A REMARKABLE LIFE
Dick Burge, a 19th-century British champion and founder of the famous Ring boxing hall, died a century ago this week
GAMBLING was more than just a racecourse habit for Dick Burge – it was a way of life. Never scared to defy the odds, he challenged bigger men for titles at higher weights. But there was one life gamble Burge regretted dearly, and another that cemented his place in boxing history.
Born in Cheltenham on December 19, 1865, Dick moved to Newcastle as a youngster. He first found fame in the 19th-century sport of pedestrianism (professional walking), but switched to boxing and served a long apprenticeship with the fairground booths.
By 1888, Burge claimed the English (which effectively meant British) lightweight title, but so did Birmingham’s Jem Carney. Inevitably, they met in a match for the undisputed championship in May 1891. It was a rough fight that ended with Carney disqualified in the 11th, and with Dick crowned English lightweight king.
It was over a year before Burge defended the title, Ko’ing Lachie Thomson in two, having staked his whole purse on the outcome in a bet with ex-foe Carney. Dick made two trips to America, hoping to tempt reigning world lightweight champ Jack Mcauliffe into a title fight, but to no avail. In May 1894, Dick defended his English crown against Harry Nickless, knocking the challenger out in the 28th round.
In November that year, Burge challenged Ted Pritchard, the reigning English middleweight champ, despite a gulf in size. Unsurprisingly, Dick lost inside two rounds. Undeterred, exactly a year later, he had the audacity to challenge the reigning English heavyweight champion, Jem Smith, despite being 34lbs lighter. They fought in a huge 24ft ring, which helped Burge to last until the ninth round, when the referee intervened. Although Dick had lost, he had won many fans through his brave effort.
Burge fought on for another five years and in June 1896 took part in the first world title fight staged by British boxing’s new governing body, the NSC, but was stopped in 17 rounds by Hall of Famer Kid Lavigne.
Away from boxing, Dick was a big racetrack gambler, and it was through some racing connections that he became embroiled in a scheme to embezzle money from the Liverpool Bank. It’s said that Burge was misled as to the true nature of the scheme, which saw an accomplice bank clerk steal the vast sum of £168,000. After a high-profile trial at the Old Bailey, Dick was sentenced to 10 years with hard labour in 1902.
He was released seven years later, much to the relief of his wife Bella, whom he had married just months before his incarceration. Within a year, Burge opened his own fight hall, a converted ex-chapel on Blackfriars Road, which he called The Ring. It was one of Dick’s most prudent gambles. The Ring soon became one of the country’s top fight halls.
During the war, Burge served as a military policeman, and after a Zeppelin raid in March 1918, he was tasked with rescue work. Dick worked unstintingly through the night extricating and tending to the maimed occupants of a bus. He was soaked to the skin and contracted pneumonia. He died days later, on March 15, aged 52.
He was given a full military funeral. Over 3,000 people lined the streets to pay their respects, and the king and queen sent a message of sympathy. His widow, Bella, had promised Dick on his deathbed that she would keep The Ring going. True to her word, she ran the venue until World War II, when it was destroyed by a Luftwaffe bomb.
DICK HAD THE AUDACITY TO CHALLENGE JEM, DESPITE BEING 34LBS LIGHTER