Tent boxing is an amusement previously seen at agricultural shows throughout Australia.

History

Starting in the late 19th century, boxing troupes of professional fighters would travel the mining towns and outback of the country, following fairs and carnivals, putting up big top tents and taking on all-comers for cash in the ring. Among the more famous of tent boxing troupes, are the ones created by Roy Bell and Jimmy Sharman. Fred Brophy, who owns the Cracow Hotel in

Cracow, Queensland Cracow is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Cracow had a population of 89 people. Historically, Cracow is a gold mining town, with some recent mines opening. Geography The town ...

, is believed to be one of the world's last boxing tent showmen. Brophy continues to travel with his troupe across Queensland each year. For his years of touring with his tent boxing show, Brophy was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 2011 for his role in raising money for charity and for services to the entertainment industry.Wilson, Karyn; Harris, Juli
Fred Brophy, boxing tent legend, awarded OAM

ABC Western Queensland ABC Western Queensland is an ABC Local Radio station based in Longreach broadcasting to the Central West, South West and Gulf regions of Queensland. It covers a wide area stretching as far as the towns of Charleville, Winton and Birdsville ...

, 28 January 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2018.

A dangerous sport

Largely unreported on, little is known about early tent boxers and events due to participants and spectators being largely illiterate. In more modern times, very few photographs exist of the movement as organisers disapprove of media involvement. Fred Brophy insists he will continue travelling with his tent boxing troupe, until he dies, even though the sport was banned in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

in 1971 by the government, due to health concerns.

References

# Lewis, Daniel. (2003-04-15)
Sharman the showman is an official bloody legend
''The Sydney Morning Herald''. Retrieved 2013-05-28.

History

A dangerous sport

See also

References

Further reading