■.`004ALUAMMOAA01/4.0 %.**AWWWONsimmumA449// International Boxing Research Organizatiori BOX 84, GUILFORD, N.Y. 13780 Newsletter 114 October, 1984 WELCOME During the past few months the membership of IBRO has increased by more than 50% and now stands at 84 worldwide. We welcome the following 32 new members: Andy Betts* Les Gibbons Vincent Murray Joseph Brower* Jack Hay* Richard Pagano* Alfred Bucchianeri Walter Hogan* Thomas Ross Ocania Chalk* Charles Johnston K e n Smith* Joseph Corcoran* Ronald Kirkman Be la Szilagyi* Tom Crome Ronald Land Tan Wee Eng* Stephen Crosson Charles Leone Howard Tannenbaum* Bob Daniel George Luckman Steven Walsh Anthony Ferrante Michael Matteson Robert Wellman* Jose Garcia* Ken McCauley DaVid Wolf Morton Gerofsky* Ray Mitchell *Members whose names are followed by an asterisk are not included in the IBRO Membership Directory (contained in the Second Annual Journal.) Please make a special note of their , addresses on the following pages. Apologies to Jack Hay whose membership was received in time but was inadvertently omitted. ANNUAL JOURNAL Enclosed with this mailing is the Second Annual Journal. Thank you very much to all the members who contributed material to it. MEETING The New Haven meeting took place on Saturday, July 14th as scheduled. Although the turnout was light for a variety of reasons, the occasion did give several IBRO members a chance to meet each other cnd share a pleasant afternoon discussing boxing. Many thanks to Carl .chnipper for arranging the get -together. ELECTION OF OFFICERS The 1.984-85 officers are President, John Grasso; Vice-President, Luckett Davis; Secretary, Robert Soderman; and Treasurer, Herb Goldman. The Vice-Presidential race was the closest with Luckett Davis nipping Laurence Fielding, Bill Schutte and Bert Sugar. MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY The 1984-85 Membership Directory is contained on pages 83-86 of the Journal. Please note that several of the new members are not included in this directory. Their addresses, however, are contained elsewhere in this newsletter. 2 CELEBRITY BOXERS - LORD BYRON by Peter Hatton IBRO Newsletter if8 listed some men who achieved fame outside of the boxing ring but who were known to have boxed. One of these men was the writer Lord Byron,born George Gordon Byron, the 6th Baron Byron (1788-1824). Peter Hatton provides some additional insight into Byron's boxing participation. "In this period there is a great distinction between bare-fisted 'milling' and gloved 'sparring.' (ed. note - see p.47 of the Second Annual Journal). There is no evidence that Byron did other than spar. Jim Ford credits him with 6 bouts while at Harrow (School) (1801-5) and our Dictionary of National Bibliography credits him with having been 'a poor scholar, good boxer' at school and a 'practised boxer' while at Cambridge University (1805-08). Boxing was not a formal sport at Harrow school at that date and I will see if I can find out anything more; however, given Byron's reputation as a protector of his friends with his fists (esp. Lords Clare & Delawarr, Harkness, Long, Sinclair and (more debatably) the future prime-minister Peel), I suspect these were challenge fights informally controlled rather than anything more formal. When in London from at least 1805 to at least 1 81 4, Byron was coached by 'Gentleman' John Jackson, 'Professor of Pugilism' (All-England Champion 1795-? 1800) at his gym at 13 Bond Street; at times Jackson also came round to Byron's rooms in the Albany to spar with him. I am sure Byron was a frequent spectator at the Fives Court, but had he participated in an exhibition, Pierce or Bee would have recorded it. Bee in Fancyiana lists Byron as one of the principal putters-up of purses in 1807. I suspect Byron's sparring at Cambridge was chiefly with Long and would have been watched by other undergraduates. My conclusion then is that Byron,though having a reputation for the use of his fists,never participated in a bout one could record formerly by the standards of 1 800, 1890 or 1984." "SHOWER" FIGHTS In reading a fight report in a contemporary Australian boxing magazine, the phrase "shower fight" was noted. An inquiry to John Hogg produced the following explanation. "A 'shower' fight results in shower of coins to the combatants as you may have surmised. Frequently notes also accompany the coins. Mainly preliminary bouts are showered, sort of a bonus to the lesser fighters for a good fight. Hard to say how common they are. Not as many as years ago wlien there were more preliminary fights on each programme. It's a dangerous practice but impossible to stop. A coin thrown from the back of the stadium can cause damage. I have seen ringsiders suffer head cuts from coins. In Melbourne years ago one lost the sight of