Australian Boxers in California, 1885 to 1910

[Chuck1052]

Quite a number of Australian boxers came to the state of California during a period from 1885 to 1910. Australian boxers would have a somewhat similar impact and presence in California during the period as the Filipino boxers did in the state during the 1920s and 1930s. Far more Filipino boxers than Australian ones eventually came to California, but there was much more professional boxing activity in the state during the 1920s and 1930s than at anytime before World War I, making it more difficult for the Filipino boxers to have a big impact.

In addition to being a major boxing venue, San Francisco, California was the main port and biggest city on the West Coast of the United States at the time. For much of the period, Los Angeles, California had a far smaller population and was much less significant in just about every way than San Francisco. But Los Angeles' population would increase from 11,200 in 1880 to 319,198 in 1910 with San Francisco's population increased from 233,959 to 416,912 during the same period. The result is that Los Angeles really didn't have any important bouts until the first decade of the 20th Century.

- Chuck Johnston

[Like a Boss]

Quite a number of Australian boxers came to the state of California during a period from 1885 to 1910. Australian boxers would have a somewhat similar impact and presence in California during the period as the Filipino boxers did in the state during the 1920s and 1930s. Far more Filipino boxers than Australian ones eventually came to California, but there was much more professional boxing activity in the state during the 1920s and 1930s than at anytime before World War I, making it more difficult for the Filipino boxers to have a big impact.

In addition to being a major boxing venue, San Francisco, California was the main port and biggest city on the West Coast of the United States at the time. For much of the period, Los Angeles, California had a far smaller population and was much less significant in just about every way than San Francisco. But Los Angeles' population would increase from 11,200 in 1880 to 319,198 in 1910 with San Francisco's population increased from 233,959 to 416,912 during the same period. The result is that Los Angeles really didn't have any important bouts until the first decade of the 20th Century.

- Chuck Johnston

I can only imagine the attraction was money? Because it was a long, slow and probably expensive journey to get across to California.

Young Griffo headed over to the US in 1893. But he hung out on the other side of the country in places like New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois.

[Chuck1052]

Although there were substantial legal restrictions on boxing under the Marquis of Queensberry Rules in the United States from the 1880s to the 1920s, many Australian boxers still probably traveled to the U.S. for more opportunities to make a living at the time. During 1890, Australia had a population of about three million while the U.S. had about sixty-three million. So the U.S. was quite a juggernaut compared to Australia even at that time. Two years earlier, Peter Jackson traveled to the U.S. from Australia for the first time. In addition to fighting in fight-to-finish bouts in the United States, Peter Jackson was performing on the stage and was boxing in a fairly large number of short bouts or exhibitions.

- Chuck Johnston