“Lille Demon” Kan ikke slå Whistler

Joe Acton var en af ​​Englands bedste brydere i det 19. århundrede. 151-pound Acton went through England’s middleweight ranks before plowing through the heavyweights. After beating the best England had to offer including Tom Cannon, Acton decided to test his abilities in the United States.

Joe Acton settled in Philadelphia at Arthur Chamber’s Champions Rest during the summer months of 1882. Acton issued challenges to all wrestlers but only fellow countrymen Edwin Bibby and Tom Cannon would wrestle him. Acton beat both men handily. Acton udsendte derefter nye udfordringer til enhver amerikansk bryder.

Clarence Whistler, a Colorado professional wrestler, answered Acton’s challenge. The December 19, 1882 udgave af New York Sun carried an account of the bout.

While Whistler only weighed 165 pounds, he was a physical powerhouse. Whistler ville give William Muldoon, der vejede imellem 190 og 200 pounds, de hårdeste kampe i hans brydningskarriere. Whistlers usædvanlige styrke holdt den meget større og magtfulde Muldoon i skak. Det var også Whistlers styrke, der ville give Acton store problemer.

The match was setup for $1,000 a side and the “World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship” although a claim to this title would have been tenuous at best. Joe Acton was 30 år, stood 5’05” og vejes 151 pounds. He would probably be a featherweight in today’s mixed martial arts competitions.

Clarence Whistler was 28 år, stood 5’07” tall and weighed 165 pounds. Whistler agreed to a two-out-of-three falls match with a fifteen minute rest period between falls. Edwin Bibby served as the referee for the match.

2000 tilskuere indgav sig i Madison Square Garden i den tro, at de ville se en fin visning af professionel brydning. Like many combat sports bouts before and after, this match utterly failed to live up to the hype.

The men began the bout at 8:22 p.m. Joe Acton and Clarence Whistler tied up and strained against each other for the first eight minutes. Acton gled til sidst bag Whistler for at få fat i taljen og armen. Whistler immediately sprawled on all fours. As Acton gamely tried to turn Whistler with an arm and head hold, Whistler sprang back to his feet and disengaged from Acton.

Mændene bundet igen med Acton i stand til at glide bag Whistler for anden gang. Whistler faldt straks til alle fire. Acton tried to turn Whistler again only this time, Whistler grabbed an ankle lock. Whistler stood to his feet and tried to use the ankle lock to flip Acton on his back but Acton immediately slipped free.

For the next hour, this scene was repeated over and over. Finally at 90 minutter, the men were given a two-minute rest. Acton was clearly frustrated with Whistler’s continued sprawling.

The men tied up again with the same result. Acton was ready to walk off the stage but his second Arthur Chambers reminded him that a $1,000 was at stake. The men tied up one more time without result. På 1 time og 55 minutter, Acton and Whistler agreed to a draw.

Denne beslutning og manglende handling oprørte mængden, der buede og hvæsede beslutningen, da de arkiverede ud af Madison Square Garden. Whistler var uhørt over fan-reaktionen. Han erklærede, at han ville have spredt hele natten i stedet for at opgive et fald til Acton.

Begge mænd ville fortsætte med at konkurrere på brydekredsen. Whistler ville dø for tidligt kl 32 years of age while on tour of Australia. Alcohol was considered a contributing factor in his death. Joe Acton would live until 1917, where he passed away at the age of 65 in Portland, Oregon, hvor han gik på pension 1911. Han begyndte at træne brydere, efter at han gik på pension. He never returned to England.

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