Colors of Oldtimers' Trunks

[delisa]

Glad to be seen!

[Caractacus]

I think it all goes back to the first Tunney vrs Dempsey fight Iin 1926.
some of the spectators in the back rows couldn't tell who was who when they were fighting
so from that point the commision order the opponentss to wear bright contrasting colours of trunks.
so for the Dempsey vrs Sharkey match in Yankee Stadium (82,000 fans in attendance)
Jack Sharkey and Jim Braddock (who was fighting the preliminary)would wear Red trunks
and Jack Dempsey and George LaRocco purple trunks.

[wsbuf]

Jimmy Slattery wore his Irish green trunks

[Caractacus]

Max Baer reportedly had a seamtress in NYC make his trunks when he was a 'condeduh".
he wanted pastel colours including purple for when he was to win the HW Championship.
also I think Jim J. Jeffries wore purple trunks too (or scarlet).

[Caractacus]

i I had read an old newspaper article from 1897 (re-printed in the book LANKY BOB by K.R Robinson)
that for the Corbett fight in Carson City Nevada , Fitzsimmons came into the ring with green tights
and over those were dark blue swimming type trunks,
with a stars and stripes belt (Fitzsimmons had just become a Naturalized American citizen).

[Tony1244]

I remember Ken Norton purposely broke that taboo on a particular broadcast he was color commentator on after the blow by blow guy would say the colors of the trunks, he would immediately say "the black fighter" and "the white fighter".

Thanks raylawpc. I've also read a lot of "flesh colored tights", which could be pink, both Sullivan and McCaffrey against each other for instance.

Cosell did that at least once as well and he followed it up with, "...I tell it like it is."

[Caractacus]

for his fight with Jim J. Jeffries in 1899,
Bob Fitzsimmons wore pink or lavender tights and "Garnett" coloured trunks

in 1909 .
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien wore into the ring Irish green tights and a red, white and blue belt.
stanley Ketchel wore flaming red tights ( and a smirk).