I HAD a nice time on the British Boxing Board of Control awards luncheon on March 17 and it was nice to see so many nice British boxers having their images taken alongside one another by so many individuals. It was particularly pleasing to see Clinton McKenzie, for my cash top-of-the-line of the various wonderful British champions of the late Seventies.
While I usually confine myself to British boxers on this column, I remembered the accompanying picture, which has been in my assortment for a while and exhibits 5 nice world welterweight champions posing collectively in Los Angeles. Three of them did field within the UK, considered one of them many instances.
The event was the forthcoming bout between Jimmy McLarnin and Young Corbett III in May 1933. In the picture, McLarnin is second proper, and he appears each inch the budding challenger. I think his camp threw a curve ball within the hope that placing the challenger alongside 4 former champions would make a assertion. It definitely labored, for Corbett was dispatched inside a spherical and McLarnin earned his rightful place alongside the opposite greats on this {photograph}.
On the left is Young Jack Thompson, who gained the title in 1930. Recently retired, Thompson gained the title by beating Jackie Fields. In his earlier contest he had dropped a 10-round determination to McLarnin at Madison Square Garden. Thompson died in 1946, aged solely 41.
Next to him is Tommy Ryan, who had gained the title way back to 1894 when he beat Mysterious Billy Smith over 20 rounds. Ryan got here to the UK in 1902 to defend his title on the National Sporting Club. He beat one other American, Johnny Gorman by third spherical knockout. At the time the NSC was operating a week-long match to have a good time the coronation of King Edward VII, a boxing fan of some renown and a frequent customer to the membership.
Among different main Americans who boxed that week have been Gus Ruhlin, Tom Sharkey, Denver Ed Martin and Joe Walcott. Quite what they fabricated from the membership and its members, with its strict coverage of no speaking through the boxing, is anybody’s guess.
In the centre is the nice Mickey Walker, world welterweight champion in 1922. He was additionally one of many biggest of all middleweight champions and he defended his title at Olympia, Kensington in 1927 when he put paid to the hopes of the British champion, Tommy Milligan of Hamilton, in 10 rounds in a one-sided contest. Milligan had his moments, however Walker was a completely different class altogether. In 1933, Walker was campaigning within the light-heavyweight division, having additionally tried his luck, largely unsuccessfully, as a heavyweight. He had drawn with Jack Sharkey in 1931 however then he bought stopped in eight by Max Schmeling in 1932 and thought higher of it.
Next to McLarnin is the nice Dixie Kid. This fighter picked up the welterweight title in 1904 by beating Joe Walcott. His victory was marred by the truth that the referee, who known as a halt to proceedings within the final spherical, had really wager on the Dixie Kid to win it. His title declare, due to this fact, is tenuous within the excessive. That stated, the Kid was a nice fighter and a large draw within the UK and Europe, the place he campaigned solely between 1911 and 1920. He was a extremely popular fighter over right here and he took half in 58 contests on these shores in just about each important venue. He even boxed on the finish of the pier in Great Yarmouth in 1914.
The Ring, Blackfriars was his non secular house in London, and he topped the invoice there many instances. The Dixie Kid died only one yr after this picture was taken, after falling out of a window in a Los Angeles tower block. He died, as did so many others like him, in penury.
Here he stands although, proudly amongst the greats of his division.
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