George "Elbows" McFadden in 1899: Highest level of comp for any fighter in a one yr?

Talk about tested. Elbows fought 12 times in 1899 losing only twice whilst matching the very, very best of arguably the deepest era in lightweight history. He was matched in five 25 round fights against world class opposition, all in New York, all within six months of each other. Holy ****.

14th of April - KO23 Joe Gans

9th of May - LPTS 25 Frank Erne

28th of June - D25 Joe Gans

6th of October - KO19 Kid Lavigne

31st of Octber - LPTS 25 Joe Gans.



Not too shabby is it? Guy KO'd Joe Gans. A closer look at that one:

The Saint Paul Globe: "Joe Gans, the veteran lighweight, went down before Joe McFadden...Gans was not completely KO'd but fell from exhuastion...it made a rattling good fight to watch and 5,000 cheered the winner on to victory.

The opening rounds were featureless for both were wary, but in the 8th McFadden cut loose, took the lead, and never again was headed. He gave the most remarkable display of boxing ever seen in a local ring. Gans tried every way to get in on the New Yorker but was invariably stopped. If McFadden blocked with the left, he sent his right to the body and with the left round the face. He fought at close quarters and was generally inside Gans' leads.

At the close of the 18th, Gans was very groggy but McFadden seemed unable to place the right sort of punch. Time saved the coloured man. Again in round 20 Gans was wobbly on his feet but once again McFadden failed to do the trick.

McFadden started the 23rd with two rights to the body and a left to the face and Gans was manifestly distressed. Suddenly the white lad sent a right to the face and hooked a left to the chin. Gans toppled."

Gans weighed 133, Elbows weighed 128.

Interesting to read that McFadden was able to do so well defensively against Joe Gans, putting on that unique display of blocking. Incidently, this is how he got his nickname, I was expecting to read about an exceedingly dirty fighter, but Elbows was superb at blocking body-punches with those protuberances. Great defensively...great bodywork...seemed to cause Gans trouble, i'm resting easier in my Whitaker-Gans pick I guess.



The San Fransisco Call carried the same fight report, which is always a shame. The Omaha Daily Bee notes only that Elbows is a "practical newcomer to the upperdom of the fistic art" and was "presented with plenth of punishment in the opening of the fight but gulped it down without a whimper and went at his man until he tired him out". Sounds like such a good fight.



Elbows was then matched with Erne, losing a very close fight which "reads like a draw" according to the Saint Paul Globe - Erne would go on from what appeared to be a title eliminator to beat Kid Lavigne for the title, and Elbows would KO Lavigne in October, so he seemed to have the beating of the man for who's title he fought the eliminator.

Fleisscher calls him an uncrowned champion who would have been a champion in any other era. I think he may be onto something.

Do you think this was the strongest lightweight era of all time?

Anyone know anything about Elbows?

I wish Senya was still around, he would know plenty about this.

 

Here he is:

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Not to harp on, but he's not in the IBHOF. Look at the guys he beat. Look at his year in 1899. There are guys in there that don't have wins one tenth as good, I would bet.

 

Thanks matt, nice line.

He would need to be.

 

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She's super-fly. Obviously.

 

Yeah, every time I do a thing about a lesser known fighter I end up saying "and he's not in the hall of fame, tut tut", but when you look at what this guy did in this year....I honestly believe it is one of boxing's grander achievments. Tougher than a boarding house steak.

 

You're welcome buddy.

 

Mad, Mad Billy Smith. The man had character.

To be honest with you, the title of the thread is only there because NOBODY posted in the it under the first title, 'George "Elbows" McFadden' The year thing, it depends on what you like, doesn't it? But considering he matched Gans, all time top 5 lw, three times, the ex champion and the next champion, all over 25 rounds, and appears to have been a little unlucky (although not robbed or anything) not to have gotten the title shot...hard to imagine a sterner test for a given fighter, isn't it?

You're right of course, there are other guys, but he's right there - but we hear about Langford, Greb and Armstrong every day on the forum. Seems like this guy fought as incredible a year in 1899 as any of them and i've never seen a thread on him on ESB. Thought I would turn that around :good

Do you have a favourite fighter & year GreatA?

 

Erne is on my to do list. I'd like to learn him before the year is out. How's the book?