This is a question for any of the ESB historians out there. Recently I made the discovery of a boxer in the family called George Fulljames. It was a surprising discovery as there are no other real pugilists in family I'm aware of. Just wondering if anyone knows more about him? On the internet I've found a little bit about him. He moved to the U.S. He died from injuries sustained in a bout with Tom Bannon 22 Sep 1888, at Grand Forks, Dakota Territory, USA, when he was knocked out in the first round. And he fought Jack Dempsey at some point.
That's right. Not the more famous Jack Dempsey. The IBHOF said this about him.. Dempsey was unbeaten in his first 14 fights. In 1884, he earned a chance to battle George Fulijames, who had recently claimed the middleweight championship. Dempsey knocked Fulijames out in the 22nd round to become the American -- some said world -- middleweight champion. Scary to think people were fighting 22 rounds in one fight
Have you learned anything new since then? I thought it might be interesting to start collecting rare, antique boxing photographs and George Fulljames was my very first acquisition. I haven't scanned it yet, so here's a picture of a picture: https://i.imgur.com/ge3PFgj.jpg The fact that he fought for what is considered by many to be the inaugural middleweight championship of the world sealed the deal for me, but I had no idea about the other thing he was known for until much later. He lived an exciting life straight out of a storybook like many of his contemporaries - but the way he went out was especially gruesome and pitiful, to the point where I was surprised that I had never heard of him until recently. He was born in England and picked up the tools of the trade by spending time at his father's saloon that was frequented by numerous legends within the boxing world; such as the immortal Gypsy Jem Mace and the fighting sailor Tom King. George had an especially small frame and they taught him how to use that to his advantage by showing him a more cunning and scientific approach to bring down his foes. His 1887 Lorillard's collectable trading card advertises him as "one of the most scientific light weight pugilists in the world." Before fighting for the world's title, he had a reasonable claim to the championship of Canada. In an era of obnoxious bravado, Fulljames was a man of humility; insisting that he was only the king of his castle. Unfortunately, he did have a reputation for picking and choosing opponents and outright ducking contenders; but the way fighters were slandered and abused for the slightest provocations back in those days, it's hard to say for sure. He couldn't have been too afraid if he jumped into the ring with the likes of the Nonpareil, after all. I believe he had every right to be picky considering he fought a litany of dirty, cowardly fighters like Billy Trotter; not to mention Tom Bannon - the man who ultimately took his life. Even Jack Dempsey, who had every advantage in the world over Fulljames, fouled the **** of him in clinches. The encounter with Dempsey was the beginning of the end because most of these fights were winner-take-all affairs and he was left in a pretty bad way financially - Dempsey to his credit awarded him $50 for refusing to quit. He couldn't afford to pick and choose anymore and signed to fight someone he shouldn't have in a bout that didn't even have an established set of rules. When George went in to shake his opponent's hand, Tom Bannon seized it and suckerpunched him multiple times and beat him to death before the fight even began. Bannon and the spectators in attendance fled the scene without offering him any sort of medical care whatsoever. It took authorities until the very next morning to find his bloodied and disfigured body laying in a deserted barn. Apparently, some powerful individuals put massive bets on Bannon to win the fight and instructed him to not even so much as let him get off a single punch in fear that they might lose their money. The fate of the murderer is questionable, as one story claims that a few buddies of Fulljames took revenge and killed Bannon; while another says that he got away scot-free and continued to fight for another 16 years. To add insult to injury, the ever-incompetent Boxrecs has the fight listed as a KO1 for Tom Bannon (under the alias 'Young Barrett'). Back in 2020, a local newspaper wrote an article on Fulljames that claims that he actually won the tragic event by DQ. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't read it already: https://www.willistonherald.com/com...cle_9a65bbc8-f837-11ea-af82-cf98b429e30e.html
Hi Im a 53 year old and will tell you a story that has been told to me since i was a little kid . Whether it be true or not I can only say what was told to me as a little child and still to this day by family members in the 80s. Some of my relatives were quite shaddy at that time and there was a deal between the mob that was pushed on George . I was told that although clearly beaten ,He was killed in an alley with brass knukles being the tool used to killed him. This was covered up per the times My family told me that his belts gear were in a Windsor Ontario Museum many years back making sence as my family lived booth in U.S and Canada. I did grow up in a boxing family although i choose to study traditional martial arts I do have his stuff information grave plates and a detailed family Albums. Although theres always a question if this story is true ? My family told me a couple of stories of grandfathers over the years that have been proven and changed parts of my life. The one story was of family hiding firearms dating back as far as 1868 in a farm wall and a cannon deep in the ground . My father at 6 years old helped place a couple of stevens 1910 and spanish in the same area with my grandfather. We found 11 riffles dating from 1868 to 1910 in the walls and a canon buried deep in the ground 15 years back. Food for thought
