How Karel Miljon Lost to the Jury

How Karel Miljon Lost to the Jury

How Karel Miljon lost to the jury By Jan Luitzen Pia Abrahamsen-Miljon: ‘It did not upend his life, but that match did have a tremendous impact on my father. ' Karel Miljon, seconds of the Olympic tournament, the reporter on duty of before an Olympic De Volkskranteven called boxingtoo ridiculousforwords. match in 1928. That's why he announced that he would not include the results in the paper, but'only mood pieces to launch our Photo: Private collection Karel M iljon. ir. thinking aboutthis sport'.“ Indeed, a few days later he filled half a page with a ‘boxing impression'-entitled: 'The Olympic butcher' - which did not hide his contempt for that 'stupid sport' in which 'anhedonia leads to a fistfight'.5 The Mayor of Amsterdam at the time, Willem De Vlugt, had been rather blunt, saying those sport fans that wanted to see bloocletting should go to the slaughterhouse. Since late 1922 public boxing matches had been banned in Amsterdam following a dramatic, fatal boxing incident. De V ugt was dead-set against lifting the ban considering the approaching Olympic Games. But he changed his mind when he was subtly told that boxing had been a full-fledged Olympic sport Unfairness? The loss Karel Miljon suffered in the since the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. Barely hiding his semi-finals against Ernst Pistulla of Germany at the reluctance, he allowed a temporary lift of the boxing 1928 Olympics was the epitome of unfairness. His ban, so that competitive boxing was allowed during the disillusioned German opponent had already gone to two weeks of the Games in Amsterdam. On a side note: the locker room when the jury came to its decision. It De Vlugt grew so enthusiastic about the Olympics that puzzled everyone: Pistulla had won after all, in a victory he turned devout Christians against him by attending on points. several games on Sunday.6 Juicy detail: during the match, Prince Hendrik, the In this tendentious atmosphere, the Dutch boxing German-born Prince of the Netherlands, made his team moved into the Dam Hotel in Edam a month appearance. This distracted Pistulla, and a ruthless before the start of the Olympics. Sam Olij (heavyweight, Miljon took advantage of it. over 79,378 kg), Karel Miljon (light heavyweight, up to The descendents of Karel Miljon are slowly getting 79,378 kg), Cor Blommers (welter weight, up to 66,678 over the 'stolen' match, but it is not easy. What follows kg), Daaf Baan (lightweight, up to 61,237 kg), Bep Van is a reconstruction of a boxing match that can still make Klaveren (featherweight, up to 57,152 kg), and Ben Bril your blood boil today.’ (flyweight, tot 50,802 kg) were the boxers representing the Netherlands. Itwasthefirsttime since its inception in Amsterdam Bans Boxing 1911 thatthe Nederlandsche Boks Bond [the Dutch boxing federation] (NBB) set up a training camp, American style, 'Gentlemen with flattened noses, chewing gum', Van Opzeeland writes in histiographyofBen Bril.7 'covered in blood and sweat', sit and after their revolting fight still embrace and kiss each other.’ Spectators ]a n L u itz e n ‘ 1900, he studied Dutch Linguistics and whistle, shout, and jeer without restraint in perfect Literature at VU University in Amsterdam. He is a lecturer and harmony in ‘this primitive environment where Neander­ graduation project coordinator for SM&O, a bachelor programme at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, and is thals' manners are written in the book of etiquette’3... (external) PhD candidaie at the Radboud University in Nijmegen. This is how Dutch newspapers portrayed boxing during In 201A-2015 Luitzen p tblished three articles in The Inter­ the 1928 Olympics (28th July to 12th August in Amsterdam). national Joumol of the History of Sport. For more information, check: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_luitzen General revulsion. Disdain. In his report of the first days The Olympic boxing team in traditional Volendam costumes in r ~ ? 1928: Bep Van Klaveren (standing, third from the left), Karel Miljon (standing, third from 'a -o s h s the right), Sam Olij (standing, far right), DaafBaan,Cor Blommers and Ben Bril (seated, far right). Hotelier Jacobus Braat showed his great talent for (1903-1980 - after all, he was runner-up at the 1927 Also in the picture: improvisation by turning his yard into a temporary European championship - and at some point his father trainer Jan Ploeger, fitness center. He furnished a full-scale boxing ring, had said about him: 'When he was fourteen, in 1917, sparring partners Sytze punching balls, punching bags, and dumbbells. 