‘HORIZONTAL HEAVYWEIGHT’

Recalling when the Americans looked down on British big men

FOR virtually all of the last century, British fight fans had to endure criticism and ridicule thrown at them by American fans and pressmen about the quality of the heavyweights produced on these islands. The term coined by the Americans to demonstrate how little they thought of our lads was ‘horizontal heavyweight’.

Bombardier Billy Wells was the first of these. He was matched with Jack Johnson for the world title in 1911, but after the politicians got involved the contest was banned by the Home Secretary. It was a good job that it didn’t take place, for Wells’ subsequent performances against Al Palzer and Gunboat Smith in bouts at Madison Square Garden were dreadful, with him being stopped in three and two rounds respectively. Goodness knows what Johnson would have done to him, but it would not have been pretty.

It was Phil Scott, however, the “Fighting Fireman”, who really cemented the impression of the ‘horizontal heavyweight’ among our American friends. He crossed the Atlantic with his own world title aspirations in the summer of 1927 as the reigning British and Empire champion. Heavyweight boxing was the talk of the world at this time, largely due to the rematch between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney, which was due to take place in late September. The ‘million-dollar gate’ had arrived and, unsurprisingly, Scott wanted a part of it.

Scott came from Herne Bay and had built a big reputation at the Ring in Blackfriars, as the conqueror of the best heavyweights that Britain and its Empire could put before him. He had failed to impress as convincingly against the top Europeans, losing conclusively to Paolino Uzcudun, Harry Persson and Franz Diener. Nevertheless, he was on a decent run when he set sail.

His first contest in America took place at Madison Square Garden against a lowly regarded Dane, Knute Hansen. This was meant to be a warm-up to enable the Americans to have a good look at him. It was a disaster. Scott was sent to the canvas six times before he was KO’D two minutes into the first round. Once again, the Americans poured scorn on our champion.

To his credit, Scott managed to rebuild after this inauspicious start and he won five of the next six bouts in the States. His only loss was to highly rated Johnny Risko in late 1927. By 1930, he was ranked as the number five contender in a poll of boxing experts published annually within the Everlast Record Book. He was then matched with Jack Sharkey in a final eliminator, with the winner to fight Max Schmeling for the vacant title.

This clash attracted huge interest in the British press as it was felt that Phil had an excellent chance of becoming our first world champion since Bob Fitzsimmons. He trained in the open air at Miami Beach, Florida. He made some extra money by allowing the public to pay to see him in training and a fair few turned up to do so each day during the month or so that he was in preparation. Sharkey stopped him within three rounds after subjecting him to some roughhouse tactics. Predictably, the American press had no sympathy for Phil’s plight, referring to him as a “cry-baby” and a “palooka”.

Tommy Farr restored some prestige for Britain in 1937 after surviving the full 15 rounds against the newly crowned champion, Joe Louis. After the war, Bruce Woodcock, Don Cockell, Brian London and Henry Cooper all contested the world title and all of them lost inside the distance. Joe Bugner and Frank Bruno did a great deal to change the perception of the British heavyweight, but it is Lennox Lewis, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury who have really made the difference.

The UK is now one of the most powerful nations in world heavyweight boxing. I am delighted that, as a boxing-loving Brit, I can hold my head up proudly and start to question the quality of American heavyweights for a change! I can’t wait to see Deontay Wilder against Joshua and Fury. There’s nothing horizontal about those two!