Week Beginning 21 June
21 June 1963
Leicester Championship Match
At the DeMontfort Hall in Leicester Alan Colbeck retained the European welterweight title against Eric Sands.
21 June 1967
What A Night
Even by Royal Albert Hall standards this was a spectacular programme. The McManus-Pallo saga continued on it’s way, with McManus headbutting Pallo to open a gash on his forehead and referee Max Ward stopping the contest. Billy Robinson defended his British heavyweighttitleagainst Tibor Szakacs, Robinson winning by two falls to one in round nine. Supporting matches: Les Kellett v Steve Logan, The Outlaw v Albert Wall, Ignatious Borg v Tony Costas, Vic Faulkner v Mike Eagers and The Cortez Brothers v Black Diamonds.
21 June 1967
The Hold Released
Wrestler Vladimir Waldberg, mostly famed as Rachman employee Fred Rondel, was released from Brixton Prison, where he had been held since 9th May. He was freed after making a statement in which he apologised and undertook to keep away from two club owners following an assault. Fortunate really, just in time for his next legal case.
22 June 1896
Birth of Billy Riley
Read our tribute to Billy Riley
22 June 1927
Birth of Tibor Szakacs
Read our tribute to Tibor Szakacs
22 June 1931
Wrestling Hits the Midlands
Wrestling came to the English midlands with the presentation of an all in wrestling show at the Palais de Danse in West Bromwich. In a match over three ten minute rounds George Faulkner beat Wilfred Granfield. Despite blood flowing from Faulkner’s forehead following a clash of heads in the first round he won with falls in the second and third round.
22 June 1963
Death of Tommy Hooton, Tommy The Demon
Read our tribute to Tommy The Demon
22 June 1974Surprise Defeat For Goldbelt
At Belle Vue in Manchester Mick McMichael knocked out Brian Maxine to win the British middleweight title.
22 June 2022
Death of Ray Luxford
Read our tribute to Ray Luxford
23 June 1945
Birth of John Murphy
John Murphy is in the A-Z
23 June 1967
An Apology and Damages
Professional wrestler Freddie Barnes, known as Prince Barnu was awarded damages and received an apology at Birmingham Assizes. Allegations made against the Coventry wrestler in the magazine Camera Principis were withdrawn by the editor and publisher of the magazine, Ian Farquhar. The magazine had referred to Prince Barnu as “the biggest flop ever to take a scripted fall in the third round.” A written statement to the court said, “The defendant now realises there was not the slightest foundation for any of these and he is here today, by this counsel, to apologise to the plaintiff for having made them and to withdraw unreservedly all imputations upon the plaintiff. The defendant has also agreed to pay the plaintiff a sum by way of damages and to indemnify the plaintiff in respect of his costs.”
23 June 1976
Death of Les Herbert (South Africa)
Read our tribute to Les Herbert
24 June 1931
Birth of Midge Cowan
Read our tribute to Midge Cowan
24 June 1948
Birth of Tiny Callaghan
Read our tribute to Tiny Callaghan
24 June 1960
A double Championship Bill at Bradford.
Alan Colbeck defeated Jack Dempsey to win the European welterweight title. Billy Joyce retained his British heavyweight title against local challenger Dennis Mitchell.
24 June 1961
Clash of Middleweight Rivals
Belle Vue Manchester and the rivalry between British middleweight champion Tommy Mann and Chic Purvey continued with Mann’s title up for grabs. Purvey was escorted to the ring by a piper from the City of Leeds Pipe Band whilst Mann was introduced by the trumpets of the Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry. These were two gritty wrestlers going at it hammer and tongs. Mann took the first fall with the bout ending dramatically with a double knock out and Mann retaining the title.
24 June 1966
A Wrestling Rumble, And That’s Just the Fans.
