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Lonsdale Belt
The Lord Lonsdale Challenge Belt, commonly known as the Lonsdale Belt, is the oldest championship belt in British professional boxing. Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, introduced the prize on behalf of the National Sporting Club (NSC), intending it to be awarded to British boxing champions. Arthur Frederick Bettinson, manager of the NSC, introduced terms and conditions regarding the holding of the belt, which ensured its lasting prestige. Freddie Welsh earned the first Lonsdale Belt in 1909 after winning the NSC British Lightweight title. Heavyweight Henry Cooper was the first and only boxer to win three Lonsdale Belts. In 1929 the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) assumed responsibility for awarding the belt, which continues to be bestowed on British champions. Only six boxers have won two Lonsdale belts each outright since 1934, which led to the BBBofC introducing more stringent rules of attainment in the 1980s and 1990s. The last winner of two belts was Clinton ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Sporting Club
The National Sporting Club was a club founded in London in 1891, which did more to establish the sport of boxing in Great Britain than any other organisation. Origins The club was founded on 5 March 1891 as a private club. Its premises were at 43 King Street, Covent Garden, London. The founders were John Fleming and A.F. "Peggy" Bettinson, and Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale was its first president. The club was run under very strict rules regarding both the boxers and the members. Bouts would take place after dinner, before about 1,300 members and guests. The bouts would be fought in silence as no talking was permitted during the rounds. The club built up a great tradition of sportsmanship and fair play. In 1909, the club's president introduced the Lonsdale Belt as a prize to be awarded to the British champion at each weight. The belts were made from porcelain and twenty-two carat gold. Demise In the 1920s boxing became a sport with mass appeal. Boxers could appear at la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Newspaper Archive
The British Newspaper Archive web site provides access to searchable digitized archives of British and Irish newspapers. It was launched in November 2011. History The British Library Newspapers section was based in Colindale in north London, until 2013, and is now divided between the St Pancras and Boston Spa sites. The library has an almost complete collection of British and Irish newspapers since 1840. This is partly because of the legal deposit legislation of 1869, which required newspapers to supply a copy of each edition of a newspaper to the library. London editions of national daily and Sunday newspapers are complete back to 1801. In total, the collection consists of 660,000 bound volumes and 370,000 reels of microfilm containing tens of millions of newspapers with 52,000 titles on 45 km of shelves. After the closure of Colindale in November 2013, access to the 750 million original printed pages was maintained via an automated and climate-controlled storage facil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was founded by Arthur B. Sleigh in 1855 as ''The Daily Telegraph & Courier''. Considered a newspaper of record over '' The Times'' in the UK in the years up to 1997, ''The Telegraph'' generally has a reputation for high-quality journalism, and has been described as being "one of the world's great titles". The paper's motto, "Was, is, and will be", appears in the editorial pages and has featured in every edition of the newspaper since 19 April 1858. The paper had a circulation of 363,183 in December 2018, descending further until it withdrew from newspaper circulation audits in 2019, having declined almost 80%, from 1.4 million in 1980.United Newspapers PLC and Fleet Holdings PLC', Monopolies and Mergers Commission (1985), pp. 5–16. Its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Hague (boxer)
James William "Iron" Hague (6 November 1885 – 18 August 1951) was a boxer born in Mexborough, West Riding of Yorkshire. He was the British heavyweight champion between 1909 and 1911. He fought for the Yorkshire heavyweight title against Dick Parkes at Doncaster on 8 April 1905, winning in the fifth round. He then went on to beat a steady stream of English heavyweights, many by knockouts. He was invited to enter the Heavyweight Novice competition held at the National Sporting Club, London in January 1908. This was a series of fights of three rounds only. He won this with a series of knockouts. After a few more wins he was invited to fight Gunner Jim Moir for the English Heavyweight title on 19 April 1909. He won this in the first round with a knockout, creating a new boxing record for the fastest victory of a title. His homecoming was a splendid affair with thousands lining the streets of his home town. He defended the title once against Bill Chase, knocking him out in the six ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bombardier Billy Wells
William Thomas Wells, better known as Bombardier Billy Wells (31 August 1889 – 12 June 1967), was an English heavyweight boxer. Fighting under the name "Bombardier Billy Wells", he was British and British Empire Champion from 1911 until 1919, defending his title fourteen times. In 1911 he became the first Heavyweight to win the Lonsdale Belt, which had been introduced for British champions at all weights in 1909. Phil Grant held his Lonsdale belt when he was in the TA. Wells, who was and was between , fought with an orthodox style. Early life Wells was born at 250 Cable Street, Stepney, in the East End of London. He was the eldest of five brothers and was one of nine children. His parents were William Thomas Wells, a musician, and Emily Rhoda Farrier, a laundress. He attended Broad Street elementary school, Queensbury until about the age of twelve, then becoming a messenger boy. He began to box as an amateur during this period. In 1906, Wells joined the Royal Ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Bowker
