Jimmy Wilde, Dai Dollings, and Welsh Mountain Fighting

Glad you like it. It may get some updates if I can find anything else substantial.

 

Is this still going to be a thing?

 

Hey, no rush! New content on Wilde is always appreciated by me.

 

A bump for my quality thread

 

Tom Thomas

Tom Thomas (1880-1911) is one of the great names of the first golden age of Welsh boxing and will forever be in the history books as the country’s first winner of a Lonsdale Belt.

The middleweight was the son of a farmer from Glynarthen in Cardiganshire who then moved to Carncelyn Farm in Penygraig, Rhondda. On the farm he famously practised his sparring and footwork with Billy One-Horn, the Carncelyn Bull.

Thomas had enormous natural strength and he developed his boxing skills in the booths, but his career was dogged by rheumatism, a condition believed to have been worsened by his habit of diving into an icy pool at the farm.

His boxing reputation built quickly after his first appearance at the National Sporting Club (NSC), an institution where he quickly became a firm favourite as he built a big knock-out reputation.

A May 1906 win over Pat O’Keefe at the NSC secured the British title for Thomas, but his rheumatism then kept him sidelined for two years.

The west Walian’s winning run continued despite the long gaps between fights, and in 1909 he secured the Lonsdale Belt.

A mouth-watering clash with world middleweight champion Stanley Ketchel had been mooted, but the ‘Michigan Assassin’ was murdered in 1910.

New champion Billy Papke, the ‘Illinois Thunderbolt’, was also an enticing opponent, and he now came into Thomas’s sights.

A British title defence was arranged against Jim Sullivan, with the winner in line for a shot at Papke’s crown.

Thomas insisted on training himself for the Sullivan bout, though, rejecting the help of his former trainer Dai Dollings. That, and Thomas’s inactivity and subsequent ring rust, played a part in the Welshman’s 20-round defeat, his first professional loss.

Sullivan subsequently landed a shot at Papke, the Englishman falling to a nine-round loss in June 1911.

Thomas was still trying to secure his own bout with Papke, but in August 1911 he fell ill after walking home in the rain and he died of pneumonia shortly afterwards.

http://www.welshboxers.com/hall-of-fame/tom-thomas/

________________________________________________________________________

Born 8 April 1880 at his mother’s home in Glynarthen, Ceredigion, and brought up at Carncelyn Farm, Pen-y-graig, Rhondda, Glamorganshire. He started his boxing career in the hard way, touring in a boxing booth with Jim Driscoll and Freddie Welsh (F. H. Thomas). His main training took the form of bare-back horse-riding which he did over the mountains above Pen-y-graig, and it was in this way that he prepared for most of his contests. Thomas avoided the limelight and lived a detached life. He saved every penny of his ring earnings and even fought with a bull called ‘Billy One-Horn,’ thus saving himself the expense of paying for sparring partners.

After winning the heavy-weight championship of the Rhondda Valley, Thomas went to London and took part in a National Sporting Club middleweight competition which he won. Four more victories in London were gained in 1899. But his first important contest was in May 1906 when he met and defeated the Irishman Pat O'Keefe in what was virtually a championship contest. When the first Lonsdale Belt was put for the middle-weight class in 1909, Thomas was matched against Charlie Wilson, whom he defeated in two rounds, and thus became the first holder of the Lonsdale Belt in the middleweight class.

He died 13 August 1911 at Carncelyn from cardiac failure following pneumonia.

Author: Dr Moelwyn Idwal Williams

https://biography.wales/article/s-THOM-THO-1880

 

DEATH OF A GREAT BOXER

LATE TOM THOMAS PENYGRAIG

Expires after three days illness
_____________________________________________________________________________

