek Hurley, who started with Billy Silefle in the 1920s, before he ended his managerial career at Boone Kirkman in the 70s, Harry has already switched to the top of the stack and was in line with Rocky Marciano in the last rock competition before he won the title. Marciano got rid of Matthews in two cruel rounds in something that was seen as a fairly even fight before two men entered the ring.
In 1953 he was on his way down, slipping from rating number 5 in June 1952 Ring magazine Grades up to 9 the following year. He came out of the ratings after he suffered 10-round points of defeat from Cockell in Seattle in August 1953. This victory was alone in March 1954. In March 1954. In March 1954 in March 1954 in March 1954 in March 1954. Ring The ratings took place in the days before the commissions we have today.
It was not the best weather when two men met for the second time and the stadium was far from full. Nevertheless, Cockell hit the victory after 10 rounds of thrilling boxing. BN announced that “Cockell won this fight because he always went forward, forcing his rival on the defensive and causes the greatest damage with his stronger blow. Matthews finished the unmarked fight, but the same cannot be said about the winner whose left eye was almost closed and who bleeds from the mouth. “
Two men met again the following year, in Seattle, when Don stopped his man in seven. When asked who probably won between Cockell and Marciano, Matthews said that: “Don is much better in style. Marciano is only a mighty inactive. Cockell can box, stab and moves with class. The stylist always overcomes Lenica. “As we all know, Marciano defeated Cocella in 1955 in one of the most hard fights that was ever seen for the world’s heavyweight.
The White City stadium was used only twice as much for boxing, in 1955, and then in 1958, when Brian London took over the last curtain, beating Joe Erskine in the titles of British heavyweight and the Empire.

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