Petersen was a beautiful man of a bygone era, Charley. Forget nostalgia, gentlemen like him don't exist in Britain any more (and probably anywhere else) and the big Welshman could also fight: he was British light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion by the age of 21, which speaks for itself, in the hungry 1930s.CNorkusJr wrote:With all this talk about British fighters, I will defer to you guys who know much more about those British blokes of yesteryears than I ever will. But I do remember my father talking about one fellow he met briefly. While I was looking through his photo albums with my father, we came across a picture of my father talking to Paul Berlanbach "The Astoria Assassin" who came to an amateur fight of my dads back in 1948. Along with Mr Berlanbach my father said was a onetime British Isle Heavy Champ named Jack Peterson. My father said he didnt get to talk to Mr Peterson all that much, but rather exchanged pleasantries, and Mr Peterson wished my father well in his boxing career ahead. Jack was then diverted to a group of newspapermen nearby when a news man took a picture of Paul Berlanbach and my father, but Jack was too busy for the picture.
My father remembered him as taller and well built and carried a Champion's "aire" about him.
I dont know if Mr Berlanbach fought Mr Peterson ever,or what business they might of had together, but they came together for the night out.
Just three weeks after Jack's 15-round win over rugged Aussie George Cook in Cardiff in 1933, for which Jack required hospital treatment, Petersen took on the big-punching sensation of the day, Jack Doyle, in their infamous brawl at London's White City. Irishman Doyle, a charismatic licence to bed women and to sell tickets, found the occasion too much for him in front of 90,000 fans, went beserk with low blows, and was disqualified in the second round.
Doyle lived the rest of his life with alcoholism and sipphilus.
Petersen also overcame men such as Ben Foord, Walter Neusel, Len Harvey (in front of another 90,000), Larry Gains, Jock McAvoy and Reggie Meen, but surprise losses to Foord and Neusel in rematches cost him a 'natural' showdown with Tommy Farr, who was bitterly resentful of Jack's popularity. Farr was probably the only man who ever disliked Petersen, but even then, Petersen always spoke kindly of his Welsh rival.
Of course money breeds resentment, and Petersen earned masses when thousands (like Farr) worked down the pits without boots on, yet Petersen was modest, even shy, and shunned the London high life. Crowds of 50,000 would make their way to Ninian Park in Cardiff to watch his fights; traffic was literally brought to a halt in the city.
Make no mistake about it, Jack was popular because he was truly genuine, truly nice and because he could truly fight.
. The McDonalds thing was set up by a young guy, we were all young then.. 
