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Swedish Gold
Alex Cadier (the name was Anglicised in Britain from his name of Axel by which he was known throughout the rest of Europe and America), was a heavyweight standing only 5 feet 9 inches tall. Axel Vilhelm Teodor Cadier was born in Varberg, Sweden, on 13th September, 1906.
Axel Cadier turned to wrestling having already established himself as an accomplished swimmer. He was 21 when he took up wrestling and five years later represented Sweden in the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He took a bronze medal in the middleweight Greco Roman competition, losing after eighteen minutes to the eventual gold medal winner, Finland’s Vaino Kokkinen. Four years later he returned to the Olympic Games, in Berlin, and won all six of his matches to take a gold medal in the Greco-Roman light heavyweight division. He also won the European light heavyweight championships in 1935, 1937 and 1938. Unmatched in his weight class for about a decade he won 11 gold medals (six in Greco-Roman, five in freestyle) in the Swedish championships.
In the 1940s Axel Cadier made a very successful transition from the amateur ranks to the professionals. Axel Cadier came to Britain shortly after the war, making at least six visits between 1948 and 1954. Our first sighting was in July, 1948, at the Engineers Club in West Hartlepool with a No Contest result against Mick Casey. Other opponents during that visit included The Farmer George Broadfield and Ernest Baldwin. During this initial visit we find him billed only as Axel Cadier, his actual name.
Cadier returned for more matches in Britain in 1950, this time at the invitation of promoter Atholl Oakeley, and with his forename now Anglicanised to Alex. Oakeley was attempting to re-establish his business and his International Catch as Catch Can rules against the inroads being made by the new fangled Mountevans rules. He made his 1950 debut at Harringay Arena. The Daily Express reported that 9,500 spectators had packed into the hall that night, though admittedly the attraction was the wrestling debut of former boxer Jack Doyle. Nevertheless, those same fans saw Alex in a supporting contest defeating Al Browne in 50 minutes.
He was back at Harringay two months later, this time topping the bill and proclaimed as European heavyweight champion. In a title defence he defeated Yorkshireman, Frank Mantovich, who was one of Oakeley’s favoured heavyweights at that time. A second 1950 visit in September 1950 again saw Cadier defending his European belt for promoter Oakeley against The Golden Arrow and Mantovitch again. In 1951, still persevering with his International Catch style Cadier returned to make further defences against Eddie Phillips, Jack Doyle, Ed Bright and Mantovitch once again.
Alex Cadier’s luck ran out in his defence against Tiger Joe Robinson of Newcastle at the Royal Albert Hall on 28th October, 1952. Robinson won in the fifth round, rendering Cadier unconscious by the application of a nerve hold on his neck.
By the time Cadier returned to Britain in 1954 Atholl Oakeley had given up all hope of reviving his wrestling business. There were to be no championship matches, no mammoth bills with huge amounts of publicity, just routine shows for Dale Martin Promotions. Last seen in Swindon defeating Black Butcher Johnson. One thing though, he did get his name back, and was once again Axel Cadier.
Axel Vilhelm Teodor Cadier died on 29th October, 1974.
Page added 18/03/2023
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