Top British Promoters?

[Cap]

Who were the top British Fight Promoters prior to 1950 besides Jack Solomon?

Cap

[john2345]

Depends how far back in time you want to go, but here's a few names (in fairly random order)

Harry Levene
Sydney Hulls (at peak in 1930s)
Johny Best (Liverpool)
Dick & Bella Burge (post WW1 era, East end fight hall promoters)
Jeff Dickson
"Peggy" Bettinson (1910/20s era)
CB Cochrane (same era)

If you're looking at the Solomons era (and just before) then Levene and Hulls would be the big London-based names that come to my mind.

J

[Cap]

Thanks, John. Do you know off-hand the name of the British promoter who helped Tex Rickard make the Dempsey-Carpentier fight? I knew it, but it's slipped my mind and I can't find his name anywhere.

Cap


Cap's Journal

[john2345]

Thanks, John. Do you know off-hand the name of the British promoter who helped Tex Rickard make the Dempsey-Carpentier fight? I knew it, but it's slipped my mind and I can't find his name anywhere.
Cap
Cap's Journal

I'm guessing at this one, but if there was a British promoter involved I'd say it was C B Cochran. He was also a pal of writer George Bernard Shaw, who in turn admired Carpentier as a fighter/hero figure and (maybe without realising!) helped build up interest in the fight.

J

[Scrap]

I think Manny Goodhall deserves a mention

[Cap]

I think Manny Goodhall deserves a mention

Where and when did he work mostly, Mr. Scrap?

[Cap]

Thanks, John. Do you know off-hand the name of the British promoter who helped Tex Rickard make the Dempsey-Carpentier fight? I knew it, but it's slipped my mind and I can't find his name anywhere.
Cap
Cap's Journal

I'm guessing at this one, but if there was a British promoter involved I'd say it was C B Cochran. He was also a pal of writer George Bernard Shaw, who in turn admired Carpentier as a fighter/hero figure and (maybe without realising!) helped build up interest in the fight.

J

I'll see if I can't dig up that other name I was thinking of. Do you recall who would've promoted Tommy Farr, Eddie Phillips, Jim Wilde etc during the Depression years? Would it have been Hulls or JJ Paget or who?

Cap


Cap's Journal

[john2345]

[/quote]

I'll see if I can't dig up that other name I was thinking of. Do you recall who would've promoted Tommy Farr, Eddie Phillips, Jim Wilde etc during the Depression years? Would it have been Hulls or JJ Paget or who?

Cap

Cap's Journal[/quote]

I'm afraid my memory can't recall that exact information, and I'm having to resort to the old record books and annuals that are stored "somewhere" in the house!

From one book, here's a few lines:

"Between the wars Britain boasted outstanding promoters including Major Arnold Wilson, Johnny Best (Liverpool Stadium), Sydney Hulls (Harringay), Arthur J Elvin (Wembley), and Jack Callaghan (Holborn)." It then goes on to mention the rise of Jack Solomons, and also mentions Harry Levene, Jack Cappell, Sol Sheckman, Fred Bamber, Joe Jacobs, Alex Griffiths, Reg King, Mike Barrett, and Gus Demmy.... clearly several of these are later than the period you are looking at.

Re JJ Paget...simple answer is "I don't know for sure but didn he opeeate in the Newcastle area...??". Re who promoted Farr, Phillips, etc, Hulls would have promoted many of the major London fights of that era.

I'm actually tidying up the house at present, and "somewhere" I have Boxing News Annuals for the late 1940s-early 1950s. If I find these over the weekend and there's anything more relating to the promoters of that era I'll post a few lines. Thanks for jogging my memory...!

J

[Scrap]

In the 50s and 60s based I beleive in Blackpool promoted in the North West

[Cap]

Thanks for the info, but I was mostly interested in the first half of the last century.

Cap

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