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.

Currently, I combine and index my results in 1904 before they are introduced into my database, and I came across several captivating entries that show how much the game has changed in the last 120 years.

By far the best sources for boxing results during this period are Sports life and Mirror of Lifeboth of which are available via the excellent British Library website.

On April 4, 1904, Flying Flying Liverpool, Ike Bradley, met Arthur Grimshaw from Stratford, at East End in London, in 20-rounds in Albert Hall, Modern Brighton, on the other side of Mersey from his hometown.

Grimshaw fought in his first competition north, as well as his first fight over eight rounds. He had some courage to face Bradley, who, although he was a professional for just a few years, was an experienced 15-round specialist. Later, in his career, Bradley decorated himself with many vast and characteristic tattoos, and it was quite unusual during this period, when it was usually only navy boxers.

According to Mirror of Life The report that the fight was good, fought for a bag of 50 pounds, and while “Grimshaw was very clever on his legs and used a great judgment with good basic leftists,” he was nailed in the seventh round with blows, before he was dressed three times, the last time for the full number.

Today, such a loss would cause a minimal suspension of 28 days. If the knockout was bad, the suspension may be longer. This principle applies to every internal defeat, be it by KO, TKO or in retirement. However, in 1904, things were completely different.

Apparently, dissatisfied by nature, his defeat, Grimshaw asked for a rematch, and he got him the next day! Because, on April 5, 1904, two men met again, this time in Circus, Warrington, just a few kilometers down the road from Modern Brighton. The promoter was the same man who organized the first competition and was very elated that he founded it again, especially when Bradley’s contract opponent, a youthful Ward from Liverpool, did not appear.

Once again, the fight was recorded by Mirror of Life And this time Bradley won faster, again with a knockout after three rounds of boxing. “Two boys began to work at maximum speed and there was nothing between them for the first two rounds. In the third Bradley, Grimshaw caught a great blow to the chin and eliminated him. “

Two knockout palsy within 24 hours could not happen today in Great Britain and probably send alarm bells calling anywhere in the world, but not phase Grimshaw and his team, because he returned to the ring nine days later in Liverpool, when he came up with Youthful Yates in 10 rounds.

Grimshaw withdrew from the ring, after an eight -year career, in 1908, with a lost record that included a certain opposition of high caliber. Bradley went to great things, including a US trip in 1906, many competitions that were settled for the world, European or British title, and was at the top of the bill during the opening of the aged Liverpool stadium at Pudsey Street. He was one of the best of the first fighters who left Liverpool, a city steeped in a boxing tradition.

In 1938, the Management Board issued a regulation, which meant that no boxer could engage in two competitions of 10 rounds or more, within five days, and eventually forbade any boxer of participation in two competitions within six clear days from the date of their last competition, and this rule still applies. I wonder what Arthur Grimshaw would do with it.

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.