CATERING FOR THRILLS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 23 January 1939, Page 4

CATERING FOR THRILLS

NOT PRETTY illy Air Mail Own Corruspon.leiu LONDON, 22nd December. The latest inspiration of London’s thrill caterers is not a pretty one. It I is to bring back retired veterans of the I boxing ring, and pit them against allin wrestlers. The boxers wear gloves and can hit standing up or on the mat The wrestlers, whose fists are bare, must not punch, but may otherwise employ all their science to down their adversaries. In the first display staged, the wrestler won easily in under two minutes. He took one punch, closed with his man, and put him on the mat. In the second one, in which the boxer was 50-3 r ear-old Bombardier Wells, the all-in wrestler took several full-arm punches from the former heavyweight champion—who used his left and right to keep his opponent from closing with him—and then hit Wells once or twice in the stomach. He seemed to be surprised when the referee • awarded the contest to Wells cn a foul. It is not an edifying sort of exhibition, and will not appeal to real sporting people. Whether it will introduce a new thrill 1 Cor the faded nerves of the all-in i wrestling fans remains to be seen. DAVID AND GOLIATII A much funnier freak contest was staged at Liverpool in the days when Tom Cannon of that city was a worldchampion wrestler. Tom organised a catch-as-catch-can knock-out wrestling tournament, and one of the entrants was a colossal Canadian, Leroi, then appearing at a local music-hall in a strong man turn. Leroi, who sealed 20 stone was about. GO inches round the, chest, announced that he would show those wrestler follows what it was like “to bo in the grip of a strong man." j As luck would have it he was drawn against Joe Carroll, Lancashire’s ] featherweight wrestling champion, who j looked by comparison like a small mar-, moset up against a full-size African■ elephant. The hall was crammed from 1 floor to ceiling for the bout, and, when the men took the ring, you could have heard a pin drop. Joe crouched in his corner, apparently a hopelessly forlorn figure, whilst the mighty Leroi stalked towards him with ring-quaking strides. Then Joe suddenly sprang, gripped the ankles of the colossus, threw him fiat on his back, and won in approximately seven seconds dead. 1 can still hear the echo of the roar that went up that memorable night.