One might ask: Why would folks pay to watch something they could see for free every day? As described in early accounts, one could get into a fracas themselves with little effort on the rough streets of early Oil City.
Perhaps watching mayhem allowed spectators to let some of their own steam off vicariously. The "gentlemanly arts" of boxing and wrestling were apparently and understandably as popular in Oil City as in the rest of the country. Like other forms of entertainment (see Entertainment In The Early Days) in a time before radio, television, and easy transportation; the performers often came to their audience. Here over 40 years of local history related to the sports is shared,
Oil City pugilist George Doughty (spelled Doherty in article below) lasted only 30 seconds against Jim McCormick of Galveston, Texas in a featured match held at the Grand Athletic Club in Shreveport. Nothing more has so far been found about George (give me time - a clue will surely turn up). McCormick was however a legitimate prize fighter of his day, having had bouts against heavyweight champions Jack Johnson (twice), and John L. Sullivan (Sullivan's final fight); though neither held the title at the time.
Shreveport Times 01-Nov-1912, Page 9
A better pic of Jim, shown below in 1905.
Pittsburgh (PA) Press 16-Jul-1905, Page 22
Poor George went down swiftly.
New Orleans Times-Democrat 02-Nov-1912, Page 10
Perhaps watching mayhem allowed spectators to let some of their own steam off vicariously. The "gentlemanly arts" of boxing and wrestling were apparently and understandably as popular in Oil City as in the rest of the country. Like other forms of entertainment (see Entertainment In The Early Days) in a time before radio, television, and easy transportation; the performers often came to their audience. Here over 40 years of local history related to the sports is shared,
Oil City pugilist George Doughty (spelled Doherty in article below) lasted only 30 seconds against Jim McCormick of Galveston, Texas in a featured match held at the Grand Athletic Club in Shreveport. Nothing more has so far been found about George (give me time - a clue will surely turn up). McCormick was however a legitimate prize fighter of his day, having had bouts against heavyweight champions Jack Johnson (twice), and John L. Sullivan (Sullivan's final fight); though neither held the title at the time.
Shreveport Times 01-Nov-1912, Page 9
A better pic of Jim, shown below in 1905.
Pittsburgh (PA) Press 16-Jul-1905, Page 22
Poor George went down swiftly.
New Orleans Times-Democrat 02-Nov-1912, Page 10
Professional wrestling was held locally back in the day. In 1914 the town once missed out on an appearance by then world lightweight champion Jack Fisher, an Oklahoman; who refused to wrestle local wrestler Tony Gomez there, feeling the venue too small. Instead, Fisher insisted the match occur in Shreveport. It was later cancelled and a replacement Fisher match with "Doc" Stewart was also cancelled when both wrestlers failed to show.
Shreveport Times 09-Apr-1914, Page 9
Shreveport Times 16-Sep-1913, Page 10
Another article notes Joe Savini, once identified as "lightweight champion of the south" and who had previously beaten Fisher, agreed to wrestle Gomez in OC.
Shreveport Times 06-May- 1914, Page 11
 |
| Agreed to take on Gomez (or Gomes) there |
Unfortunately the results of said match have not been found. An aside: newspapers occasionally spelled Tony's name Gomez, stating he was Mexican; while other times spelling it Gomes and even referring to him as the "Portuguese Grappler." A marketing tactic tailored to particular audiences, perhaps?
In December 1920, the following boxing card was announced for the local Bijou Dream Theater featuring:
- Kid Farmer vs. Battling Kuhn
- S ider (Spider?) Kelly vs. Kid Peralto
- Two unidentified Oil City boys as the undercard
All that could be found about the participants was that (Battling or Soldier) George Kuhn was from Shreveport, and evidence of Peralto fighting in south Louisiana a few times in the early 1920s. Both Kid Farmer and Spider Kelly were names used by multiple ring participants at that time, so which one either of them was is not clear, though both on the card were reported to be from Fort Worth.
Shreveport Times 02-Dec-1920, Page 8
Shown below as "Soldier" Kuhn, he played up his having been in the army..
Shreveport Times 11-Feb-1921, Page 8
Results of a local wrestling match held in 1923.
Shreveport Times 13-Apr-1923, Page 9
Below, "Texas" Jack Bennett.
Cameron (TX) Herald 15-Sep-1921, Page 10
A Shreveport boxing promoter adds a club in OC with biweekly matches planned.
Shreveport Times 14-Apr-1923, Page 8
Kid (possibly Ralph) Refeld of Oil City defeated Sailor Wanger in a match at Shreveport.
Shreveport Times 17-Apr-1923, Page 8
For several years in the early 1930s, several local boys were involved in Amateur Athletic Union boxing. T. J. Creviston, shown below, was team captain.
Shreveport Times 05-Jan-1932, Page 7
One of the top fighters was Harold "Hal" Shepherd, who once lost a controversial decision to Milton Wyman, having knocked the tri-state champion to the mat for a nine count, only to be saved by the bell. However at the end the referee and judges ruled unanimously for the champ.
Other members of the OC team are mentioned below.
Shreveport Times 25-Jan-1932, Page 9
Other OC fighters mentioned in various accounts were Claude Canders, Alton Trahan, and Herb Woodell.
Linuel Newsome, identified as an outstanding student, later won the 100-pound class Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Southern Region championship in New Orleans.
Shreveport Times 15-Apr-1932, Page 13
Joe Almokary, football star and three-time letterman at LSU, also wrestled and boxed for the respective Tiger teams.
1932 LSU Gumbo (yearbook)
Baton Rouge Morning Advocate 18-Apr-1930, Page 15-A
Baton Rouge Morning Advocate 20-Apr-1930, Page 19
Akron (OH) Beacon 23-Sep-1931, Page 18
Joe's fighting style, that of a street scrapper, is described when he attempted comebacks in boxing after his football eligibility had been used up.
Baton Rouge Morning Advocate 14-Mar-1933, Page 8
Baton Rouge Morning Advocate 14-Jan-1934, Page 10
No further mention of OC-related boxing activities appears again until the mid-1950s, when several young men participated in Golden Gloves. Middle-weight Robert Woodell is shown below from an article about a then upcoming competition.
Shreveport Times 31-Jan-1957, Page 5-C
Other locals participating at the time were Don Humphries and Wade Jones.
Shreveport Times 27-Jan-1957, Page 3-D
Edgar Beene was a 1954 First Team Class B All-State Tackle from Oil City, Edgar entered the U. S. Navy where he played football and boxed. Moved to fullback, he once participated in an Army-Navy All-Star game held in Tokyo, Japan. He later played for Kilgore (TX) Jr. College.
In boxing he was listed as a Great Lakes Naval Training Center champion and a Louisiana Golden Gloves champion. A 1962 newspaper article mentioned his record as being 37 wins and 5 losses at that point.
Ed once headlined a boxing card in his home town.
Shreveport Times 22-Apr-1961, Page 9-A.
Read more about Joe Almokary and Edgar Beene at Memorable Athletes, Coaches, Personalities, and Teams.
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