BoxRec

i am trying to gather information for a book about boxing in bristol from the turn of the 20th century til the present day, amateur and professional. I am after any information however small. Did anyone box in bristol? Where did you train? Who else boxed there? Who were the trainers? Can you remember old fighters or fight venues? Have you got any old clippings, posters, photos etc? Did a member of your family box or a friend? Old referees, trainers, coaches etc? Do you remember watching a fight, reading an article about a boxer?

I am trying to get in contact with any fighter, trainer, coach, referee, judge etc from bristol so if anyone has any contact numbers etc for anyone i can be contacted at [email protected]!

I am especially interested in getting hold of Nick Wilshire who i believe now lives in America!

Any information however small you may think it is will be very useful!

Scans or copies of information ie photos etc are very very welcome....

There was a book about old bare-knuckle boxers from Bristol that came out a few years ago.
This book was obviously about boxers from an earlier era than the one you are thinking of doing, but I would assume that it's author might have some info that would be useful for you.

The book is called "The Bristol Boys - The Untold Story of Bristol's Champion Boxers".
It's published by Redcliffe Press.
The author's name is Jack Allen.

Hope this helps.

as mentioned above, redcliffe press have published lots of stuff over the years.

the original and probably still the best source for Bristol's golden age of pugilism is Pierce Egan Boxiana

in their day, it is claimed Belcher, Hen Pierce and Cribb were as famous as the king !

Cribb has a lonely Lion gravestone in a murky backwater in Woolwich. He was from Hanham. there is a pub with a John Gully commemorative room just outside bristol.

Gully's life story is the most extraordinary of all and takes you up to about 1840/50. he went from debtor's prison to parliament picking up some derby winners and diamond mines along the way.