The Daily Mirror reported a spot of bother at the wrestling when angry fans clambered into the ring and the wrestlers fled. The cause of the displeasure in Falmouth was the appearance of a group of masked wrestlers who the fans claimed were fakes. The wrestlers involved were masked wonder girl Le Feline, who wrestled Sister Death, sibling of the good Doctor; The Destroyer who wrestled Dr Death and The Outlaw against The Hangman. The fans had the foresight to leave it to the last match, a tag contest before disrupting the show and demanding their money back.
24 June 1967
Championship Night
At Newcastle George Kidd retained the world lightweight title against Julien Morice in eight rounds while Al Miquet kept hold of the British belt against Jim Breaks in seven.
24 June 1967
Well, That Wasn’t Very Charitable
Professional wrestling was part of a charity event raising money for mentally handicapped children in Peterborough. Unfortunately Lady Caroline was taken to hospital after being injured in her contest with Roger Ladaire. Lady Caroline should have wrestled Gerta Snyder, who was injured, but agreed to take part in a mixed contest with Ladaire. Also raising money were Klondyke Bill, Toma Hansom, Mick Collins, Jack Taylor, Derek Perkins and Jack Brittain.
24 June 1981
A Shoulder to Sit On
Five commemorative British stamps were issued to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the National Trust in Scotland. As part of the publicity campaign postwoman Beverly Galloway was pictured on the shoulder of wrestler Giant Haystacks. Beverly was holding an enlarged photo of a stamp showing the Giants Causeway in Ireland.
24 June 1988
Death of John Foley
Read our tribute to John Foley
24 June 2018
Death of Cliffe Milla
Read our tribute to Cliffe Milla
25 June 1929
Birth of Alan Dennison
Read our tribute to Alan Dennison
25 June 1931
A Letter From America
Atholl Oakeley was out in the USA. Recently turned professional with an eye on developing the sport in Britain Atholl made the trip for wrestling experience, learn how the business was being promoted and make contacts that would be invaluable once he was back home. He was never shy of telling us how he had taken on the Yanks at their own game and beaten them. This week we had the first reports of how he was actually doing.
The Daily Mirror reported receipt of a letter from Bulldog Bill Garnon, who was also in New York. The newspaper described Oakeley as probably the strongest man in the country and admired his pluck in going to the States.
Garnon reported that Oakeley was showing the heart of a lion and had won seven matches in a row. His latest match had been against Benny Ginsberg, with Oakeley winning in twenty eight minutes. Oakeley had also beaten the Greek 1920 Olympian George Tragos after throwing him over the ropes. Garnon reported that the Americans were very Anti-English.
25 June 1949
2,000 Witness Another Assirati Win
Islington Hercules Bert Assirati kept hold of his British Heavyweight title when he defeated local challenger Clem Lawrence in front of 2,000 fans at Chelmsford Stadium. Despite a cut under his eye Lawrence took the lead with a fall in the third round. The end came in the following round. Assirati trapped Lawrence on the ropes and in his attempt to escape the local man caught his foot in the rope and fell from the ring, failing to beat the count. Marjorie Assirati was at ringside to congratulate her husband.
25 June 1962
Just Champion
That was Billy Joyce when he retained his British heavyweight title against challenger Dai Sullivan in Bradford.
25 June 1966
Championship Double KO
An inconclusive result at the New St James Hall when British lightweight champion Jim Breaks and challenger Michael Bennett both failed to beat the count in round nine.
25 June 1977
Double Titles
Double championship night at Belle Vue in .Manchester. In a British heavyweight title match Tony St Clair defended the title against John Kowalski. St Clair won with falls in rounds two and five, Kowalski scoring in round four. In a British light heavyweight title contest Marty Jones defeated Roy St Clair by two falls to one. Jones gained falls in rounds five and six after St Clair had taken the lead in the fourth.
25 June 1981
Jones Keeps Hold
At the Colston Hall, Bristol Marty Jones beat Bert Royal to retain the British light heavyweight title.
