Young Snowball (Billy Jones) - Revision history

Ric: Ric moved page Human:339895 to Young Snowball (Billy Jones)

2025-05-10T17:52:59Z

Ric moved page Human:339895 to Young Snowball (Billy Jones)

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John: Boxer:Young Snowball:339895 moved to Human:339895: Pagemove by bot

2007-08-18T09:50:08Z

Boxer:Young Snowball:339895 moved to Human:339895: Pagemove by bot

← Older revision	Revision as of 09:50, 18 August 2007
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Ric: spelling typos; punctuation

2006-08-16T23:05:43Z

spelling typos; punctuation

Ric at 01:20, 16 August 2006

2006-08-16T01:20:30Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:20, 16 August 2006
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	<boxer>339895</boxer>		<boxer>339895</boxer>
			* This may, or may not, be the Young Snowball (William Lawson), Jamaican-born banatamweight who fought out of Liverpool. That Young Snowball reportedly retired from boxing in 1913, while the fight record for this Young Snowball has him fighting beyond 1913.

			----
			According to a 1952053 Merseyside article regarding William Lawson:<br>
			''William Lawson ( Young Snowball )– got 2/6 for first fight

			There were few, if any, “Good Old Times” in British boxing just after the turn of the century. If you want an authoritative version of the sport in the early nineties ask 72 yr old William Lawson, more familiarly known as Young Snowball, the hard hitting Jamaican bantam, and the only Merseyside native to hold a knockout decision over the late Ike Bradley.

			Nearly 40 years have passed since he lay down his gloves, but he cannot forget the amazing fact that he received 2s 6d for his first professional fight.

			Top line purses were 30s for 15 rds and £2 for 20 rds and his biggest haul in £ s d.. after 20 rds of “tough fighting” was between £10 and £15. On one occasion, in Dundalk Town Hall, he fought Young Conroy, another coloured boy for a £25 purse, £15 for the winner and £10 for the loser with all travelling and hotel expenses paid.

			Boxing was a grim, soul destroying business in his early twenties with more hard knocks than genuinely good breaks but “Snowy” like his popular contemporary Ike Bradley, blazed the trail for fairer and better conditions for the lads who followed in their footsteps.

			If he had his days over again “Snowy” would return to his “first love” – the ring - keen and enthusiastic to earn championship honours which he had just missed. Today he lives with his wife Mary, whom he met at a jollification after winning one of his many rousing contests in Birkenhead.

			Snowy is the oldest Old Timer on Merseyside, a jovial entertaining character, with black crinkly hair, a slightly flattened nose, and yet the most cheerful countenance one could wish to see. They are in fact Merseyside’s “Darby and Joan” of boxing as they sit in their cosy little home in Wilkinson Street Birkenhead. Although he received the usual compliment of cut eyes, swollen cheek bones and split ears “Snowy bears little trace, apart from his nose, of his hard fighting career, thanks chiefly to the careful, efficient way in which Mary prepared and applied his dressings.

			He was only a little man 5ft 4ins and scaled 8st 6lb but the majority of his fights were at catchweights, especially when he travelled with Pedlar McMahon’s booth, whose big attraction was Andrew Jeptha the South African welter.

			He fought at the old skating rink, dale street, Liverpool, and the Adelphi Theatre , Liverpool, while he travelled frequently to Ireland. He met Ike Bradley twice, being disqualified in their first encounter, but gained ample revenge in their return at the Birkenhead Drill Hall for Ike went down for the full count in five rounds.

			Some years afterwards he boxed Ike at the old Pudsey Street Stadium on the latter’s benefit night, a three rounds exhibition contest, which marked the closing chapter in Ike’s illustrious career.

			Names recall memories and “Snowy" fought among an imposing list of good class boxers. Tony Yates (Manchester), Fred Delany (Bradford), Jimmy Hicks (Forest Gate), Corporal Harry Berry (11th Hussars), Jimmy Ruddock (Liverpool), and Harry Ware, ex British bantam champion.

			It was nothing unusual for his seconds to wake him up before a fight. “Snowy” could settle down and sleep before his most important contest, a valuable asset in preserving strength and complete freedom from worry.

			He enjoyed every minute of his career before he retired in 1913, just before the first World War.

