I began boxing at the age of 10
By 13 I was considered one of the best in the world
When I was 18 my career was over...
Who Am I?
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SaadOffTheDeck
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 19602
- Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 07:38
Re: Who Am I?
Nipper Pat daly
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HomicideHenry
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 18722
- Joined: 08 Sep 2005, 00:43
Re: Who Am I?
Saad got it first 
was indeed Nipper Pat Daly, turned pro at age 10 and by 13 was one of the top men in the world, fifteen fought for a strap, and by 18 he was burnt out
was indeed Nipper Pat Daly, turned pro at age 10 and by 13 was one of the top men in the world, fifteen fought for a strap, and by 18 he was burnt out-
SaadOffTheDeck
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 19602
- Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 07:38
Re: Who Am I?
I think he turned pro at 9, but it was close enough either way. he's the only one.
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HomicideHenry
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 18722
- Joined: 08 Sep 2005, 00:43
Re: Who Am I?
Truly remarkable career was Pat Daly, its so amazing in fact, that I doubt any sports fan today (in general) would believe such a man ever existed, or such things could happen back then.
Re: Who Am I?
It's great to see such interest in my grandfather Nipper Pat's career.
Just to clarify a couple of points:
He wasn't considered one of the best in the world at 13; but he was at 16.
Despite beating several champions, he never fought for a title. When he was 15 he was in line for a British title shot (after beating and thoroughly outclassing the number-one contender), but being a growing teenager, he outgrew the weight before a title fight could be made.
Then in 1929, when he was 16, the BBB of C introduced a rule restricting the age of British title contestants to 21, which of course made him ineligible. There was an outcry in the press with boxing scribes calling for him to be given a title shot, but it never happened. The rule was a bit hypocritical and superfluous to say the least, as at 16 he was allowed to fight 15-round contests week in and week out, and was beating the best men in Europe at his weight, yet he wasn't allowed the honour of challenging for the national title.
I should add that winning the British title in those days was an honour not so far removed from winning a world title. If you boxed in Britain in one of the lighter weight classes back then, you'd need to beat a hell of a lot of good fighters before you earned a British title shot. And if you won a British title, you were in genuine world class. Nowadays, sadly, the British crown doesn't carry nearly so much kudos and boxers often win it after a handful of fights.
If it's of interest, my book on Nipper Pat Daly's ring career and life is on special offer at the moment at just £9.99 + p&p:
http://www.nipperpatdaly.co.uk/nipperboxingbook.html
Just to clarify a couple of points:
He wasn't considered one of the best in the world at 13; but he was at 16.
Despite beating several champions, he never fought for a title. When he was 15 he was in line for a British title shot (after beating and thoroughly outclassing the number-one contender), but being a growing teenager, he outgrew the weight before a title fight could be made.
Then in 1929, when he was 16, the BBB of C introduced a rule restricting the age of British title contestants to 21, which of course made him ineligible. There was an outcry in the press with boxing scribes calling for him to be given a title shot, but it never happened. The rule was a bit hypocritical and superfluous to say the least, as at 16 he was allowed to fight 15-round contests week in and week out, and was beating the best men in Europe at his weight, yet he wasn't allowed the honour of challenging for the national title.
I should add that winning the British title in those days was an honour not so far removed from winning a world title. If you boxed in Britain in one of the lighter weight classes back then, you'd need to beat a hell of a lot of good fighters before you earned a British title shot. And if you won a British title, you were in genuine world class. Nowadays, sadly, the British crown doesn't carry nearly so much kudos and boxers often win it after a handful of fights.
If it's of interest, my book on Nipper Pat Daly's ring career and life is on special offer at the moment at just £9.99 + p&p:
http://www.nipperpatdaly.co.uk/nipperboxingbook.html
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Controversial
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 9183
- Joined: 13 Jul 2002, 18:29
Re: Who Am I?
Pretty amazing story, why did he stop fighting just before his 18th birthday, still so young.Alex wrote:It's great to see such interest in my grandfather Nipper Pat's career.
Just to clarify a couple of points:
He wasn't considered one of the best in the world at 13; but he was at 16.
Despite beating several champions, he never fought for a title. When he was 15 he was in line for a British title shot (after beating and thoroughly outclassing the number-one contender), but being a growing teenager, he outgrew the weight before a title fight could be made.
Then in 1929, when he was 16, the BBB of C introduced a rule restricting the age of British title contestants to 21, which of course made him ineligible. There was an outcry in the press with boxing scribes calling for him to be given a title shot, but it never happened. The rule was a bit hypocritical and superfluous to say the least, as at 16 he was allowed to fight 15-round contests week in and week out, and was beating the best men in Europe at his weight, yet he wasn't allowed the honour of challenging for the national title.
