Month: August 2018

Police Gazette publisher Steven Westlake made the trip to Biloxi, Mississippi, on August 25th, not just because he wanted to; it was because he had to. History demanded it, both past history and future history. For a Police Gazette publisher, it was a pilgrimage to Mecca and the second coming combined.

First stop, the site of the February 7, 1882, championship bare-knuckle match between John L. Sullivan and Paddy Ryan in Mississippi City, four miles from the scene of last Saturday’s action. This fight established Sullivan for the first time as–at a minimum–the American champion of all boxing. And it established the Police Gazette as the first boxing sanctioning organization.

The bout had been organized and sanctioned by Richard K. Fox, the Police Gazette publisher, after Fox had become frustrated by the roadblocks preventing a real championship match from happening. Competitive professional boxing was, after all, illegal. In 1881, Fox declared he and the Police Gazette were taking pro boxing under their wing and, for the first time, establishing rules under which championships were to be conducted. One rule was that championship fights had to be under London Prize Ring rules, i.e., bare knuckle.

The Police Gazette remained the custodian of world bare-knuckle championships for the rest of the decade. But by the early 1890s, gloved boxing was becoming legal and accepted. And in 1894 the Gazette declared it would no longer insist that its championship bouts be fought bare knuckle. Fast forward to this year when bare knuckle finally became legal on the state level, in Wyoming and Mississippi so far. The BKFC 2 event at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on August 25th marked the return of sanctioned bare knuckle boxing to where it started in 1882, in a field off Texas Avenue in little Mississippi City.

At BKFC 2, Bec Rawlings, who’d been declared Police Gazette World Women’s Featherweight Champion after her showing at BKFC 1 in Wyoming, defended her title in a close fight with Britain Hart. Rawlings was presented with the belt for the first time, which made it the first time a Police Gazette belt has been presented to the victor after a bare-knuckle championship bout since the 1880s. Bobby Gunn, who similarly holds a post facto Police Gazette belt, will get to defend his this October.

Here are some scenes and images from Mr. Westlake’s trip:

Watch this short video of Mr. Westlake visiting the site of the first Police Gazette sanctioned bare-knuckle championship, between John L. Sullivan and Paddy Ryan on February 7, 1882, in Mississippi City. Visited a few hours before the most recent Police Gazette bare-knuckle championship bout took place at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum four miles away.

Mr. Westlake stands in the specially designed ring, called the “squared circle.”

Gary Grant Jr., the designer of the ring, stands between Mr. Westlake and Scott Burt, president of the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame, which manages the Police Gazette belts.

Mr. Burt stands between Mr. Westlake and Police Gazette World Heavyweight champ Bobby Gunn, holding the belt later presented to Bec Rawlings.

Mr. Westlake and Mr. Gunn in a serious conversation about the past and future of championship bare-knuckle boxing.

Sam Shewmaker greets his two boys following his narrow split-decision victory over Maurice Jackson. At left is former NFL player–and brother of Walter Payton–Eddie Payton who is now a member of the Mississippi Athletic Commission.

Finally, watch this video as Bec Rawlings is declared winner in her own split-decision victory and receives the Police Gazette belt, bringing full circle Police Gazette championships.

Bec Rawlings, Police Gazette Women’s World Featherweight Champion.

Picks Up Where It Left Off, in Mississippi.

There can be no debate over the fact the Police Gazette championship belt is the most prestigious in all of bare knuckle boxing. The following article from the Police Gazette issue published just before the historic 1889 bout between John L. Sullivan and Jake Kilrain explains:

THE “POLICE GAZETTE” CHAMPION BELT.
     It has been the custom in England for the champions of the prize ring to have an emblem to represent their claim to the title, but until the past five years there never was a fistic emblem put up for competition to be held by a champion according to a code of rules until the “Police Gazette” champion belt was made and offered as the prize ring championship emblem. The “Police Gazette” champion belt was manufactured especially to be held by a fistic hero who was willing to defend the trophy against all challengers, and to battle for it according to the rules of the London prize ring [bare knuckle], which govern all championship contests. John L. Sullivan and Paddy Ryan, after their battle for the championship and $5,000 at Mississippi City, Feb. 7, 1882 [organized and sanctioned by the Police Gazette], were to have again met face to face within the roped arena and battle for a purse of $2,500, $1,000 a side and the “Police Gazette” champion belt.
     At this time Jem Smith issued a challenge to do battle in the orthodox 24-foot ring against any man in the world, and the donor of the trophy agreed to match Sullivan against the English champion for the “Police Gazette” champion belt and $5,000 or $10,000 a side. Sullivan agreed to fill the breach and battle with the English champion for $10,000 and the trophy, but just when the match was about being made a fixture Sullivan backed out, and the English champion began to talk about there being no pugilist in America that would enter the lists against him. Sullivan held the title of champion, but he would not defend it, and then came Jake Kilrain on the pugilistic checkerboard. He challenged Sullivan to battle for the belt and the trophy, but although every fair inducement was made to bring the champion and non-champion together. Kilrain was declared champion, and in August, 1887, he was presented with the “Police Gazette” champion belt at Baltimore, Md.
     On receiving the trophy, he announced his intention of defending it against all challengers. Later, Jem Smith, the English champion, issued a challenge to fight Kilrain for $5,000 a side, the belt and the championship of the world. The match was ratified, the battle fought, and the “Police Gazette” champion belt became the recognized championship emblem of the prize ring.

The original Police Gazette heavyweight champion belt, made of solid silver and gold, inlaid with diamonds.

The Gazette points out it did not invent the concept of a championship belt for boxing. But the others were one-offs, created for specific events and not expected to be carried lineally from champion to champion. There had not been a championship governed “according to a code of rules until the ’Police Gazette’ champion belt.” And the most important rule was that the holder of the belt was expected to defend it against all legitimate challengers. The Gazette also insisted for 12 years, even against the tide of change favoring gloved boxing, that championships should be decided under bare knuckle rules only.

When Jake Kilrain defeated English champion Jem Smith by decision in a field in France in December 1887, “the ’Police Gazette’ champion belt became the recognized championship emblem of the prize ring” all over the world. John L. Sullivan, seeing the Police Gazette belt was now bigger than he—regardless of how many “Boston” belts local fans made for him—finally decided he had to face Kilrain.

The articles of agreement signed January 1889 by Sullivan and Kilrain in Toronto specified the fight would be “for $10,000 a side [over $275,000 today] and the ‘Police Gazette’ diamond belt, which represents the championship of the world.” The place was set as “within 200 miles of New Orleans.” The final location became Richburg, Mississippi, near present-day Hattiesburg, and Sullivan won the fight in what turned out to be the last bare knuckle world championship.

By 1894, when it was clear professional boxing would not continue unless it was gloved, the Gazette finally gave up its bare knuckle requirement entirely.

Thus, the Police Gazette‘s codification of bare knuckle champions began and ended in the state of Mississippi. On August 25th, a Police Gazette bare knuckle championship belt returns to Mississippi for the first time in 129 years when Bec Rawlings will defend her featherweight belt against Britain Hart.

As the sport of professional bare knuckle boxing continues to rise, Police Gazette championship belts will rise with it and—as in the 1880s—will become “the recognized championship emblem” all over the world.

The new Police Gazette diamond belt, representing the championship of the world.

The Police Gazette championship trophy.