			Since then he has had a variety of jobs, a cattle driver, a seaman on the Far Eastern steamers, a Dock Board firewatcher in the second World war, and today he is still working remarkably fit and active as a watchman at Birkenhead. But his great days were spent in the ring under Albert Boyce’s guidance and astute training methods. One of “Snowy’s” pupils, when he did some coaching was Tommy Murray, Wally Thom’s present manager and trainer.''

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Ric at 01:15, 16 August 2006

2006-08-16T01:15:16Z

New page

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:05, 16 August 2006
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	<boxer>339895</boxer>		<boxer>339895</boxer>
	* This may, or may not, be the Young Snowball (William Lawson), Jamaican-born ~~banatamweight~~ who fought out of Liverpool. That Young Snowball reportedly retired from boxing in 1913, while the fight record for this Young Snowball has him fighting beyond 1913.		* This may, or may not, be the Young Snowball (William Lawson), Jamaican-born bantamweight who fought out of Liverpool. That Young Snowball reportedly retired from boxing in 1913, while the fight record for this Young Snowball has him fighting beyond 1913.

	----		----
	According to a ~~1952053~~ Merseyside article regarding William Lawson:<br>		According to a 1952-1953 Merseyside article regarding William Lawson:<br>
	''William Lawson ( Young Snowball )– got 2/6 for first fight		''William Lawson ( Young Snowball )– got 2/6 for first fight

	There were few, if any, “Good Old Times” in British boxing just after the turn of the century. If you want an authoritative version of the sport in the early nineties ask 72 yr old William Lawson, more familiarly known as Young Snowball, the hard hitting Jamaican bantam, and the only Merseyside native to hold a knockout decision over the late Ike Bradley.		There were few, if any, “Good Old Times” in British boxing just after the turn of the century. If you want an authoritative version of the sport in the early nineties ask 72-yr-old William Lawson, more familiarly known as "Young Snowball," the hard hitting Jamaican bantam, and the only Merseyside native to hold a knockout decision over the late [[Ike Bradley]].

	Nearly 40 years have passed since he lay down his gloves, but he cannot forget the amazing fact that he received 2s 6d for his first professional fight.		Nearly 40 years have passed since he lay down his gloves, but he cannot forget the amazing fact that he received 2s 6d for his first professional fight.

	Top line purses were 30s for 15 rds and £2 for 20 rds and his biggest haul in £ s d.. after 20 ~~rds~~ of “tough fighting” was between £10 and £15. On one occasion, in Dundalk Town Hall, he fought Young Conroy, another coloured boy for a £25 purse, £15 for the winner and £10 for the loser with all travelling and hotel expenses paid.		Top line purses were 30s for 15 rds and £2 for 20 rds, and his biggest haul in £ s d.. after 20 rounds of “tough fighting” was between £10 and £15. On one occasion, in Dundalk Town Hall, he fought Young Conroy, another coloured boy for a £25 purse--£15 for the winner and £10 for the loser, with all travelling and hotel expenses paid.

	Boxing was a grim, soul destroying business in his early twenties with more hard knocks than genuinely good breaks but “Snowy” like his popular contemporary Ike Bradley, blazed the trail for fairer and better conditions for the lads who followed in their footsteps.		Boxing was a grim, soul-destroying business in his early twenties, with more hard knocks than genuinely good breaks, but “Snowy”--like his popular contemporary Ike Bradley--blazed the trail for fairer and better conditions for the lads who followed in their footsteps.

	If he had his days over again “Snowy” would return to his “first love” ~~– the~~ ring - keen and enthusiastic to earn championship honours which he had just missed. Today he lives with his wife Mary, whom he met at a jollification after winning one of his many rousing contests in Birkenhead.		If he had his days over again “Snowy” would return to his “first love”-–the ring--keen and enthusiastic to earn championship honours which he had just missed. Today he lives with his wife Mary, whom he met at a jollification after winning one of his many rousing contests in Birkenhead.

