Gotch Tries Boxing

An age old question in combat sports is “Who will win between a boxer and a wrestler?” The speculation around this question led to several boxer versus wrestler matches through out history, most notably the disaster between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki in 1976. The matches are mostly no-win affairs except at the box office, which is why both promoters and combatants have been interested in these bouts from time to time.

V 1905, America had two dominant heavyweights in both professional boxing and wrestling. James J. Jeffries, a powerful puncher, was considered unbeatable in 1905 although he would surprise everyone by retiring in May 1905. Jeffries continued to refuse to defend his title against the many African-American contenders, so promoters, unaware of his plan to retire, were looking for credible challengers.

Frank Gotch held the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. V 1908, Gotch would also win the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. Gotch was a dominant champion although he did have one serious challenger in Tom Jenkins. They would trade the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship a couple times before Gotch took it for good.

Gotch had also boxed previously in the Klondike, so he was considered a possible challenge for Jeffries. Gotch enjoyed money, so he was more than willing to take part in such a contest.

To build anticipation in a possible boxing contest between Jeffries and Gotch, which Gotch would almost surely lose, Gotch took part in a boxing match with his friend Sam Williams. Williams was a Canadian heavyweight boxer. Williams agreed to fight with Gotch in a 10-round boxing match. They boxed on Friday, Február 10, 1905 in the afternoon.

While the match was probably a “friendly exhibition”, Sam Williams actually was injured during the bout. Gotch and Williams were evenly matched. Neither man dominated the boxing match. Však, Gotch seemed to be hitting harder. Purposely or on accident, Gotch caught Williams flush in the fifth round with a right hand to the head.

The force of the blow knocked Williams to the ground, where his right arm got twisted under his body. The fall caused Williams to suffer a sprained shoulder. Unable to continue, Williams conceded the bout to Gotch.

Gotch seemed concerned for his friend and regretted the injury to his shoulder. Gotch’s efforts also came to naught, when Jeffries retired three months later. The bout turned out to be a distraction for Gotch, who could have made more money wrestling.

It was not the first nor the last time a boxer versus wrestler match would be discussed until the birth of mixed martial arts. Combat sports fans have always been curious who would win between a pure boxer and pure wrestler.

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Source: The Saint-Louis Post-Dispatch, Február 11, 1905 edition, p. 3.

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