“小恶魔” Unable to Beat Whistler

乔·阿克顿是英格兰最好的选手之一，19世纪期间，. 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. 阿克顿随后向美国摔跤手提出了新的挑战.

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

While Whistler only weighed 165 英镑, he was a physical powerhouse. 惠斯勒会给威廉·马尔登, 谁在两者之间权衡 190 和 200 英镑, 他摔跤生涯中最艰难的比赛. 惠斯勒异常的力量将体型更大、力量更强大的马尔登拒之门外. 也正是惠斯勒的实力给阿克顿带来了很大的麻烦.

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 岁, stood 5’05” 称重 151 英镑. He would probably be a featherweight in today’s mixed martial arts competitions.

Clarence Whistler was 28 岁, stood 5’07” 身高，体重 165 英镑. 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 观众涌入麦迪逊广场花园，相信他们会看到职业摔跤的精彩表演. 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 比前收市价. Joe Acton and Clarence Whistler tied up and strained against each other for the first eight minutes. 阿克顿最终滑到惠斯勒身后，抱住了腰部和手臂. 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.

两人再次陷入平局，阿克顿第二次落后于惠斯勒. 惠斯勒立刻四肢着地. 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 分钟, 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. 在 1 小时 55 分钟, Acton and Whistler agreed to a draw.

这一决定和缺乏行动激怒了人群, 当他们列队离开麦迪逊广场花园时，他们对这一决定发出了嘘声和嘶嘶声. 惠斯勒并没有被球迷的反应吓倒. 他表示，他宁愿躺一整晚也不愿摔倒在阿克顿的身上。.

两人将继续在摔跤巡回赛上竞争. 惠斯勒将在以下时间过早去世 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, 他退休的地方 1911. 退役后他开始训练摔跤手. He never returned to England.

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