25 June 1981
Masambula Wins Court Case
Read the story in the newsletter of 14th June
25 June 2009
Death of Tony Rowney
Read our tribute to Tony Rowney
25 June 2022
Death of Karl Berg
Read our tribute to Karl Berg
26 June 1950
The Fight Will Go On!
It looked like an abrupt and early ending to the show at Edinburgh’s Eldorado Stadium when the decision was taken to abort the presentation when the ring was damaged following an over-enthusiastic corner posting. Step forward Mr W. Leith of Berwick who had called in at the wrestling while travelling through Edinburgh. With his tools in the van the tradesman had the ring fixed and the show resumed within thirty minutes.
26 June 1965
Walsh Keeps Hold
In Newcastle Norman Walsh defeated John Allan by two falls to one in ten rounds to regain the British Mid Heavyweight title.
26 June 1965
Snatch!
Whilst the grapplers grappled and the fans cheered and booed £65 takings were stolen from the box office at the Capitol in Horsham
26 June 1967
Immunity M’Lord?
Wrestler Vladimir Waldberg had taken villainy well beyond the realms of Mick McManus, or even Jack Pye. At least they confined their villainy to inside the ring. Vladimir Waldberg was the persona of Fred Rondel. He had been found guilty of grievous bodily harm following a fight at a dance hall in 1959 He sued his barrister for professional negligence, claiming that he had not been properly defended. His claim was based on a defence that he had not cut off part of his vctim’s ear as his barrister had stated, but bitten it off.
Rondel claimed the barrister had been negligent and appealed against the judgement. Going through the long, slow processes of justice it took eight years until on this day his grievance reached the highest court in the land, the House of Lords. It was reported that more than 150 legal books, some more than 300 years old, were consulted before the five Law Lords of the House of Lords Appeal Committee considered whether judges could be sued for professional negligence.
Rondel apologised for being late at the hearing, saying he had been delayed by his visit to Moss Bros to hire a suit. Obviously a man with a sense of occasion as he also wore a bowler hat and carried a rolled umbrella,
The Lords confirmed that a barrister could not be sued for negligence.
26 June 2020
Remembering Ray
On the anniversary of his Death in 2020 Ray Plunkett continues to make a significant contribution to British wrestling. Few weeks go by without a reference in the forum to Ray’s unique database of British wrestling events.
Ray was probably better known in wrestling circles than quite a few of the wrestlers he admired. More than one wrestler has been known to comment that Ray knew more about their whereabouts than they knew themselves. From the 1960s onwards Ray collected and compiled wrestling results which he generously shared with other like minded enthusiasts.
In the 1960s he was part of an extensive group of fans that swapped results on a regular basis, followed in later years by literally hundreds, possibly thousands of hours trawling through library newspaper archives. With newspapers digitised it was a case of online searching to create what must have been the largest database of British wrestling bills and results.
Apart from being an ultimate fan Ray was also well known as an official, a referee and Master of Ceremonies for various independent promoters and Dale Martin Promotions.
Ray was seventy-four years old at the time of his death.
27 June 1931
Oakeley IN USA
The Daily Mirror reported Atholl Oakeley remained undefeated in the USA
27 June 1954
Birth of Dave Bond
Read our tribute to Dave Bond
27 June 1962
Marino Champion
At the Cavendish in Nottingham Mike Marino retained the BWF (Independent)World Mid Heavyweight title against Al Hayes…
27 June 1970
Commonwealth Title Fight
Count Bartelli retained the Commonwealth Heavyweight title against Syed Saif Shah at Birmingham’s Bingley Hall.
27 June 1974
Breaks Beats Saint
At Digbeth Civic Hall Jim Breaks retained the British lightweight title by defeating Johnny Saint.
27 June 1979
Big Daddy Wins, Fans Lose
Read the story in this week’s newsletter
27 June 1984
Death of Alan Dennison
Read our tribute to Alan Dennison
27 June 2021
Death of Jackie Robinson
Read our tribute to Jackie Robinson
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