From Pittsburgh Boxing: A Pictorial History: ETHNIC PRIDE (1910s) “As long as I have handled fighters I always made them fight anyone I selected, no matter what color or creed they belonged to.”—James “Red” Mason The lifeblood of boxing in Pittsburgh was contained in its numerous fight clubs, which had begun springing up in the late 1800s and spread rapidly as the 1900s progressed. They were a popular diversion from the long days toiling in the local mines, factories and mills and on almost any night of the week one could find a fight card featuring pugilists of all races and ethnicities, all hungry for the promise of quick fame and fortune that only boxing could bring. The fighters themselves were loved by the people because they were of the people, many working side by side at their day jobs with the fans that came to root for them on the weekends. Eddie Wimler and Bricky Ryan for example, worked in the local mines, thus a large contingency of miners could be counted on to fill the halls and auditoriums on fight night when they were on the card. Fighters who toiled away in the mills and plants during the day enjoyed the same support from their co-workers, who gladly traded some of their hard-earned wages to cheer on “our boy”. By the 1910s almost every sector in Pittsburgh had a fighter representing it. Promoters, matchmakers and managers knew that ethnic and neighborhood pride could translate into ticket sales and fight cards were often hyped along these lines. Thus many young men rising out of the abject poverty of these ethnic enclaves became not only prominent boxers, but heroes in their communities. Jack McClelland and Patsy Brannigan were the pride of many a North Side Irishman, while the South Siders championed fellow Pole Johnny Kirk (nee’ Curkowski) and Billy Berger as their world-beaters. The blacks in the Upper Hill district could look proudly upon Eddie Carver, Young Bijou and Kid White as their fistic representatives while on the Lower Hill Johnny Ray, Young Goldie and Young Eppy carried the banner for the Jews. The trendy “color line” that many fighters of the day hid behind was largely frowned upon in Pittsburgh and not recognized as an excuse for avoiding worthy opponents. The Stanley Ketchel-Frank Klaus fight of March 23, 1910 at Duquesne Gardens (which will be discussed later in this book) proved a bust but it did have the benefit of further strengthening the Smoky City’s status as a major fight metropolis. For at least a week the eyes of the boxing world were focused on Pittsburgh, the consensus being that if the great Ketchel was fighting there then it meant that something important was going on in Steeltown. This notion would be proved correct as the 1910s saw a surge of world-class fighters emerge from in and around Pittsburgh, both world champions and top contenders alike. Frank Klaus, Harry Greb, George Chip, Patsy Brannigan, Johnny Ray, Frank Moran, Tom McMahon, Buck Crouse and Fay Keiser would all make their mark on the world stage during this decade. The local club scene continued to flourish as well and on most nights sporting fans had no trouble finding a venue featuring the many exciting, blue-collar club fighters that always gave the audience its money’s worth, such as Eddie Wimler, Kid White, Mike Milko and KO Circus. Boxing had become the hot ticket in town, the barns, barges, abandoned buildings and pitched tents in the woods now largely a thing of the past. Only baseball and the city’s beloved Pittsburgh Pirates surpassed it in popularity.
Posted on: Sun, 08 Jun 2014 05:06:38 +0000
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