Does anyone know where I can find a report on the fight for the Lightweight Championship of America between Billy Edwards and Tim Collins held on May 24th 1871? The only details I could find are quoted below: "The first lighter-weight world champion recognized was the English boxer Billy Edwards who won the title fighting against the U.S. boxer Tom Collins, in a historic fight that began on May 24, 1871 and ended on December 6 of that same year. The day of the fighting the police appeared on the scene and the boxers were arrested, but resumed the match two days later after paying S1000, but later they were taken to prison and only after appealing to the court they regained their freedom and the right to conclude the match that year". Does anyone also know anymore about Tim Collins, because you can find plenty of material about Billy Edwards?
Here's a newspaper report about them getting arrested: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=950CE3DF1F3AEF3BBC4F51DFB366838A669FDE And some more here: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E06E5DA173AE63BBC4E51DFB366838A669FDE 85 rounds, and it was suppost to continue at first light....amazing!
Thanks Meast, thats some great information, I don't know if he had anymore fights in the States or came back to England as I cannot find anymore records apart from His English bouts before he went to the States.
