THE RITSON REVIVAL
Lewis is leading a boxing resurgence in Newcastle
THE recent success of Lewis Ritson promises to revitalise his hometown, Newcastle, as a major fight centre. The city has been in the boxing doldrums for many years, largely because there hasn’t been a fresh, young and explosive talent to generate a revival. Ritson is all that, and more, and thanks to him, the city is buzzing again.
In the first decade of the last century, Newcastle was arguably the most important British city outside London as a boxing venue. Jim Jeffries, Gus Ruhlin and Denver Ed Martin all boxed exhibitions in the city, as did Jack Johnson. Philadelphia Jack O’brien appeared there twice in the years prior to him becoming world lightheavyweight champion. The local star at that time was heavyweight Jack Palmer, who boxed Tommy Burns for the world heavyweight title in 1908.
Many people will claim that Liverpool Stadium was the first purpose-built boxing venue in Britain. This is not the case. On the back of the huge interest in the sport in Newcastle at the time, local hero Will Curley opened St James’ Hall as a dedicated boxing stadium in September 1909. Its opening coincided with the launch of Boxing News. The very first edition carried a report of the opening night at the new hall, when Tom Lancaster of Spennymoor outpointed the leading American, Young Johnson.
This hall ran two shows a week for most of the next 20 years. The biggest bout in the city during this period took place at St James’ Park football ground when Bombardier Billy Wells defeated Dick Smith for the British heavyweight crown in 1916.
In 1929, St James’ Hall was pulled down and replaced by a brand new purposebuilt venue on the same site. Always referred to as the New St James’ Hall, boxing was held there regularly until 1967. Professional shows were staged there six nights a week during 1933 and 1934. There is no other venue in British boxing history that has done this. In 1933 alone, there were 291 promotions in just this one hall. That is more than are held across the whole of the UK today.
There were so many professionals in and around the city, and the hall gave them all ample work. The great stars on Tyneside during this time were Benny Sharkey, Seaman Tommy Watson, Billy Charlton and Mickey Mcguire. Brough Park Greyhound Stadium hosted the biggest contest in the city when Sharkey beat Billy Farrell of Winlaton in six rounds in front of 15,000 in 1931. The referee for this contest was ex-world flyweight titlist Jimmy Wilde. Sharkey and Mcguire both beat reigning world champions in bouts held in Newcastle during the 1930s.
The hall saw many great fighters during and after the war, including Jack Kid Berg, Dave Sands, Brian London and Alan Rudkin. It was also the breeding ground for some North East legends. Teddy Gardner, Maurice Cullen and George Bowes were perhaps the best of these, and two of them became British title-holders.
After the hall staged its final tournament in May 1967, boxing was held occasionally at the Gosforth Park Hotel, a few miles outside the city centre. An attempt at a revival was made by John Spenceley in 1977. Two shows were put on at the City Hall and I was at both of them. The first event half-filled the hall and the second one, held five weeks later, was even more of a disaster, with only a few hundred in attendance. It was clear that, at that time, Newcastle did not want professional boxing, and it lost its status as a boxing city. It has struggled to regain it since.
It is telling that an exciting fighter like John Davison, born and bred in Newcastle, had most of his big nights in nearby rings in Hartlepool, South Shields, Washington and Sunderland. Newcastle has long been crying out for a local hero and now, with Ritson, they have got one. It would be great for the city if Lewis stepped into the ring at St James’ Park – the home of his beloved Newcastle United – following in the footsteps of Bombardier Wells, the last man to fight there more than 100 years ago.