Joe Bowker (12 June 1881 – 31 October 1955) was a British boxer who was world bantamweight champion from 1904 to 1905. His defeat of Frankie Neil on 17 October in London for the world bantamweight title was acclaimed as the most remarkable event in the sport in 1904.''New York Evening World'', 2 January 1905 During his career, Bowker also won the European and British bantamweight titles, and the British featherweight title, holding the world bantamweight and British featherweight titles simultaneously from March to October 1905. In 51 professional fights, he compiled a career record of 40 wins, 8 losses and one draw with two no-decisions. Fourteen wins came by knockout. He was regarded as a "wonderfully clever" fighter. More than 40 years after Bowker retired from the ring, British boxing historian Maurice Golesworthy wrote of him: "Indeed, there are many authorities who rate Joe Bowker as the most skillful boxer ever produced in this country. That may be an exaggeration, b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Digger Stanley
George 'Digger' Stanley (28 February 1876 – 7 March 1919) was an English boxer who was British and European bantamweight boxing champion. Early life Stanley was a gypsy, and was born in a caravan at Kingston-upon-Thames. He could not read or write, but developed into a clever boxer. His early boxing career was spent fighting in fairground booths. Professional career He began boxing professionally in 1899. In November 1903 he won the vacant British bantamweight title and in December of the same year he won the British flyweight title, but the titles were not recognised by the British Boxing Board of Control until 1909. In October 1910 he fought Joe Bowker for the British and European bantamweight titles. He scored an eighth-round knockout to secure the titles. Stanley was also recognised by the National Sporting Club as the holder of the World bantamweight title, although he was not recognised as such in America. In December 1910 he defended his British title against Johnny ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Driscoll
James Driscoll (15 December 1880 – 30 January 1925), commonly known as Peerless Jim, was a Welsh boxer who learned his trade in the boxing ring and used it to fight his way out of poverty. Driscoll was British featherweight champion and won the coveted Lonsdale belt in 1910. He is a member of the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame, the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Early life Driscoll was born in Cardiff in 1880 to Cornelius and Elizabeth, and was brought up on Ellen Street in the Newtown region of the town. Driscoll's parents were both Irish, and both Catholicism and the local St Paul's Church would be key in his life.Stead (2008) p. 20 Driscoll never forgot his roots; he was a faithful supporter of his church, remained close to his community, and had great affection for the Nazareth House Orphanage, for whom he once gave up the chance of becoming Featherweight Champion of the World. Driscoll's father died in a goods yard accident be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Goldswain
Jack Goldswain (22 July 1878 – 5 November 1954) was a British boxer who won the English & Imperial ten stone title in 1906 and fought for the British welterweight title in 1910. Career Born in Bermondsey, London, Goldswain began his professional boxing career in the mid-1890s. He fought for several English titles in the era before they were standardized and controlled by the National Sporting Club at weights between 130 and 148lbs. In January 1906 he beat Fred Buckland to take the English & Imperial ten stone title, and in April 1906 he successfully defended his title against Jabez White. Fights in this period included wins over Curly Watson, as well as two defeats at the hands of Young Joseph, one of which was recorded in one of the early boxing films. In October 1909, he beat French middleweight champion Marcel Moreau on points. In March 1910 Joseph made the first defence of the British welterweight title against Goldswain; Goldswain was disqualified in the eleventh ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Young Joseph
Aschel Joseph (12 February 1885 – 23 October 1952), better known as Young Joseph or Young Josephs, was a British boxer who was British welterweight champion between 1908 and 1912 and European welterweight champion between 1910 and 1911. Career Born in Aldgate, London, to Russian Jewish immigrant parents, Joseph attended the Jews' Free School and took up boxing in the Jewish Lads' Brigade.Manz & Panayi, Panakos (eds.) (2013) ''Refugees and Cultural Transfer to Britain'', Routledge, His professional career began in 1903. After winning most of his early fights, he fought Dick Lee in March 1905 for the 128 lbs championship, winning on points over 10 rounds. He claimed the English lightweight title two months later after a draw with Alf Reed. With titles coming under the jurisdiction of the National Sporting Club, Joseph won his first regulated title in October 1908, beating Corporal Bill Baker to take the English welterweight title (later known as the British welterweight ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BoxRec
BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing. The objective of the site is to document every professional boxer and boxing match from the instigation of the Queensberry Rules up to the present times. BoxRec publishes ratings for all active boxers and all time ratings. Since 2012 the site has hosted Barry Hugman's History of World Championship Boxing. Foundation The site was founded by John Sheppard, an Englishman. Sheppard had never attended a boxing bout until 1995 when he attended a "Prince" Naseem Hamed fight with Hamed's older brothers Riath and Nabeel. Sheppard had considered boxing to be a "barbaric and degrading" spectacle, stating "I sat there watching people punch each other in the head, wondering why they were doing it... I was sprayed with blood, getting more and more miserable." However, Sheppard later explained, " ring N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas Thomas (boxer)
Thomas Thomas (8 April 1880 – 13 August 1911) was a Welsh boxer and the first British middleweight boxing champion. Early years He was born at Glynarthen, Cardiganshire but moved to Carncelyn Farm, Penygraig, in the Rhondda Valley of South Wales at an early age. Boxing history Born at Glynarthen, Cardiganshire (the home of his mother) and then moving to Carnelyn Farm, he began boxing in a sideshow, touring with Freddie Welsh and Jim Driscoll. After winning the local Rhondda valley heavyweight "championship", he won a National Sporting Club middleweight competition in London. Eventually, in May 1906, he fought the English champion Pat O'Keeffe to become the first national British middleweight champion. In 1909, he fought Charlie Wilson to become the first holder of a Lonsdale Belt at his weight. He won over thirty fights before losing the British middleweight title to Jim Sullivan in November 1910. Early demise He began to suffer from rheumatism. He died from h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