Death of Great Boxer. Late Tom Thomas. I Penygraig. Expires After Three Days' Illness I The death occurred on Sunday morning at Car nee ly n Farm, Penygraig, the resi- dence of his lather, of Tom Thomas, ex- middleweight champion of England, after an illness of only three or four days' duration. The cause of death was cardiac failure, following upon pneumonia. Tom Thomas, who was only 32 years of ago at the time of his death, was one of the best known boxers in Great Britain. He was a popular figure in sporting circles, and what is, unfortu- nately. rare in the profession," he was a gentleman first and boxer afterwards. He was, however, possessed of little busi- ness skill; otherwise he might have died a rich man. To a Pressman he once declared that he was the biggest fool that ever won a championship. He fought Late TOM THOMAS. I close upon fifty battles before lie tasted ) defeat, and it was against a heavyweight I —Jim Sullivan-that he then lost on points. His greatest victory was over Charlie Wilson at the National Sporting Club, when he secured Lord Lonsdale's championship belt. His second defeat was at the hands of Bandsman Rice at W-onderlaild, where, owing to an alleged foul on Thomas' part, the Army man was declared the winner. Tom, however, per- sisted to the last that he did not deserve to lose this fight. A month ago it seemed probable that Tom would have a chance to retrieve his fame by a contest in Wales for the middle- weight championship of the world. The terms of the holder, Billy Papke, had been accepted, when 1 he American demanded that his should be deposited with the Sporting Life." or he would sail for home. At the moment the syndicate only had £ 500 in hard cash, and Papke sailed. Since then Tom appeared only once in the ring, and that was at a benefit ill Ogmore. That night he attempted to reach home by crossing the mountain, and he lost his way. To add to his predica- ment it rained heavily, and he reached home late in the morning wet through, a dangerous adventure for a man who had twice been at death's door with rheu- matic fever. As late as Monday last it was thought Tom would have had a fight. He had signed a contract for Mr. J. T. Jones, of the Welsh Sports Syndicate, to meet Geo. West (London) in a great test for the honour of attempting to wrest the belt from Jim Sullivan, but West- hold out that the weight should not be less tnan llfit. 101b., which, of course, was 41b. more than the middle-weight limit, and could not be regarded as a deciding fight. My Life Story. [By TOM THOMAS.] i: It all happened in this -,N-av said Tom Thomas, recounting how he took up lighting. After finishing my ordinary Board School education at about the age of 14, my father nnd mother Suggested I should have a little more knowledge instilled into me. Before sending me away to school I was taken to Cardigan- shire for a holiday, wliere I met an uncle, who suggested a Grammar School at New Quay, where I could reside with him. All arrangements had been made to start, when something inspired me to run nwav, so I tramped all the way to Car- marthen—a distance of 30 to 40 miles- meeting some gipsies on the way. Iliese wandering Nimrods showed fight and began to set about me in a cowardly fashion, severely slashing me with a whip. It is owing to this hiding I then received that inaugurated the pugilistic spirit that had hitherto lain dormant within me. Ultimately I found myself at home, whence I was sent to school again, where ?- -?- my scholastic career was a very short one, I owing to my thrashing other school lads who used to pick quarrels with me, finally finishing up on my uncle's farm as a ploughboy. On coming home again, I bought a set of boxing gloves, which I carried about with me. inviting anyone to have a couple of rounds with me. MEETING AN AWKWARD CUSTOMER. I One day I met a big burly fellow on my father's farm, who was picking black- berries, and I invited him to don the hair bags. Of course, he accepted the otter with alacrity, and we had a bout of fisti- cuffs there and then. Jabbing him a bit hard on the iace, my big opponent lost his temper, and, lauding me a terrific blow in the stomach, he completely knocked the wind out of me and sent me rolling in the hedge side. When I came to a hit. I wanted to continue, but my opponent was generous enough to cry off to another and more opportune time, see- ing the state I was in. After this drubbing I began to train a little, and a short time after he turned up again, and so we had another set-to, this time ijji the barn. This time I turned the tables, and the big chap had to quit quickly. I boxed with all the lads around the district, until I could get no one to cackle me. "One of my sparring partners I used to practise with had the misfortune of only having one leg, his other being arti- ficial. He was an exceptional man with the gloves, but on one occasion his arti- ficial leg gave way, and it was only after a considerable time had been spent in searching for tools to patch up his leg that he was able to walk home again." Describing his fight with Shearing at the National Sporting Club. Tom said he was prepared to go through anything to win the fight that night. "The M.C. announcing the fight, asked the crowded audience to keep order and give fairplay to a stranger at Wonder- land, viz., Tom Thomas, of Wales. Hear- ing shouts of 2 to 1 on Shearing,' the gong went. Shaking hands, my opponent lashed out his left to my face the same time I countered with a left hook on the jaw, the round ending in a ding-dong battle. Round the second opened with Shearing smashing left and right, and boring in to close quarters. I punched him severely on the body, whilst he landed on the back of my head and neck. In the third and last round, I con- tinued to bore in. and ou his seconds shouting to him, SwIng your left up, Harry,' which meant an upper cut, I instantly swung my left with all the force that I could put behind it. landing it squarely on my opponent's jaw. Shearing fell liko a log, motionless, until his seconds carried him to his corner. This fight was the making of me at Wonderland, where I became very popu- lar. winning every fight there later in less than three rounds by the knock-out route." [The above excerpts are taken from an interview which Tom Thomas granted a Lc.ath'r representative soon after his vic- tory over Wilson.]

https://newspapers.library.wales/view/4616398/4616399/3/

 

Funeral of Tom Thomas.

Jim Driscoll's Tribute to "His Old Pal."

