Sure looks to be for me. Multiple violent knockdowns, some wild punches and wrestling, and a man getting about as brutally knocked out as you can be, all in one quick round. It's like it's own little highlight real. I'd say it qualifies as a sort of short "shoot out" in more modern boxing terms. It's also a hundred and 121 years old as of this year. Not bad at all! I've seen plenty of other old footage (most of what's available, actually) and this for me sticks out as being something more akin to a more modern boxing match. Less prolonged, for one. Also........ don't tell anyone on here that I said this but this makes me realize that Tommy Burns is probably at least somewhat underrated but still obviously possessed power and technique enough to, in seconds, completely separate another human being from their senses. A fellow fighter at that. Give the guy a few days heads up on how modern boxing changed after a trip in a time machine, and the man would still be kicking ass to this day (In his proper weight class of course) Quick, enjoyable and definitive. Enjoy! This content is protected
Burns had a pulverizing right hand, really good footwork, and great form. The ease in which he positioned himself here to launch that right hand to land flush was brilliant.
He launches a series of them to end this fight, straight right hands that is. They appear very straight, and to land exactly on the point of his opponents chin. Modern, clean knockout punches. Burn's was only 5'7 correct? Coincidentally my own height. Must have been hard even though it wasn't quite yet an era of giants....
Got to be honest, my opinion was based purely on ignorance. I just knew him as a short guy who lost to Jack Johnson.
13 World title fights in 22 months. 10 wins(9 inside), 1 draw, 1 loss, in 5 different countries, hard to not like Burns. His win over Marvin Hart was a very good one. It came just 11 months after Hart's controversial win over Jack Johnson. It's hard not to compare his dynamism over 22 months with the opposite of him in activity and size. "Big" Jess Willard managed 3 title fights in 4 years 3 months. 1 win, 1 ND, 1 loss. Pity the WBA were not around then, a prime case for an "interim" or "champion in recess . What a pity we don't have the likes of Tommy Burns around today, our age of the part-time performer, generally!
Squires first fight outside of Australia, and probably not coincidentally the beginning of his run of being KO'd 10 times in 11 fights.
Based on that video I am assuming that Squires had a day gig as an accountant or perhaps salesman at a woman's hat store. Dude was awful. Burns did what he had to so that's for sure. Knocked that guy out. I was impressed at the cameraman moving the camera towards the action. Usually films of this age were stationary in the middle of the ring and missed action along the ropes.
This content is protected The Gunner Moir fight might be more brutal if you watch it until the end. Moir is a bloody mess.
I mentioned this on another thread a while back but I had always thought Squires must have had something because he came here so highly rated. I thought his blowout by Burns must have been a fluke. When I saw his other fights I think I figured it out. Squires was terrible. However, his fight with Kling was the first fight ever filmed in Australia and got wide distribution. It was packaged with his bout with Williams and I believe the fame from these films was what elevated his reputation and why when he started fighting real fighters he was shown to in way over his head.
