Charles Green Preps for Evan Lewis

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Charles Green, a skilled English catch-as-catch-can wrestler, traveled to the United States in the late 1880s to wrestle the best American wrestlers.  Green got his opportunity on July 21, 1889, when he wrestled American Heavyweight Catch-as-Catch-Can Champion Evan Lewis.  To prepare for this match, Green took a handicap bout with journeyman wrestler Bert Scheller in late June. Scheller was born

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Ketchel Starches Sullivan

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Mike “Twin” Sullivan claimed the Welterweight World Boxing Championship, when he decisioned Honey Mellody in April 1907.  Possessing both heavy hands and better than normal boxing skills, Sullivan claimed victories over the great Joe Gans and future Welterweight World Boxing Champion Harry Lewis during his career.  Lewis won the welterweight title, when Sullivan could no longer make the 147 pound

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Jenkins’ and Beell’s Closed Door Match

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Tom Jenkins had the distinction of being the only wrestler to defeat Frank Gotch multiple times.  Jenkins and Gotch traded the American Heavyweight Wrestling Championship between 1902 and 1906. At the time of this match, Jenkins was the champion again. Fred Beell had been campaigning for a match with Jenkins for the past several months.  Beell finally convinced Jenkins to

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Ketchel Fights Light Heavy Champ

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1909 saw Stanley Ketchel continue his torrid pace through all the top fighters around the middleweight limit.  In March 1909, Ketchel faced a rare challenge, when he fought reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion Philadelphia Jack O’Brien. O’Brien was a slick boxer, who used his speed and elusiveness to pummel Ketchel in the early rounds.  Despite O’Brien’s size advantage, Ketchel was

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“Toots” Mondt’s Injured in 1922

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Joseph “Toots” Mondt wrestled professionally from the early 1910s through the 1930s but he made his real mark as a booker, booking agent and promoter.  While Ed “Strangler” Lewis considered Mondt his equal in a legitimate wrestling match, Mondt has a genius for creating angles and finishes in worked wrestling exhibitions. Mondt would join Lewis and his manager Billy Sandow

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Taro Miyake Wrestles in St. Louis

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From late 1921 to 1923, John Contos promoted professional wrestling in St. Louis, Missouri.  However, Contos decided to leave promotion to focus on managing the career of budding star Dan Kolov.  Prior to leaving St. Louis, Contos sold the promotion to Tom Packs, his nephew and assistant in the promotion. Packs’ first card was scheduled for Friday, January 4, 1924. 

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Stanislaus Zbyszko Box Office Bust?

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When discussing Stanislaus Zbyszko’s title reign from 1921 to 1922, the main reason given for taking the title from him was that his title reign was a box office failure.  Do the numbers validate this belief? Prior to wining the championship, Zbyszko wrestled former champion Joe Stecher at the 71st Regiment Armory in front of 7,000 fans.  In 1915, the

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Ernst Roeber Claims Vacant Title

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When William Muldoon retired as the World Heavyweight Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion in 1889, there was no ready successor to the championship.  Evan “Strangler” Lewis was the best wrestler in the United States not named William Muldoon but his specialty was catch-as-catch-can wrestling.  The best American Greco-Roman wrestler, Clarence Whistler, had died in Australia during 1885. Muldoon’s handpicked successor was German-born

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