As part of a series looking at the history of the most prominent Welsh boxers during World War I, we consider the experiences of Jimmy Wilde.

The Prince of Wales congratulates Jimmy Wilde at the National Sporting Club (Painting: William Howard Robinson)

The great Jimmy Wilde was a fast-rising star at the outbreak of war, having built a fearsome knock-out reputation and claimed his first major title – the European flyweight crown – in March 1914.

The Great War barely caused the ‘Tylorstown Terror’ to break stride in his development and he was able to continue his active and lucrative ring career after the outbreak of hostilities.

On 5 September, 1914, the Pontypridd Observer records Wilde at Hanneford’s Circus, Pontypridd, where he ‘christened’ two lion cubs: “After bestowing upon them the names of Rockingstone and Jimmy Wilde he wished the ‘pups’ good health, remarking that he was not much of a fist at making speeches but better at the other game.”

These were the early days of the war, but as the conflict ground on it does seem that the fighter’s domestic activities and successes led to criticism.

Also, the demands of the western front – coupled with Wilde’s own punching power – may have contributed to the problems he endured in finding suitable opponents at his weight.

He took to regularly fighting much heavier men, a practice that led to his first defeat, a January 1915 stoppage loss to Tancy Lee at the National Sporting Club where the British, European and world flyweight titles were at stake.

The Welshman was quickly back to winning ways, though, 12 successive stoppage victories leading him into a successful challenge for Joe Symonds’ British title.

To find such success when the war was causing so much misery caused some resentment. In his 1938 ‘autobiography’ Fighting was my Business, Wilde seems to go to excessive lengths to explain why he had not joined the army by that point in his career.

“The Symonds fight, early in 1916, saw the first 18 months of the war past, and the hopes of an early finish fast dimming,” said Wilde.

“I wanted to join the forces, although offers of fights were coming along fast; for the first time in my life I felt the real ease of money, the thing I had dreamed of in the past.

Fighting was my Business

“Yet neither [manager Ted] Lewis nor [Jimmy’s wife] ‘Lisbeth made any attempt to stop me from trying to join the colours. The desire had gradually grown into a longing, frustrated for a long time by what must have been one of the oddities of the Great War.

“For I could not persuade the authorities that I was physically capable of fighting with the ranks! I tried several times, hung around in draughty doctors’ waiting rooms to take a physical examination, but all to no purpose.

“It is almost impossible for me to believe that it actually happened: even with the Lonsdale Belt my proud possession, I was not passed as fit for active service.”

After going to some length to tell stories of the times he was rejected, Wilde continues: “It was not until a year later that I was ‘taken’, and then for garrison service.

“In between whiles there were the unpleasant attacks from certain people and places: there was even a story in circulation that I had been specially asked to join the Tank Corps, and refused.

“I wonder how many others held up as bad examples to the public and advanced as part of the need for conscription had tried to join up and failed?

“I was able to help towards the various funds by boxing, attending different shows and auctioning gloves and other things after the fights. Nothing was too much trouble, enthusiasm everywhere was at fever pitch.

“Yet reports kept coming through, of this man’s death, or that one’s serious injuries, fine boxers never to appear in the ring again. It was heart-rending, and worse because of the knowledge that others took the brunt of the fighting. But we just went on.”

Indeed, Wilde describes an extremely busy and successful 1916-17 schedule that included a revenge win over Lee. In December 1916 Wilde was recognised throughout the world as world champion after his crushing win over America’s Young Zulu Kid.

He had followed Percy Jones and Freddie Welsh into the record books to become Wales’ third world champion, but Wilde seems more impressed at having won a Lonsdale Belt outright by defeating George Clark.

The high-profile, lucrative fights allowed Wilde to build his small valleys house into a rich, successful farm, full of animals.

The ever-more-comfortable home life was disrupted after the Clark fight, though, when Wilde was finally allowed to enlist in the army and he was sent to Aldershot to train as a physical instructor.

After passing the training course Wilde began teaching in Sandhurst. Given the horrors faced by soldiers elsewhere, Wilde’s military service seems to have been a breeze.

Jim Driscoll

He described the army turning a blind eye while he paid visits to his wife who lived nearby. What’s more, Wilde was able to stay fighting fit and to continue his professional career in all but name – he boxed in high-profile shows where, rather than being paid in cash, he would be presented with lucrative gifts such as expensive jewellery.

Wilde was part of an elite corps of boxers who served as army physical trainers under captain Bruce Logan. For a time a group of them known as the ‘famous six’ toured Britain taking on all-comers in a boxing booth. The six were ‘Bombardier’ Billy Wells, Pat O’Keefe, Dick Smith and Welshmen Wilde, Johnny Basham and Jim Driscoll.

Most were eventually posted to France, but this does not seem to have happened to Wilde.

“There were times when I envied [the cadets] their opportunities [to fight in the war], and there were others when I told myself not to be a fool,” said Wilde.

“The war had lasted too long, by the time I went to Sandhurst, for anyone to imagine it was going to be a picnic.”

The post Jimmy Wilde’s Great War: Welsh boxers in World War I appeared first on Welsh boxers.

