Staraí Spóirt agus Ealaíontóir Comhraic
Posts about combat sports history from 1870 to 1930.
Ar Dé Máirt, Eanáir 19, 1909, Dr. Benjamin Roller, a Seattle physician and pro wrestler who was good enough to win the American Heavyweight Championship, inexplicably decided to try his hand at professional boxing. His opponent was friend and sparring partner, “Denver” Ed Martin, who would win the Colored World Heavyweight Boxing Championship. Dr. Benjamin Franklin Roller was a unique athlete
In this post, which was previously a podcast, we will discuss the epic sixty-one round draw between James J. Corbett and Peter Jackson in 1891. This bout prepared Corbett for his successful challenge of John L. Sullivan in 1892. Main Content – Ar Márta 21, 1891, the most serious contender for the inactive John L. Bhris craobh an domhain Sullivan an dath
I recently finished Evan “The Strangler” Lewis: An wrestler An chuid is mó Eagla ar an 19ú haois. Bhí Evan Lewis saineolaí aighneacht oilte i rith an ré wrestling dlisteanach gairmiúla cé raibh sé páirt a ghlacadh i gceann cúpla prearranged cluichí. I mí Eanáir 1886, Evan Lewis used his dreaded stranglehold on Sorakichi Matsada. According to several newspapers, Lewis attempted to “strangle Sorakichi to
For the October 5, 1861 edition of the Cincinnati Daily Press, editors pulled a story off the wire service from the Spirit of the Times. The wire story reported on a fight between former English prizefighting champion Tom Sayers and current English champion Jem Mace. Both Sayers and Mace were touring with English circuses, when they stopped in at a
Sam McVey tired of the lack of opportunity for black fighters in the United States during the early Twentieth Century. McVey decided to leave for Europe in 1907, where he fought until 1911. McVey fought in Australia for three more years before returning to the United States. This brief highlight film from France in 1911 with “Battling” Jim Johnson shows
Ar Nollaig 8, 1903, Sam Langford throid an banríonacha curadh dornálaíochta lightweight ina bhaile dúchais Boston, Massachusetts. Roimh troid Langford, Bhraith formhór saineolaithe dornálaíochta nach bhféadfaí Joe Gans bheith ann fosta i bout dlisteanach. Rugadh i Baltimore, Maryland, Gans was able to break the color barrier by winning the World Lightweight Boxing Championship. Sam Langford is often considered
John Morrissey claimed the World Bare Knuckle Prizefighting Championship in a controversial bout with Yankee Sullivan in October 1853. After beating a murder charge for his participation in the murder of Bill “The Butcher” Go, Morrissey decided to defend his title against John C. Heenan, “the Benicia Boy”. “Old Smoke” Morrissey defeated Heenan in the October 1858 bout held in
Frank Gotch took the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from Tom Jenkins in December 1903. Gotch intended on following up this triumph with a match for World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship from George Hackenschmidt. Gotch wanted to meet “Hack” i St. Louis during the 1904 Domhain Aonach. Unfortunately for Gotch and St. Louis, the match would not occur until 1908 i Chicago,
John Camel Heenan was known to 19th Century bare knuckle prizefighting fans as “the Benicia Boy”. Despite an 0-1-1 record as a professional fighter, Heenan claimed the World Prizefighting Championship based on a draw with Tom Sayer in an 1860 English prize-fight. Heenan’s first professional fight had been with the reigning World Heavyweight Prizefighting Champion John Morrissey’s last professional fight
On a March night in San Francisco, heavyweight contender Marvin Hart proved pure aggressiveness could sometimes win a decision. After 20 rounds of boxing, referee Greggains, the only judge, awarded the decision over the great Jack Johnson to Hart. Hart met Johnson on March 28, 1905. Johnson entered the ring as the betting favorite. He also entered as one of