'Jump we called him "De Spriet ["The Sprig"]. Man, 0, man, Jansma and Nol ropes and shadow boxing were part of the daily ritual. was he skinny. It looked as if some of his bones went Steenhorst, and Th. Two sparring partners hired by the NBB helped the straight through the skin and you could easily count his C.P.M.VanKolfschoten, boxers develop a competition rhythm: Nol Steenhorst ribs.' De Ring, the magazine of the boxing federation, Mayor of Edam. of Rotterdam, an uncle of Bep Van Klaveren, and Sytze contains a retrospective of Miljon's career published Adjacent: The backside Jansma, who had won Olympic silver in Antwerp in 1920 in 1948. It describes how 'The Sprig,’ at it+ years old of the postcard Jacobus with the Dutch tug-of-war team were strict teachers barely weighing 100 pounds - this was called extra light Braat received 31” July who did not pamper their students. Nephew Bep also weight back then - entered the competitive ring for the 1928, reads,'As a nice got to know Uncle Nol' s fists like he never had before.' first time. It was a disaster. His opponent, Nico Deul, a souvenir of the Ex-top boxer Ben B'il remembers the Edam training 'well-known young Amsterdam boxer', soon gave Karel cheerful sport life in camp more like a chastisement than a relaxed pre­ a right-hand jab that dizzied him. 'He resorted to a the "Dam Hotel" in paration: ‘In order to stay below my competition double cover, which he kept up. In the second round Edam'. Only Mayor weight, I had to follow a strict diet, and because of the he gave up and the people kind of laughed at him. After Van Kolfschoten did extremely heavy training, that often meant goingto bed all, the spectators are cruel. Won't ever see him back in notsign the card. hungry. It was sheertorment, for Mr. Braat could cook. the ring, they said to each other. He has had his fill."0 Photo: Prwate collection His homemade bread with thick slices of Edam cheese At that moment, nobody had any idea that Karel Miljon Karel Miljon, Jr. had me salivating many a time. But, most of the time, would become one of the best amateur boxers in the our trainer, Jan Ploege'would not let us have any. That's Netherlands. Karel joined the Amsterdam boxing club when you could see that he had been a sport teacher for J.J. Corbett, whose founder, ex-top boxer Nelis Bisschop, the police and the marines. I can still hear him saying: was the instructor. Under his tutelage Miljon improved "Guys, think about your weight.'"8 rapidly, but he learned even more from the 'famous negro’ Battling Siki, who lived in Rotterdam, where he "The Sprig” competed most often." ‘Karel trained with Siki in a room upstairs somewhere on Rapenburg Island in Amsterdam, For Bep Van Klaveren 3 different aspect of the training and he really showed Karel how the left uppercut was camp was punishment. Not only was he ‘bored to tears delivered. That pure, straight punch would become Karel there in Edam' for weeks, but ‘the town hall had a Miljon's most feared weapon. Thanks to his height and chiming glockenspiel, /ou know, and every 15 minutes it his large wingspan, he used it effectively."2 played the same idiotic tune. Day in, day out. I thought In 1922, Miljon won the Dutch championship for the I was going to go crazy because of that bloody thing. first time, and he held on to it, uninterruptedly, for over I didn't sleep a wink Our room was right next door a decade. Later he also became heavyweight champion. to it. Christ! What a scourge, those darn bells! Every 15 He could have made a lot of money, but he never went minutes that same stupid song ... At some point I had pro. Throughout Europe he competed 224 times and had enough. I thought: I am goingto stop those bells... lost only seven matches. In 1924 he participated in the I tried, but I couldn't get in. Everything was locked. Not Paris Olympics, where he lost in the first round to the one single door could I open. I even looked to see if I eventual champion, Harry Mitchell of England. could climb onto the roof to stop them from the outside, And then the drama of the Olympic Games unfolded those bells, but nota chance.'9 for Miljon in Amsterdam. In the previews only one Dutchman was given a big Ben Bril, Cor Blommers, Sam Olij and Daaf Baan had chance to win Olympic gold: Karel Leendert Miljon fairly good results on those warm days in August 1928, as Karel Miljon (left) and Miljon Versus Pistulla Alf Jackson of England. That same Friday io,h August - later than the Van Photo. Private collection A n t h o n y Th. Bijkerk. Klaveren-Devine match - he faces Ernst Pistulla of Germany in the semifinals.

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