Joe Calzaghe was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) at the earliest possible opportunity – five years after he finished fighting – joining the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad in the class of 2014.

Joe Calzaghe (Photo: Joe Calzaghe, Facebook)

The Newbridge great becomes just the fourth Welsh fighter – and the fifth Welshman overall – to join the honoured ranks of world greats.

Here are the details of all of Wales’ international hall of fame men, with links to more in-depth profiles.

John Graham Chambers

Llanelli’s John Graham Chambers (1843-1883) was an all-round sportsman, but he was inducted into the IBHOF in 1990 for his efforts on the administrative side of boxing – the Queensberry Rules were largely his work.

Read more on John Graham Chambers

Jim Driscoll

‘Peerless’ Jim Driscoll (1880-1925) never won a world title but is regarded as perhaps the finest proponent of the classical, upright style of boxing and is an honoured member of both the IBHOF and the World Boxing Hall of Fame (WBHOF).

Read more on Jim Driscoll

Freddie Welsh

Pontypridd’s Freddie Welsh (1886-1927) was a star on both sides of the Atlantic and is regarded as one of the greatest lightweights of all time, his long reign as world champion eventually ended by a classic trilogy of fights against Benny Leonard. Welsh is in both the IBHOF and the WBHOF.

Jimmy Wilde, by Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons

Read more on Freddie Welsh

Jimmy Wilde

Regarded as pound-for-pound one of the greatest fighters of all time, monster-punching flyweight Jimmy Wilde (1892-1969) is an honoured member of both the IBHOF and the WBHOF.

Read more on Jimmy Wilde

Joe Calzaghe

It took a long time for another Welsh fighter to join Driscoll, Welsh and Wilde, but super-midddleweight great Joe Calzaghe (1972-) was rushed into the IBHOF at the earliest possible opportunity. Inclusion in the WBHOF is surely only a matter of time…

Read more on Joe Calzaghe

See also:

• Welsh Boxing Hall of Fame
• International Boxing Hall of Fame
• World Boxing Hall of Fame

The post Wales’ international Hall of Fame boxers appeared first on Welsh boxers.

• Jimmy Wilde, Fighting Was My Business(Robson Books, London, 1970; first published 1938)
  

  Fighting was my Business

A somewhat strange, old-fashioned book, presented as an autobiography but not delivering a convincing tone of voice to suggest that it was actually penned by the great Jimmy Wilde.

Moreover, it was written at a time when – as ‘Wilde’ admits in the book – the ‘Tylorstown Terror’ had been suffering from severe memory loss (a consequence of the last fights of his career) for at least the last 15 years.

Despite these major limitations, the book still has a quite remarkable tale to tell and forms a useful accompaniment to Wilde’s 1914 work “Hitting and Stopping“.

Whatever the limitations, no fan of Welsh boxing can afford to be ignorant of a book detailing the life of, arguably, the country’s finest boxer.

The post Fighting was my Business: Book review appeared first on Welsh boxers.

June 18, 2013, marks the 90th anniversary of one of the great Welsh fight nights in the US, Jimmy Wilde v Pancho Villa at New York’s Polo Grounds.

Jimmy Wilde had amazed North American fans in a stunning 11-fight tour in the period 1919-20 but – in contrast to so many tales of early twentieth-century Welsh boxing in the States – this bout would end in a painful defeat for the Welshman.

Wilde, arguably the greatest Welsh boxer of all time, had reigned as world flyweight champion since 1916.

‘The Ghost with the Hammer in his Hand’ had earnt a fearsome knock-out reputation, having stopped many more men than the 99 known KOs on his official record.

By the time of his first US visit in 1919 he was already past his best, though, and his decline was hastened by a vicious loss against Pete Herman in London in 1921.

New York Polo Grounds c.1921. By Wahkeenah at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

The Welshman endured a horrible beating that ended in the 17th when he was punched through the ropes, his head cracking on the concrete floor.

Wilde suffered severe concussion and it looked unlikely that he would fight again, but he was still officially world champion and he would be tempted back two-and-a-half-years later to face the latest young pretender.

The challenge he had accepted came in the truly formidable shape of a man who rivals Wilde as the greatest flyweight of all time – Francisco Guilledo, better known by his fighting name of Pancho Villa.

The Filipino was widely regarded as the best Asian fighter of all time, although in recent years the formidable Manny Pacquiao has led many to reassess their opinion.

His earliest known fight was in Manila in 1919, and after a remarkable two-and-a-half years laying out opponents in the Philippines the phenomenon was brought to the United States.

Victories over the likes of Johnny Buff and Abe Goldstein bolstered his reputation further, and the clamour grew for the 22-year-old to face the already-legendary Wilde.

A huge £13,000 purse tempted the Tylorstown man across the Atlantic, where he initially thought he would be facing Frankie Genaro.

“I was not perturbed [to be fighting Villa], although I knew Villa had a reputation for tremendous fighting,” said Wilde in his 1938 autobiography “Fighting was my Business“.

But the Tylorstown man was troubled by his advancing age and, more particularly, the rustiness that was the inevitable result of his long absence from the prize ring.

