do any of you guys remember travelling boxing shows where any man could box a pro ,i saw a documentary on the last one in australia and thought it sad that they no longer exist here,these guys would fight for 3 1 minute rounds and it was all done in good high spirits ,not what i expected at all ,i thought itd be really violent and nasty but the pros really looked after theyre opponent and only really engaged hard if theyre opponent did,so any one remember these shows in the uk:bbb
there used to be 1 at hull fair it only stopped about 5 years ago probably health and safety bollox it used to be a good laugh had a few mates jump in over the years drunk and thinking they were tough soon got sorted out!
Nice to see you on here again Curtis. Did you take Frankie up on his offer on some sparring? When are you out next?
they were very very experinced boxers, a lot fought in proper pro bouts, you got a prize for going the distance, normaly 3 rnds, if you atracted a good audience you would get your prize, there was usualy 3or 4 working in them , if you got weighed up as being usefull the biggest or best would tackle you, sometimes they would pit rivals against one another, maybe to setle there score, wich usualy garranteed a good house, they rarely took libertys, as it was detrimental to there bussiness, . i had a great uncle who boxed on and of on them for 30 year, he also boxed top pro's of there time, and in a couple of instances he boxed them in the blackfriars ring in london, so you can emagin your work was cut out to be an ordinary lad hoping to make a great show for your mates, unless they let you for above mentioned reasons.
What is this documentary i would love to learn more about the boxing booths i know they are a large part of our pugilistic history and i know comparatively very little about them can anybody point me in the direction of more info/books?
the documentary is on you tube fellas its well worth a look ,its a good insight in to how it may have been here years ago ,look under australian boxing tent and its about 2 hrs but split in to segments.:good
I once fought in one in Burssels, Belgium. It must have been around 1995. I was 26 years old at the time and hadn't long recovered from a broken neck. I felt the need to prove myself so upon stumbling upon this huge funfair once evening whilst out for a stroll with a friend, I came across the boxing booth and decided to go for it. What can I say? The MC had the fighters lined up on a stage and was taunting the men in the crowd, daring them to take the challenge. He was speaking in French obviously but you could tell what he was on about. I put my hand up. The MC drew the crowd's attention to me. Then he asked me to pick which of the fighters onstage I wished to go up against. By this point some guy next to me in the crowd was translating for me. I chose this tall black guy at the end, who was the only one around my height. Then it was through into the big corrugated iron shed behind the stage, where a makeshift ring was set up. No headgear, no gumshield, just tops off and a pair of bag gloves. We did three rounds. It was one of the most exciting, exhilirating and terrifying experiences I've ever had. I was very green at the time and just kept winging away every time he came near me. When it was over one of the organisers thrust a metal bowl into my hands to take a collection from the crowd. I wasn't interested in that and gave him it back.
cheers veritas,it sounded like you enjoyed it mate but the no gumshield :!uch,had you boxed before ? id like to think id have a go but it must make your arse go a bit:scaredas:
The pro's did look after the opponents/locals cause if they went easy on them, more would put there hands up so to speak = more coin. Gee fights (fake) were also common.... eg. no local wants to have a go so a fellow pro pretends he is local and calls out the pro = as said, more money. Pros even laying down to locals wasnt uncommon either.
there was a documentary years back about one of the last or the last booth in england i think it was on bbc2 i might have it somewhere. years back in the mist's of time it was a place where some championship class boxers would learn there trade, freddie was one that enjoyed his time in the booths