The funeral of Tom Tliomas. Penygraig. the ex-middle-weight boxing champion of England, took place on Thursday. The service at the house was conducted by the Rev. Howell Parry, assisted by the Rev. L. S. Davies, and the coffin was borne down the mountainside by mem- bers of tho Labour and Progressive Club to the main road, where the general public were waiting. Here the crowd of sympathisers was so great that it was with difficulty that the police were- able. to keep the road clear. The wreaths in- cluded one trom his old pal," Jim Driscoll, which was in the form of the championship belt, with the colours and enamel parts worked iti; the Badminton Club, Cardiff; Nazareth House and Com- mittee of Assault-at-arms; Harry Kent, ot Newcastle (his old trainer), &c. 1119 mourners were:—Mr. and Mrs. L. M. Thomas (father and mother); Mr. Robt. Thomas, of Chepstow (brother) Mi-, and Mrs. R. Morgan, of Chepstow (brother-in- law and sister); Atr. David Thomas, Pony, graig (brother) Mrs. Lewis, of Cardigan, and Miss Thomas, of Ebbw Vale (sisters)' The h earso was followed by over 50 vehicles to Llantrisant, where the burial took place.

https://newspapers.library.wales/view/4616405/4616411/85/

 

Merthyr’s Boxers: The First Boxing Champion of Merthyr

by Lawrence Davies

Along with the town of Pontypridd, Merthyr could rightly claim to be one of the foremost hubs of Welsh boxing history. Although many would no doubt prefer that his name had been forgotten altogether, Redmond Coleman was one of the first men to put Merthyr ‘on the map’ as a town capable of producing gloved boxing champions, whose names will no doubt ring down the ages, men like Eddie Thomas, Howard Winstone and the never to be forgotten Johnny Owen.

Redmond had ended up fighting for recognition at the Blue Anchor in Shoreditch, his well known reputation with the knuckles or ‘raw ‘uns’ having convinced the lightweight Welsh boxing champion, Patsy Perkins to step up and act as Redmond’s manager. Not too long afterwards Coleman floored challenger Curly Howell at the National Sporting Club in Covent Garden before an appreciative crowd of well heeled gents.

Coleman took out the Bristol man in less than a round, a devastating right hand to the jaw sending Howell to the boards, his head making a sickening crack on contact. Curly was out for the count. A promising boxing career appeared to be on the cards, but the ‘Iron Man’ of Merthyr apparently found London was not to his liking, and travelled home.

Although Redmond fought with gloves, it was with the knuckles that he was thought to be virtually unbeatable, and there were plenty of Merthyr men who were willing to step up and meet the challenge. Knuckle fighting had always been how the men had settled their differences, and it was ‘on the mountain’ that contests were usually fought.

The first Welsh boxing champion to receive widespread national recognition was Ned Turner, in the early 1800’s, and was thought to have been the second greatest lightweight in the country, showing such cleverness and skill in the ring he might be thought of as the very first ‘Welsh Wizard’.

There can be no doubt that his example inspired a number of his countrymen to seek recognition between the ropes of the old prize-ring soon afterwards.

It seems that one of the very first prominent fighting men of Merthyr was a pugilist named John Thomas. London was the centre of the prize-ring in those days, and it is in London that the appearance of Thomas was first noted, when he appeared at a benefit event held to raise funds for a veteran fighter. Thomas decided to ‘step up’ and meet an unnamed ‘Sawney’ or Scottish ‘champion’ who had previously appeared before the audience. Considering that Thomas had not sparred on the stage of the Tennis Court before, he did exceptionally well. The ’round hitting’ of the Scotsman was ‘well met’ by the ‘straight muzzlers’ of the ‘Welchman’. Thomas got the better of the ‘Scotch Champion’, and at the end of the contest ‘Taffy retired as proud as one of his native buck goats…’

This unexpected turn of events led to something of a rivalry between the two Celtic warriors, with it having been noted that the Welsh and Scottish ‘Champions’ met a number of times afterwards with both knuckles and gloves. Thomas would appear to have had a great deal of support from his backers at Merthyr, and boldly threw out a challenge to any man in England of his weight to meet him for anywhere between £50 and £100. One person who was greatly irritated by the challenge was Thomas’ Scottish rival, who quickly stated his desire to draw Thomas’s ‘…hot Welsh blood on the earliest occasion’, and claiming to have been in bad condition when they had first sparred. So sure was the Scotsman of his victory over the Welshman that he had also planned to travel to Merthyr to meet Thomas with the knuckles and hand him a beating, and was prepared to throw down a £20 deposit on the contest at the Bell Inn at Merthyr Tydfil…

http://www.merthyr-history.com/?p=3537

 

I am going to try and order Davies book soon.

I've been away a while. Is your book released yet?