an eye after being hit. When a shower starts you duck your head and cover your eyes." NEW ZEALAND Earlier this year, on March 19, 1984, Australian Tony Mundine lost his Australasian light heavyweight title to Samoan Alex Sua in Carlow Park, Auckland, New Zealand. What mode the bout unusual was the scoring of the three judges: 234-233, 234-232 and 234-228. In New Zealand they use the 20 point must scoring system for professional bouts as well as amateur ones. Does anyone know of cny other place where a 20 point system is used for professional bouts? (thanks to John Hogg for this item). THANKS To the following members for their contributions to this newsletter: George Blair, David Bloch, Tom Crome, Luckett Davis, Robert Diamond, Laurence Fielding, Michel Glodu, Bruce Harris, Peter Hatton, John Hogg, Joe Koizumi, Johnny Shevalla, Paul Soyka and Julius Weiner. A very special thank you to Charles Leone for his generous cash donation. 3 LEE SAVOLD In newsletter f 11„ the record of Lee Savold appeared. The name Lee Hulver was given as another name for Savold. According to George Blair, Savold was the fighter's family name- his fatherLs come was Sam Savold. Does anyone know whether Lee Hulver was an early ring name for Lee Savold, and if so, when did he stop using it? VIDEO TAPES A good source for fights on video tape per George Blair is Kurt Noltimier, 2240 Ridge Drive '33, St. Louis Park, Minnesota 55416 - telephone 612 545-0094. BATTLING JIM JOHNSON In newsletter *13, an article on Joe Jeannette mentioned that Battling Jim Johnson fought out of a "Jim Jeffries-type crouch in his heavyweight title bout with Jack Johnson." Robert Diamond has a short film clip of Jim Johnson vs. Sam McVea in 1910 in Paris in which Jim Johnson fights in a very pronounced upright position and wonders if Jim Johnson changed styles for his bout against Jack Johnson. He writes, "Interestingly, McVea fights with his left arm completely extended and uses it as a spear to charge with. Both fighters also have the unfortunate habit during a brisk exchange of punches of throwing round-house punches with their heads down and eyes facing the floor." FIGHT FILMS Paul Soyka, Apt. 2414, 3550 Jeanne Mance, Montreal, Quebec H2x 3P7 is working on a project to catalog fight films. Please contact him if you have information on any fight films or would like to take part in this project. CELEBRITY BOXERS Julius Weiner has provided some more names of personalities from the entertainment world who boxed in their youth: Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lou Costello, William Demarest, Jack Palance, Dale Robertson, Reginald Gardner and Phil "Take a- or Leave it" Baker. In addition, the Peace Corps director under President Johnson in 1966, Jack Hood Vaughan, was a Michigan Golden Gloves champion. TARTAN BOXING ANNUAL Robert W. Macdonald, 29 Baronswell, Wick, Caithness, Scotland has produced a limited edition of a new record book, The Tartan Boxing Annual 1984. This 43 page softcover book contains the records of 45 Scottish boxers - their 5 world champions, 5 contenders who fought for the world's championship, 3 others who were European champions, and 32 current boxers. The book includes4_additional_bouts_for Benny_Lynch_thct a_ re_not in the 1983 RRB. Distinction is made between bouts won by RSC, retirem ent, or injury, and the site of bouts held within Britain (Albert Hall, National S.C., etc.) is also given. An - interesting note is the fact that flyweight Johnny Hill is included among the world champions by the RRB but not by this Scottish compiler. This is a neat little book worth adding to your collection. Jerome Shochet, 6144 Oakland Mills Road, Sykesville, MD 21784 will take orders for the book at $6 U.S. funds. Overseas members may find it more convenient to write directly to Mr. Macdonald. 4 BOXING - This is It ! Is the title of a new book by Hank Kaplan and Enrique Encinosa. This 246 page book contains dozens of rare photos, chapters on the world's worst fighter (who won only 10 of 300 bouts), the greatest globetrotter in boxing history, a handicapped youth who became world's champion as well as chapters on Louis, Johnson, Dempsey, Robinson, Leonard and others. Available from ETC Publications, P.O. Drawer ETC, Palm Springs, CA 92263-1608. GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS Recently IBRO was asked to review the boxing entries.for the Guinness Book of World Records. Included in the boxing section are facts about the longest and shortest fights, tallest fighter, most fights, most knockouts, etc. As most members know, mcny of these so-called "facts" have been passed along in various record books but have not always been verified. The Guinness authors would like to be able to authenticate all entries and have asked IBRO to help.