Still, 20,000 fans eagerly turned out at the Big Apple’s famous Polo Grounds venue to get a glimpse of the old master against the young pretender.

Amongst them was the great trainer Ray Arcel, who had worked the undercard and was eager to witness Wilde at first hand.

Arcel was impressed by the 31-year-old, who fought using the principles he had always followed – staying in range, avoiding clinches, swaying and sliding in snake-like fashion, and always seeking the opening to land his hammer blows.

The surviving video shows a frenetic, brutal, all-action clash in  which Wilde appears to be giving as good as he gets, if seeming to take more punishment than we would expect from the master craftsman.

“The gong went and Villa came like a tiger,” remembered Wilde. “He almost overwhelmed me in that first minute, but I knew his method of fighting and believed I would beat him.

“Villa slogged – there is no other word for it – and I kept him at a distance with a right and left, continually jabbing it out.”

The decisive moment came at the end of a round said by Wilde to be the second, but  by Arcel to be the sixth. It should be noted that Wilde’s book was penned 15 years after the fight when the Welshman was suffering from severe bouts of memory loss. The surviving video is inconclusive, showing three unnumbered rounds. Wilde appears to be doing well in the first of them but to struggle badly in the second, then get stopped in the third.

This is how Arcel described the incident and the bout: “I saw one of the greatest clashes in ring history. Giving away pounds in weight and 10 years in age, Wilde traded punches with the fiery Pancho.

“It was a classic and the huge crowd rose to the game Welshman. Up to the sixth round Jimmy was holding his own. Then, when the bell rang for the end of the session, Jimmy dropped his hands and turned to his corner.

“At that very moment Villa let a sizzling right-hander go. It cracked Wilde clean on the chin. His eyes glazed as he fell into the ropes, then on to his face. His seconds rushed up and assisted him to his corner. But the damage was done, and Jimmy was in a bad way as he sat on his stool.

“It was here, I thought, that his seconds might have saved the day. They made only feeble protests.

“Had they set up a squawk that could have been heard a mile away, the referee would have been bound to do something. He might have been kidded into disqualifying Villa. The commotion would have given Jimmy a much-needed rest. And at least there would have been doubts cast on the legitimacy of Villa’s victory.

“But, no. They let their fighter come up for the next round, and he was knocked cold by the hurricane-hitting Filipino. I vowed I’d never let a fighter of mine be caught that way.”

In his book, Wilde says that  – after the late blow – his chief second Benny Williams was more concerned with bringing him round than calling for a foul, but that the crowd was furious. He claims not to have remembered the rest of the fight, while his wife Elizabeth – who was also furious at the failure to call for a foul blow – says her husband fought on “in a coma”.

The video of the final round shows Wilde still swinging, fighting the only way he knew, before being caught by a huge left from the challenger.

Despite being out on his feet, the great champion let off a left-right combination before a delayed reaction to the hook saw him drop as a dead weight on his face, his anxious seconds then sprinting across the ring to help him.

Wilde was near death and had no memory of the next three weeks, being unable to even recognise his wife. He would never fight again, and remained angry that he had been allowed to take such a sustained beating in the fight – something he felt contributed to his poor health in retirement.

Villa would reign as champion until his tragically early death two years later from a tooth infection.

The post Jimmy Wilde v Pancho Villa appeared first on Welsh boxers.

• Jimmy Wilde, Hitting and Stopping: How I Won 100 Fights (Peerless Press, Cardiff, 2012)

Boxing historian Lawrence Davies has done an admirable job in delivering this new edition of Jimmy Wilde‘s book, first published in 1914 when the great champion was aged 22.

As well as now being easily accessible, the new edition features extra written material, commentary and photographs.

The book gives Wilde’s insights into his remarkable, unique talent, describing how he would always stay in range, using slight movements and sways to make his opponent miss and to expose his unfortunate foe to the Welshman’s concussive blows.

Those seeking to use the work as a guidebook to take them to boxing greatness should, however, take note of Davies’s warning:

“It seems unlikely that a reading of ‘Hitting and Stopping’ will provide a blueprint to replicate Jimmy Wilde’s genius in the ring, without the attributes that made him unique… The root of his genius continues to defy explanation.”

Jimmy Wilde on his punch power:

“I scarcely fancy that I need to point out that my ability to punch hard has taken me further than any other ability I may possess. I do not know whether I am so superlatively skilful, I suppose I am cleverer than the ordinary run of boxers. But I really believe that my success has been chiefly due to the fact that I can punch harder than many lightweights, despite my damaged hands.” (p. 47)

Jimmy Wilde on ‘boxers v punchers’:

“Quick, rapid hitting and smart defence will enable a man to gain points and may win him success over the average run of competitors, but sooner or later every boxer will run up against an opponent who will not mind being outpointed so long as he can punch in return. Given strength, stamina, and a real wallop, this type of man will in time nearly always be able to wear the other fellow down, especially if that other is merely a gentle tapper, whose blows are incapable of shaking or hurting the man on whom they land.” (p. 42)

See also:

• Jimmy Wilde, “Fighting Was My Business” (Robson Books, London, 1970; first published 1938)

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