By Miles Templeton
I’LL BET there aren’t many round who might identify the overseas world champion who had essentially the most contests within the UK whereas still holding the title. The reply is Freddie Miller of Cincinnati, USA. Freddie gained the world featherweight title in Chicago in June 1933 by beating Tommy Paul. He lastly misplaced the title in 1936, after defending it efficiently 12 occasions, to Petey Sarron.
In 1934 Freddie got here to the UK to defend his title in opposition to Liverpool nice, Nel Tarleton, on the Stadium in Nella’s dwelling metropolis. Tarleton, together with Ernie Roderick and Ginger Foran, was one of many ‘big three’ in Liverpool at the moment and plenty of fancied him to beat the American. The late Vic Hardwicke, who many readers will bear in mind as a main contributor to Ron Olver’s column 30 or 40 years in the past, rated Tarleton as the most effective fighter he had seen. Miller simply outpointed the Liverpudlian in what was solely his third 15-round contest. Back within the States, most of Miller’s bouts, together with these for the title, had been fought over 10 rounds.
In the Nineteen Thirties it was commonplace for champions to have interaction in lots of non-title bouts in between their defences. Not solely was it a great way of staying in form nevertheless it additionally provided money-making alternative with no danger. There had been many in Britain and Europe who needed to see the American and so, over the course of the subsequent 9 months he boxed on 33 extra events, with 22 of them going down within the UK and Ireland.
Only 4 days after defeating Tarleton for the world title Miller appeared at Belle Vue, Manchester, to outpoint Welshman, Billy Hazell, over 10-threes. This set the sample for an especially lively tour. Freddie solely misplaced two of those contests, by disqualification in opposition to Billy Gannon at Manchester, and a factors defeat by the hands of Maurice Holtzer in Paris.
In June 1935, simply a month earlier than he sailed again dwelling, he defeated Tarleton once more in a title contest, this time much less convincingly, for Nel fought his coronary heart out, solely to lose out on a tight verdict. During his tour, Miller additionally fought on the Blackfriars Ring, the place he was very fashionable, Birmingham, Glasgow, Belfast and on the Royal Albert Hall. His remaining contest over right here was a sensational two-round knockout of ex-British champion, Seaman Tommy Watson, again in Liverpool, at Anfield soccer floor. BN reported that the end “came in the shape of a punch of which fighters dream. It was a left cross to the jaw. It didn’t land a fraction of an inch too high, and it didn’t land a fraction of an inch too low. It just landed where it was meant to land, on the fatal spot.”
Once he had misplaced his title to Sarron, Miller continued to barnstorm his means round America after which, in 1938 he returned to the UK once more for a second tour. Just like the primary time he had his first and his final contest in Liverpool, a place he actually loved. Starting out with a 12-round determination over Billy Charlton on the Stadium, he gained all 12 over right here, with wins at Leicester, Bristol, Swansea, Edinburgh, Newcastle and the Isle of Man. This latter contest was on the Villa Marina Ballroom in Douglas and Miller beat Tommy Tune, a competent fighter however not more than that, from Barnsley. The contest didn’t make the pages of BN, which, given Miller’s standing, is tough to imagine. The bout was not recorded within the annual Ring Record Book proper up till the Nineteen Eighties and I unearthed it on the British Library some years in the past.
Miller’s final bout over right here was a 10-round determination over Johnny King, that great Manchester fighter. The verdict was unpopular with the Liverpool followers as they thought King had nicked it.
Miller died from a coronary heart assault on the younger age of 51 in 1962. An incredible champion and effectively cherished by British followers.
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