I should add that winning the British title in those days was an honour not so far removed from winning a world title. If you boxed in Britain in one of the lighter weight classes back then, you'd need to beat a hell of a lot of good fighters before you earned a British title shot. And if you won a British title, you were in genuine world class. Nowadays, sadly, the British crown doesn't carry nearly so much kudos and boxers often win it after a handful of fights.
If it's of interest, my book on Nipper Pat Daly's ring career and life is on special offer at the moment at just £9.99 + p&p:
http://www.nipperpatdaly.co.uk/nipperboxingbook.html
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HomicideHenry
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 18722
- Joined: 08 Sep 2005, 00:43
Re: Who Am I?
Daly was simply burnt out, he had so many matches from 10-17 that it took everything out of him. You can say his manager more or less used the kid, making him fight almost every week. By time he reached adulthood, his punch resistance was also gone, so there is speculation that somewhere along the line he got hurt badly. From what I recall he about killed himself dehydrating to make weight for a fight, and got kayoed, and was never the same.
Re: Who Am I?
Such things can only happen where freedom flourishes.
Don't look for a story such as this to be repeated any time soon.
Don't look for a story such as this to be repeated any time soon.
Re: Who Am I?
Yes, he was burnt out. I'd say it was the accumulation of so many hard, long-distance fights without sufficient rest in between coupled with a constant battle to make weight at a time when he was a growing teenager.
After one particular fight he suffered concussion and was unable to walk properly for several weeks. He was then sent back in the ring before he'd recovered and, whilst fighting under the handicap of concussion, took another beating and was stopped by a man whom he'd have boxed rings round under normal circumstances.
He then split from his manager and decided to take a couple of years out from boxing to allow his body to recover and grow to his proper weight (if he'd fought as a grown man he would have been a middleweight or light-heavyweight).
But after four months out the ring a local promoter persuaded him to make an early comeback. He won his last few fights, but these were against inferior opposition and it was obvious from his performances that, although just 17, he was a spent force.
He then went back to his original plan of taking a couple of years out before making another comeback. There are press reports a year or two later of him getting ready to make a comeback as a middleweight; but it never happened.
The boxing critics who watched his performances had said he'd be a world champion and perhaps go down as an all-time great. Sadly he never got to fulfill those prophecies or reach his full potential. But he certainly made his mark on the fight game and I don't think there's another boxer quite like him in the whole history of boxing.
After one particular fight he suffered concussion and was unable to walk properly for several weeks. He was then sent back in the ring before he'd recovered and, whilst fighting under the handicap of concussion, took another beating and was stopped by a man whom he'd have boxed rings round under normal circumstances.
He then split from his manager and decided to take a couple of years out from boxing to allow his body to recover and grow to his proper weight (if he'd fought as a grown man he would have been a middleweight or light-heavyweight).
But after four months out the ring a local promoter persuaded him to make an early comeback. He won his last few fights, but these were against inferior opposition and it was obvious from his performances that, although just 17, he was a spent force.
He then went back to his original plan of taking a couple of years out before making another comeback. There are press reports a year or two later of him getting ready to make a comeback as a middleweight; but it never happened.
The boxing critics who watched his performances had said he'd be a world champion and perhaps go down as an all-time great. Sadly he never got to fulfill those prophecies or reach his full potential. But he certainly made his mark on the fight game and I don't think there's another boxer quite like him in the whole history of boxing.
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Sportofkings
- Light Heavyweight
- Posts: 106
- Joined: 14 Apr 2012, 16:32
Re: Who Am I?
The case of Pat Daly is remarkable, how could a 10 year old boy beat grown professional fighters? Goes beyond reason, he had to be a physical freak at that age.
Re: Who Am I?
Just to clarify, my grandfather started aged nine or 10 and typically took on lads two or three years older, but at that stage he was not fighting grown men.Sportofkings wrote:The case of Pat Daly is remarkable, how could a 10 year old boy beat grown professional fighters? Goes beyond reason, he had to be a physical freak at that age.
By 14, however, he was regularly topping bills in 15-round fights and taking on opponents in their late teens.
By 15 he was taking on (and beating) guys in their 20s, and some of the best flyweights in Europe.
By 16 he had beaten numerous champions, was ranked in the world's top 10 and being hailed in the British press as an all-time great in the making.
At 17 he was burnt out and had his final fight shortly before his 18th birthday.
The regulation of professional boxing in Britain during the 1920s was woefully lax. There was no age limit for pro fighters and there were no rules to restrict how often a boxer could fight, how many rounds they could box at a certain age or against whom.