By Miles Templeton

It is demanding to believe now, but in 1942 a competition for the British and the Empire of titles in which both boxers, judge and supervisor served the members of the Royal Air Force. Of course, the war continued, but many boxers were in reserved competitions and therefore were released from service, and most of those who registered were about the army or navy.

Len Harvey pilot officer successfully defended his title against Jock McVoy in the summer of 1939, and the day after the outbreak of the war in September 1939 he enlisted to Raf. In addition to the fact that he was a champion in ponderous weight, he was also a master of British heavyweight, defeating Eddie Phillips in Harringay in 1938.

Sergeant Freddie Mills joined RAF at the beginning of 1940 after he lit the trail through the leading British in the middle and featherlight. Freddie was able to continue his professional boxing career for the period in 1940–1942, when he took part in 18 competitions, winning 16 years, because many programs he bothering were supporting war efforts. On the other hand, Harvey did not fight for three years when he crossed the gloves with Mills in June 1942.

When the war was announced, the government forbade the general population of gathering in vast crowds, fearing what kind of goal it could create for Luftwaffe. Therefore, the number of boxing promotions, especially vast, has decreased dramatically. After Raf won the Battle of Great Britain in 1940 and stopped in the worst Blitz by the end of 1941, these rules were slightly relaxed.

John Muldoon, a serving plane himself, promoted the shows at Royal Albert Hall and was encouraged to get closer to two fighters to see if they could agree on the conditions for the competition to take place at White Hart Lane, the Tottenham Hotspur house. Harvey willingly agreed, provided that the tournament brought benefits to the Red Cross and Mills fund, which would fight anyone, would be more satisfied with this opportunity.

Mills received two weeks of vacation from his unit to prepare for a fight and trained in a properly named Airman hotel in Feltham. He was a real tear in the ring, and his style can be best described as a “blow and hit.” He would be cheerful to take two good shots to land three. Harvey was a much more stylist and 35 years elderly saw his best days. In the 1930s he had a reputation of an elegant boxer with a compact left hand. Initially, he competed for the British welterweight title in 1926, when Mills was only six years elderly, attracting with Alex Ireland. Then he won British titles with three weights, middle, featherlight and ponderous. Everyone in the country knew him by name because he was probably the most eminent boxer. Unfortunately, it was more tough to get a vacation and was relatively badly prepared to fight.

The judge of the competition was Eugene Henderson, Sergeant Raf, a very experienced third man and exefter himself. When he called two men in the first round, there were about 42,000 around the earth, representing the greatest attendance in the war in Great Britain. Mills did not waste time, tearing from Harvey from off, and Aged Len tried to stop him. In the second round Mills managed to land on the left hook, which he went to his man to count nine and then the huge upper upper, who completely threw Harvey from the compact ring. He did not return in time and Mills became a champion. Harvey never fought again and remained in Raf until 1946, like Mills, who became the world champion in 1948.

By Miles Templeton

Before the First World War, Wales was a real force in international boxing. The game was of course dominated by America, but together with Great Britain, France and Australia also producing world -class fighters, Wales more than they had their own.

The first three owners of Lonsdale belts came from Wales, and Freddie Welsh won the first, Tom Thomas Second and Jim Driscoll Third. Jimmy Wilde, certainly the best Flyweight created by Great Britain, began his career in 1911. In a half -year scale, Johnny Basham won the British title in 1914 and the title Empire five years later. In the valleys and coal mines in southern Wales there were many arduous men who would eventually convey their skills to the next generation, leading to people like Frank Moody, Tommy Farr and Cuthbert Taylor in the 1920s and 1930s.

The first belt owner, Freddie Welsh, was born in Pontipridd, but went to the States as a very adolescent man to continue his professional career. He had his first competition in 1905 in Philadelphia, in a city where he resisted most of his career. Finally, he won the world title in 1914, deciding by Willie Ritchie in 20 rounds in Olympia, Kensington. After learning trading in America, he returned to Wales for the first time in 1907, remaining for 10 months and winning all 10 of his competitions. He also devoted time to Jim Driscoll in six -curing without a decision in St. Hill Horse Fayre, north of Cowbridge. This year there were two stands at Fayre, and they both met in one belonging to Frank Gess, and their boxing was perfectly received by those who are lucky to be witnesses.

Welsh returned to Great Britain in 1909, raised European and then British titles, and then defeated the Great Packey McFarland at the National Sporting Club. Driscoll traveled in the opposite direction in 1908, crossing the Atlantic to take a very successful trip around America, which ended in the 10-rounds of the competition without decision-making with the great Abe Attell. Driscoll left American, and the decision in the newspaper went on his way. He returned to Great Britain, twice defended his British featherweight title, winning the Lonsdale belt, and then the whole conversation was a legitimate competition that will take place in Wales, between Welsh and Driscoll. It was a huge fight, perhaps the most significant and most evenly adapted to every British fight in the years preceding 1914.

