Big Man Too Much for Jenkins
On May 7, 1901, Tom Jenkins wrestled the giant Nouralah Hassan in New York City. Born in Bulgaria during 1870, Hassan stood six feet, eight inches tall and weighed 331 pounds. While Jenkins possessed superior wrestling skill, fans and reporters expected Hassan’s immense size to present problems for Jenkins.
Promoters booked the men to wrestle at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 4,000 fans crowded the historic arena to watch the main event.
George Bothner, the World Lightweight Wrestling Champion, refereed the bout. The New York State Athletic Commission frequently employed Bothner to referee wrestling cards at the Garden.
Tom Jenkins Around 1904 (Public Domain)
Hassan’s manager, Martin Julian, served as Hassan’s chief second. Tom McMahon and Frank Lynch joined Jenkin’s manager, George Tuchey of Detroit, as the cornermen for Jenkins.
Tuchey argued with Bothner about the grounds for awarding a fall. Bothner and Hassan’s manager Martin Julian agreed to Tuchey’s condition, which meant Bothner only awarded falls scored completely on the mat. If either men’s body extended past the mat, Bothner would not count the fall.
When Bothner started the bout at 10:10 p.m., Hassan proved his size and strength were more than a match for Jenkin’s wrestling skill. Hassan secured a bar lock and turned Jenkins to his back.
Jenkins struggled ferociously but Hassan cross-bodied Jenkins with his full body weight. Hassan crushed Jenkins into the mat for the first fall at four minutes, thirty-five seconds. Jenkins scored no offense in the first fall.
The men rested fifteen minutes. As they started the second fall, Jenkins desperately rushed Hassan. Jenkins applied a front face lock and pulled Hassan down to his knees.
Jenkins tried his own bar lock but switched to a hammerlock. The hammerlock is a more effective hold, but Jenkins’ hands slipped off and he fell face forward to the mat.
Jenkins tried to get back to his feet, but Hassan secured a crotch hold. Using the crotch hold, Hassan turned Jenkins onto his head. Jenkins spun on his head back and forth twice to break Hassan’s grip and escape the hold. Fans cheered the clever escape.
Jenkins’ respite was short. Hassan reapplied the crotch hold and flipped him to his back. Hassan cross-bodied Jenkins again. After dropping his full weight on Jenkins’ chest, referee Bothner awarded the match to Hassan at five minutes, two seconds of the second fall. Despite Jenkins’ skill, Hassan defeated him quickly in two straight falls.
The defeat proved a temporary setback for Jenkins. In November of the same year, Jenkins won the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.
Hassan bounced between the United States and Europe for the next four years, but he never wrestled Jenkins again. Hassan, who was 31 years old at the time of this match, died in 1912, at approximately 42 years of age.
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Sources: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota), May 8, 1901, p.2 and wrestlingdata.com
