Boxing at Belle Vue

Over the years Belle Vue hosted a number of high profile boxing fights dating back to 1929.

The first two panels below show a fight in 1929 between Ardwick middleweight boxer Len Johnson (black trunks) and George West (white trunks) from Fulham. The fight ended in a win for Johnson after twenty 3 minute rounds. The final panel shows the reigning featherweight champion Johnny Curley (black trunks) fighting Billy Hindley from Horwich. Curley retained his title on points after another twenty 3 minute round contest.

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Below: Dave MacGill (left), the English Champion, and Tom Berry, the Irish Champion, weighing in for their British Empire Cruiserweight Championship bout in February 1927. For 20 shillings people were able to purchase a reserved ringside seat. Whether it was the fight or the cost of the seats the crowd was described as disappointing.

The fight apparently ended in a rather uneventful points win for Berry but was interesting for the fact that the referee, J. W. H. T. Douglas chose to referee from outside of the ring. A reporter said of the referee, "He sat there last night with the blue smoke curling up from a cigar in his hand and he was almost as arresting figure as the fighters. Suddenly his voice would ring out; "Step back - both!" And there is something in that voice that makes a mad do as it says.

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Below: George Rose of Bristol being knocked-out in round 6 by Al Foreman to retain his British light-weight Championship in October 1930. The press of the day felt that Rose outboxed the Champion - until he knocked him out.

Prior to the fight the press took this photograph of the Lonsdale Belt arriving in Manchester to be presented to the minner of the Foreman - Rose fight. As you can see the belt arrived in a biscuit tin but was willingly removed to show the porters at London Road Station.

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November 1925 and Kid Lewis, ex World Champion, is knocked to the floor by Len Johnson in round 6. Lewis retired unexpectedly at the end of round 9. Johnson earned £1000 for the fight.

Below you can see Lewis' towel in the ring near Johnson's feet as he walks across to shake hands at the end of the fight.

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September 1925 and Len Johnson from Ardwick beats Roland Todd on points to take the British Middleweight Championship. The bout was over 15 rounds and 6000 people packed the Kings Hall to watch it.

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Jackie Brown

Boxer who bit a man's ear

Four months' hard labour for Jackie Brown: 'great provocation'

Sentence of four months' imprisonment with hard labour was passed at Manchester Quarter Sessions yesterday on Jackie Brown (24), the world's fly-weight boxing champion, who, after a trial lasting over three hours, was convicted of assault by occasioning bodily harm upon Louis Tarchman, of Choir Street, Lower Broughton, Manchester. Brown's address was given as Valley Road, Bramhall. The jury, in returning their verdict, added that in their opinion Brown committed the assault under great provocation,.

Sir Walter Greaves-Lord, K.C., M.P., the Recorder, passing sentence, said that he thought the jury had taken exactly the right view, and that there was a considerable amount of taunting, although Brown, of all people, ought to have refrained from the particular form of violence which had been proved. He had always understood that England was extraordinarily free of anything which savoured of unfairness or unsportsmanlike conduct. If it had not been for the jury's opinion that there had been provocation the sentence would have been more severe. He hoped that this would be a lesson to Brown and that he would keep within the bounds of sportsmanship in the future. Mr. B. S. Wingate-Saul prosecuted. Brown was defended by Mr. J. C. Jackson, K.C., M.P., and Mr. Edgar Lustgarten.

Mr. Ludgate-Saul described how on July 1 Tarchman, accompanied by a man named Nathan Goldberg and two women, went to Blackpool. In an hotel there Brown spoke to one of the young women, Mrs. Vera Sheldon, who was known to the party as "Blondie." As the party was leaving he took her aside and detained her in conversation. Tarchman went over to them, and, after Brown had used an offensive term, Tarchman said, "You may be a champion, but you take no liberties with me."

The men were separated in the hotel, and later the Tarchman party drove off in their car to Manchester. Brown followed in his car with his chauffeur. Tarchman twice had occasion to stop on the way, and on both occasions Brown's car stopped.

When they got to the corner of Bury New Road and Waterloo Road Tarchman stopped with the intention of telephoning to the police from a police-box. Brown's car drew up immediately behind. To walk to the box Tarchman had to pass Brown's car. According to one account, Brown called to Tarchman, "Come here, you little -." According to another, Tarchman went up to the car and said: "Don't be so cocky. It is only four years ago since you were holding a bucket for me."

According to onlookers, Brown left his car, dashed at Tarchman, seized him by the hair, and during a struggle bit his ear deliberately, biting an inch off it.

For the defence it was urged that Brown was a friend of Mrs. Sheldon and of her husband, and when he saw her in the hotel he tried to persuade her to return to Manchester with him "as he did not like the company she was in."
Tarchman, according to Brown, used insulting language in the hotel and shouted insulting remarks from his car on the way home. It was also claimed that when Brown's car attempted to pass Tarchman's near Chorley, Tarchman attempted to ditch the other car.

Brown's case was that Tarchman struck him and when he attempted to defend himself he held Tarchman's head back. Tarchman gave him a foul blow and, with the sudden agonising pain, he involuntarily clenched his teeth. He was not aware that he had bitten Tarchman's ear.

Harry Fleming, Brown's trainer, testified that when he examined Brown shortly after the incident there was evidence that Brown had suffered a low blow. Brown had followed the car with a view to making sure that Mrs. Sheldon got home safely.

In his summing-up the Recorder warned the jury that they must keep their minds free from the influence of anything they might have read in the newspapers of the earlier stages of the case and of any stories they might have heard."

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