It was natural that Cardiff, the Welsh capital and the hometown of Driscoll should visit this event. At that time, regular places in the city were Badminton Club and Palace Theater, but no place was gigantic enough, so the American ice rink, built just two years earlier and located on Westgate Street in the heart of the city, was chosen.

Ten thousand people appeared in the competition, a huge crowd for an internal party at that time, and the chances were very Welsh. Weighing took place that day, just like at that time, but they could not agree. Driscoll wanted it about the first, and Freddie an hour later. In the event that Driscoll won this little Spar, and Welsh decided to enter the ring an hour overdue to regain the advantage. Love was not lost between them.

The competition turned out to be unsatisfactory Bn Describing the matter as “wild, cruel, disappointing, catastrophic duel.” After 10 rounds of gritty tactics, Driscoll, whose “lips rose with wild anger, his eyes burned with fire, and the jaws rotted with powerless anger.” This is a tragedy that they both never fought again. Driscoll contracted tuberculosis and died in 1925. Freddie died just two years later, in extreme poverty.

By Miles Templeton

When I started following boxing, Eddie Smith was one of my favorite warriors. The dissatisfied warrior from the Manchester Nat Basso camp, Eddie, turned to professionals in 1976, defeating Cyril Bishton Derby three times at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool. Top of the Bill saw that Pat Thompson won Central Area Featherlight Heveight Crown after almost 60 competitions as a high -quality journeyman.

Eddie did not set fire to the world as an amateur, and therefore his debut became largely unnoticed. He was only 17 at the time and he was a very adolescent age to become a professional warrior in the mid -1970s. As a result, each of his first seven competitions was constrained to four rounds, and Eddie was one of the first “boxers”. Last year, a ruling was introduced, allowing boxers at the age of 17 to compete for the first time in many years. Eddie won his first six times only 11 days after the age of 18 and ended 1976 with seven wins of eight competitions. His stable was included in Kenny Webber, Winston Cousins ​​and Danny McLoughlin, all trained by this great character of Manchester, Brian Hughes.

In 1977, Eddie continued to study his trade, giving up the decision of Howard Mills and Jimmy Pickard, both good quality medium -sized, but winning with such as Steve Fenton, Joe Lally and Bob Tuckett. He won four out of five in 1978, and then got his first great break, arriving as a behind schedule substitute for Tony Sibson in the eight round at Royal Albert Hall.

Sibson lost only one of 19 competitions and was rated the fourth number in the British medium scale rankings, with Smith at the age of 15. “Sibbo” boxed terribly that night, claiming that he had been dried. He stated that he lost $ 19 during the fighting week, the last four of which were thrown in the sauna on the day of the competition. Fortunately, this will never be allowed.

Bn He informed that “from sixth Smith became stronger while Sibson disappeared. Tony was on the verge of real problems when he took these rights to his head and was hit by a salute of cruel two -handed hooks on the side of the body after seventh. ” Eddie was over him and deserved to win points.

Until now, Smith has changed managers, connecting to Ernie Fossey. Brian Hughes also joined Fossey Stable, taking Danny Miller, Lee Hartshorn and Lance Williams, all boys from Manchester, with him at his move to the south. Sibson Win pushed Eddie to six in Great Britain and continued to improve, despite the abandonment of a narrow 10-round decision at Sibson in their return in March 1979. By the end of the year, Eddie took only John Conteh and Denniss Andries in the third place in the weighty lightweight league victory over Bonny McKenzie Cardiff. Then Tom Collins upset Apppecart, defeating Smith in Midlands Sporting Club, Solihull.

After losing to Eddie Burke, Smith took over the bill at the Grand National Show at the Liverpool stadium. Eddie came as a behind schedule substitute Frankie Lucas and stuck the American, Johnny Heard in five rounds. In 1981, Eddie at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas defeated Rafael Zamor in three rounds the same night, when Alan Minter was beaten by Mustafa Hamsho.

Continuing his trade until 1987, transferring the bill in Belle Vue and defeating men such as Frank Wissenbach and Blaine Logsdon at a distance, it all ended for Eddie at the Blazer night club in Windsor, when adolescent Nigel Benn stopped him in the round. Eddie won 29 of his 45 duels and left high. Later years were not nice to Eddie, he suffered a bad car accident shortly after retiring, but I remember him as an excellent warrior.