	Snowy is the oldest Old Timer on Merseyside, a jovial entertaining character, with black crinkly hair, a slightly flattened nose, and yet the most cheerful countenance one could wish to see. They are in fact Merseyside’s “Darby and Joan” of boxing as they sit in their ~~cosy~~ little home in Wilkinson Street Birkenhead. Although he received the usual ~~compliment~~ of cut eyes, swollen cheek bones and split ears “Snowy bears little trace, apart from his nose, of his hard fighting career, thanks chiefly to the careful, efficient way in which Mary prepared and applied his dressings.		Snowy is the oldest "Old Timer" on Merseyside--a jovial entertaining character, with black crinkly hair, a slightly flattened nose, and yet the most cheerful countenance one could wish to see. They are in fact Merseyside’s “Darby and Joan” of boxing, as they sit in their cozy little home in Wilkinson Street, Birkenhead. Although he received the usual complement of cut eyes, swollen cheek bones, and split ears, “Snowy" bears little trace, apart from his nose, of his hard-fighting career, thanks chiefly to the careful, efficient way in which Mary prepared and applied his dressings.

	He was only a little man 5ft 4ins and scaled 8st 6lb but the majority of his fights were at catchweights, especially when he travelled with Pedlar McMahon’s booth, whose big attraction was Andrew Jeptha the South African welter.		He was only a little man 5ft 4ins and scaled 8st 6lb, but the majority of his fights were at catchweights, especially when he travelled with Pedlar McMahon’s [[Boxing booth\|booth]], whose big attraction was [[Andrew Jeptha]], the South African welter.

	He fought at the old skating rink, ~~dale street~~, Liverpool, and the Adelphi Theatre , Liverpool, while he travelled frequently to Ireland. He met Ike Bradley twice, being disqualified in their first encounter, but gained ample revenge in their return at the Birkenhead Drill Hall for Ike went down for the full count in five rounds.		He fought at the old skating rink, Dale Street, Liverpool, and the Adelphi Theatre, Liverpool, while he travelled frequently to Ireland. He met Ike Bradley twice, being disqualified in their first encounter, but gained ample revenge in their return at the Birkenhead Drill Hall, for Ike went down for the full count in five rounds.

	Some years afterwards he boxed Ike at the old Pudsey Street Stadium on the latter’s benefit night, a three ~~rounds~~ exhibition contest, which marked the closing chapter in Ike’s illustrious career.		Some years afterwards he boxed Ike at the old [[Pudsey Street Stadium]] on the latter’s benefit night, a three-round exhibition contest, which marked the closing chapter in Ike’s illustrious career.

	Names recall memories and “Snowy" fought among an imposing list of good class boxers. Tony Yates (Manchester), Fred Delany (Bradford), Jimmy Hicks (Forest Gate), Corporal Harry Berry (11th Hussars), Jimmy Ruddock (Liverpool), and Harry Ware, ex British bantam champion.		Names recall memories and “Snowy" fought among an imposing list of good class boxers: Tony Yates (Manchester), Fred Delany (Bradford), Jimmy Hicks (Forest Gate), Corporal Harry Berry (11th Hussars), Jimmy Ruddock (Liverpool), and Harry Ware, ex-British bantam champion.

	It was nothing unusual for his seconds to wake him up before a fight. “Snowy” could settle down and sleep before his most important contest, a valuable asset in preserving strength and complete freedom from worry.		It was nothing unusual for his seconds to wake him up before a fight. “Snowy” could settle down and sleep before his most important contest, a valuable asset in preserving strength and complete freedom from worry.
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	He enjoyed every minute of his career before he retired in 1913, just before the first World War.		He enjoyed every minute of his career before he retired in 1913, just before the first World War.

	Since then he has had a variety of jobs, a cattle driver, a seaman on the Far Eastern steamers, a Dock Board firewatcher in the ~~second~~ World ~~war~~, and today he is still working remarkably fit and active as a watchman at Birkenhead. But his great days were spent in the ring under Albert Boyce’s guidance and astute training methods. One of “Snowy’s” pupils, when he did some coaching was Tommy Murray, Wally Thom’s present manager and trainer.''		Since then he has had a variety of jobs: a cattle driver, a seaman on the Far Eastern steamers, a Dock Board firewatcher in the Second World War, and today he is still working remarkably fit and active as a watchman at Birkenhead. But his great days were spent in the ring under [[Albert Boyce\|Albert Boyce’s]] guidance and astute training methods. One of “Snowy’s” pupils, when he did some coaching was Tommy Murray, Wally Thom’s present manager and trainer.

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