Does anyone have any information about Boxing matches in the London Polytec in the 1920s?
I don't know whether they were amateur or professional.
My cousin, Terence Patrick O'Brien died in the ring but I cant find anything about his death or what happened afterwards. He seems to have vanished off the planet.
I have heard that there might be more than one London Poly so it would be great to know if that's true.
I'd really like to find where he is buried and so far I'm drawing a blank.
Any ideas would be welcome!
BOXERS IN THE 1920s
Re: BOXERS IN THE 1920s
I would advise you to get in contact with Miles Templeton of http://www.boxinghistory.org.uk/. I'm sure he can help you.
Re: BOXERS IN THE 1920s
Thanks for the info. I will certainly Google that and see what I can find.
I'm afraid I've emailed Miles twice and didn't get a reply, but thanks for the suggestion.
I'm afraid I've emailed Miles twice and didn't get a reply, but thanks for the suggestion.
Re: BOXERS IN THE 1920s
Hi Terrie
I know Miles well and I'm certain he'd have replied if he'd got your email. I can only guess it must have inadvertently gone to his junk mail.
I'll let him know about your query.
I know Miles well and I'm certain he'd have replied if he'd got your email. I can only guess it must have inadvertently gone to his junk mail.
I'll let him know about your query.
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prewarboxing
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Re: BOXERS IN THE 1920s
I am so sorry that I did not respond to you sooner Terrie. I get between three and four thousand emails a year and it is quite a challenge staying on top of them. Quite a few do slip through the net but I do not meant to be rude, just busy !
I cannot help at all, I am afraid, with regard to your specific enquiry. Amateur boxing records for this period are very sketchy. I am unaware of this boxer dying in the ring. I have heard many people say that their ancestor either killed someone in the ring, or that they died in the ring and usually this isn’t the case at all. Often a boxer had so many contests that they became ill quite young and often died in their thirties or early forties. The family then stated that ‘it was boxing that killed him’ and this gets handed down to the next generation as ‘he died in the ring’.
This is not to say, of course, that your family member didn’t die in the ring, he may well have done. During the 1920s I would estimate that between fifteen and twenty-five such events occurred in Britain and I am aware of quite a lot of them.
I can help with some information regarding the Polytechnic and I would like to enclose an article about the club from 1926 which others may find interesting and informative. I have emailed you it separately but I cannot see how to upload it on to this forum so that everyone can see it. If someone can help me with instructions about how I can do this then I will sort it out.
Kind regards and apologies for not responding sooner
Miles Templeton
I cannot help at all, I am afraid, with regard to your specific enquiry. Amateur boxing records for this period are very sketchy. I am unaware of this boxer dying in the ring. I have heard many people say that their ancestor either killed someone in the ring, or that they died in the ring and usually this isn’t the case at all. Often a boxer had so many contests that they became ill quite young and often died in their thirties or early forties. The family then stated that ‘it was boxing that killed him’ and this gets handed down to the next generation as ‘he died in the ring’.
This is not to say, of course, that your family member didn’t die in the ring, he may well have done. During the 1920s I would estimate that between fifteen and twenty-five such events occurred in Britain and I am aware of quite a lot of them.
I can help with some information regarding the Polytechnic and I would like to enclose an article about the club from 1926 which others may find interesting and informative. I have emailed you it separately but I cannot see how to upload it on to this forum so that everyone can see it. If someone can help me with instructions about how I can do this then I will sort it out.
Kind regards and apologies for not responding sooner
Miles Templeton
Re: BOXERS IN THE 1920s
Here's the article Miles is referring to:
Re: BOXERS IN THE 1920s
Thank you both so much for your help, particularly the background information regarding the Poly.
Regarding the embroidery of the facts, I have actually seen a note to the family from Terence regarding an injury he had sustained which resulted in a chipped bone in his face, where he assured everyone that it was minor and repairing.
I suppose it is conceivable that those injuries contributed to his eventual death. It would be easier to fathom if I could discover the record of his death, which has so far eluded us.
I do have a photo of him with his trophies, but I think they were possibly won in Burma, since he was born there.
The hunt goes on.
Many thanks again
Regarding the embroidery of the facts, I have actually seen a note to the family from Terence regarding an injury he had sustained which resulted in a chipped bone in his face, where he assured everyone that it was minor and repairing.
I suppose it is conceivable that those injuries contributed to his eventual death. It would be easier to fathom if I could discover the record of his death, which has so far eluded us.
I do have a photo of him with his trophies, but I think they were possibly won in Burma, since he was born there.
The hunt goes on.
Many thanks again