Acton Wrestles Fitzsimmons
On Friday, November 27, 1891, former American Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Joe Acton wrestled future World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Bob Fitzsimmons in San Francisco, California. The men wrestled for a reported $1,000.00 purse.
Acton usually gave up size to his opponent but Acton outweighed the 148-pound Fitzsimmons by seven pounds. The men wrestled a two-out-of-three falls match according to catch-as-catch-can wrestling rules. It was impossible to measure Acton’s advantage over Fitzsimmons in catch wrestling.
Joe Acton from a 19th Century Illustration (Public Domain)
Acton started the first fall by applying a neck hold on Fitzsimmons turning Fitzsimmons to his back. Fitzsimmons rolled several times to avoid being pinned.
Fitzsimmons shocked the crowd but not Acton, when Fitzsimmons applied a body hold, lifted Acton off the mat and slammed Acton for the first fall at eleven minutes, forty seconds. Having worked the first fall with Fitzsimmons, Acton made short work of Fitzsimmons for the remainder of the match.
To start the second fall, Acton applied a front face lock and took Fitzsimmons to the ground. Acton squeezed the hold, a guillotine choke in modern terminology, to let Fitzsimmons know Acton could choke Fitzsimmons out at will.
Acton released the pressure, turned Fitzsimmons to the mat and on the third roll pinned Fitzsimmons shoulders to the mat for the second fall at four minutes, fifty seconds. Acton tied the match at one fall apiece.
Acton rushed out to start the third fall. Acton used a leg twist to spin Fitzsimmons to the mat but Fitzsimmons pulled his leg out of the grapevine. Acton then used a neck hold to turn Fitzsimmons to the mat. Fitzsimmons bridged to prevent Acton from pinning him.
Acton pushed Fitzsimmons over onto his right side. Acton’s quick move left Fitzsimmons stuck on the mat in a helpless position. Acton pressed his upper body onto Fitzsimmons slowly pushing Fitzsimmons to the mat. Acton pinned Fitzsimmons for the third fall and match at twelve minutes, thirty-four seconds.
Acton wound down his career over the next few years. After losing his American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship to Evan Lewis in 1887, Acton remained largely inactive with the occasional big match.
Bob Fitzsimmons in His Prime (Public Domain)
Bob Fitzsimmons won the World Middleweight Boxing Championship in 1894. In 1897, Fitzsimmons defeated James J. Corbett for the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. Fitzsimmons fought over hundred professional boxing matches in his career.
Acton and Fitzsimmons worked this match, which was a lucrative affair. Neither man got hurt and split the $1,000.00 purse.
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Sources: The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California), November 28, 1891, p. 1
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