EVERY YEAR between 1948 and 1955 Jack Solomons, then the greatest promoter in British boxing, used to stage one present per 12 months, in the open air, at the White City Stadium in Shepherds Bush, London.
This big venue was constructed in 1908 for the Olympic Games, and it had been used for boxing sporadically all through the Nineteen Thirties. The capability was round 90,000 and this was exceeded when it was used for the 1939 contest between Len Harvey and Jock McAvoy, nonetheless the largest attendance at a British battle (no matter what Carl Froch or Tyson Fury might inform you). The venue was additionally used throughout the 1966 World Cup when Uruguay met France in a bunch recreation.
Solomons placed on his most spectacular tournaments right here and the first one, in 1948, was headed by Freddie Mills and Gus Lesnevich. Between 1949 and 1954 they at all times came about inside the first 10 days of June with Bruce Woodcock beating Freddie Mills in 1949 after which dropping out to Lee Savold in 1950. The following 12 months noticed Don Cockell beating the American Nick Barone in the top-liner after which, in 1952, Cockell was crushed by Randolph Turpin in 11 rounds for the British and Empire light-heavyweight titles. Turpin returned in 1953 to outpoint Charles Humez in a contest that Solomons optimistically billed as being for the world middleweight title.
Don Cockell
The following 12 months, 1954, noticed Don Cockell, who had established himself as a heavyweight, return to the stadium to headline towards the American Harry Matthews. The contest came about on June 1 and it was billed as an eliminator for the world heavyweight title. Matthews had been round a bit. Managed by veteran Jack Hurley, who had began out with Billy Petrolle in the Nineteen Twenties earlier than ending his managerial profession with Boone Kirkman in the Seventies, Harry had already boxed his method to the high of the pile and had been matched with Rocky Marciano in the Rock’s final contest earlier than he gained the title. Marciano disposed of Matthews in two vicious rounds in what was considered as a reasonably even battle earlier than the two males stepped into the ring.
By 1953 he was on the means down, slipping from the quantity 5 ranking in the June 1952 Ring journal rankings to quantity 9 the following 12 months. He slipped out of the rankings after he suffered a 10-round factors defeat to Cockell in Seattle in August 1953. This victory put Cockell into the rankings himself, for the first time, and he additional cemented his place by beating Roland La Starza, rated quantity 4, at the Royal Albert Hall in March 1954. It is simple now to overlook simply how vital (and simple to comply with) these Ring rankings have been in the days earlier than the commissions that we’ve at the moment.
It wasn’t the greatest climate when the two males got here collectively for the second time and the stadium was removed from full. Nevertheless, Cockell pounded his method to victory after 10 rounds of thrilling boxing. BN reported that, “Cockell won this fight because he was always going forward, forcing his rival on the defensive and doing the most damage with his more powerful punching. Matthews finished the fight unmarked, but the same could not be said for the winner, whose left eye was almost closed and who was bleeding from the mouth.”
The two males met once more the following 12 months, again in Seattle, when Don stopped his man in seven. When requested who was more likely to win between Cockell and Marciano, Matthews said that: “Don is so much superior in style. Marciano’s just a strong slugger. Cockell can box and jab and moves with class. A stylist will always beat a slugger.” As all of us now know, Marciano beat Cockell in 1955 in one in every of the dirtiest fights ever seen for the world heavyweight title.
The White City Stadium was solely used twice extra for boxing, in 1955, after which in 1958, when Brian London introduced down the last curtain by beating Joe Erskine for the British and Empire heavyweight titles.
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