Nel Tarleton by Rob Snell


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Nel Tarleton

Name: Nel Tarleton

Alias: Nelson/Nella

Birth Name: Nelson Tarleton

Born: 1906-01-14

Birthplace: Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom

Died: 1956-01-12 (Age:49)

Nationality: United Kingdom

Hometown: Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom

Boxing Record: click

Born in Merseyside, Liverpool on the 14th of January 1906 as Nelson Tarleton, later adopting the name young Nel Tarleton, and known as “Nella†to his adoring Liverpool fans.

Nel wasn’t an ordinary fighter, he was tall but very thin, gangly, overall Nel had never weighed over ten stone in his entire career, this was mainly due to only having only one sound lung since the age of 2 when he contracted TB. He was a keen footballer and in his early childhood he used to play out on the tough Merseyside streets just like every other young boy but he soon realised he was not strong enough to compete with the other lads, he was pushed and shoved and lacked obvious strength. He was teased about his weight and his looks only for a school bully to invite him down to the Everton Red Triangle Boxing club. It was there, and at the Gordon Institute, he learned to love the sport of boxing and was picking up prizes as early as twelve years old. He reached the finals of the Liverpool boy’s championships at three different weights; 6 st 5 lb, 7 st 5 lb and 7 st 12 lb. Nel won the two out of the three only being denied the 7 st 12 lb championship because his best friend was fighting in the opposite corner, so he refused to fight.

Although successful as an amateur he did so only with the grudging consent of his parents. He was so wary of the opposition from his family to him turning professional that he slipped away to make his first paid debut, In secret, in Birmingham using the assumed name of Nat Nelson . There was little hint of future ring glory when he was outscored over 10 rounds by Tom “Kid†Fitzpatrick, and worse from a personal point of view for Nel when the following day a report and picture of his debut appeared in the local newspaper.

However Nel managed to convince his parents he could make a go at being a professional fighter and made his local debut at the Liverpool Pudsey Street Stadium at age twenty against George Sankey on the 14th of January 1926, Nel’s 20th birthday, for a scheduled 10 rounder. He won on points displaying the technical ability and boxing skill he had perfected in the gym. It was some 19 years later when , after defeating Al Philips on 23 February 1945, he was to hang up his gloves.

During those years Nel packed in enough fighting in Britain, Australia and America to fill a book. It took 68 contests before he was to have his first title shot – he was to have some 10 British title fights and 2 for the world championship, he fought his great friend Dom Volante on four occasions ( winning three ) and when aged 40 was set to the World Champion Willie Pep and would have but for Pep suffering a broken leg in a plane crash.

Nel gained his first title when he defeated his friend Dom Volante on points in a fifteen rounder at Breck Park on 26 July 1928 for the vacant Northern Area featherweight title in front of a 16,000 crowd.

By 1929 Nel was well established and like many men of his day America beckoned. Nel had eight bouts in just under 12 months, beating Archie Bell, Jackie Cohen, Pinkie Silverberg, Frankie Marchesi and Mickey Greb, drawing with Jimmy Slavin and losing to Al Ridgeway and Joe Scalfaro.

When he returned to Britain he faced Johnny Cuthbert for the British Lonsdale belt in the Liverpool Stadium on 6th November 1930.They fought a long fifteen round fight but the bout was called a draw, eleven fights and eleven wins later for Nel he had the opportunity to take the title away from Cuthbert again and so he did with a display of undeniable skill which fans had no choice but to warm to. The fight took place at Anfield – The Liverpool football club ground- in front of a 22,000 crowd on 1st October 1931. A year later Tommy Watson took the title from him on points.

In 1933 Nel accepted an offer to fight in Australia, beating Jimmy Kelso and drawing with Tim Morgan at Sydney, then losing to Young Klew Edwards at Melbourne. Nel returned to regain his British crown in 1934 by outpointing Watson and later that year he outpointed Dave Crowley at Wembley, to win his first Lonsdale belt outright.

Between the Watson and Crowley bouts Nel made himself a date with the World Featherweight champion, the quick, stocky American who went by the name of Freddie Miller. Miller was a fighter based in Cincinnati he was an easy going, likable character who fooled around in the boxing ring and out of the boxing ring. He famously said to a reporter who asked about his training regime; ôI prefer to have lots little fights, that way I get paid for training. This was a typical remark you would get from Freddie.

The fight took place at Anfield, Liverpool’s football stadium with thousands of screaming fans cheering for Nel but it wasn’t to be. He was knocked down early but he regained his composure only to lose the fifteen rounder on 20th September 1934 . nel always maintained he won despite the points decision going against him. Miller had asked for £2000 for his defence, which seemed beyond the reach of Stadium promoter Johnny Best. Nel however offered to fight for nothing just to get his chance. Over 30,000 fans flocked to Anfield to witness the contest and did so again just nine months later when the return took place at the Stanley Greyhound Track in June 1935.

This was to be one of the biggest fights in Liverpool’s history. Everyone expected Nel to beat Miller this time round because that’s what Nel did, he was never beaten twice, he used to study his opponent and pick out there weaknesses, he had a great knowledge of the sport and he had always put his plan into action with great precision. The fans were soon to realise that maybe Nel has had his day, he was knocked down within the first round. However as always Nel fought his way back, learning through his own errors, he was always one step ahead but he needed two to beat Miller, unfortunately Miller had his number. It was far from clear cut many sat on the fence because it literally was too close to call, the fans were outraged when Miller was announced as the winner and bottles and turf were thrown into the ring. Nel’s push for the big time just wasn’t strong enough but he still had his British title.

Apart from Miller Nel had beaten virtually everyone he had come up against and in may 1936 he put the first notch on a second Lonsdale belt when he Manchester’s Johnny King. Some five weeks later, after celebrating the birth of twins, Nel dropped his title on the 24th of September 1936 when Johnny McCrory, a Scottish fighter came down to Liverpool to take his British Lonsdale belt away from him.

On this day after the fight Nel announced his retirement or so we thought. Nel came back from retirement in 1937 just four months after saying he would retire, he then won two more fights but disaster stuck, Nel had a nasty road incident he shattered his knee cap and was told he never would fight again. Did this stop Nel from boxing again ??? Of course not, he was out of the ring for eighteen months.

He returned with tremendous winning streak that took in Arnold Lagrand, “Nipper†Fred Morris, Josef Preys, Billy Charlton and Spider Kelly.He later won back his British Lonsdale belt from Johnny Cuswick on New Years day 1940 – one of the few British title fights to be held during the war., again over fifteen long fought rounds. He always wanted a second British Lonsdale belt he said one for each of the twins and he secured it five years later against Al Phillips in Manchester on the 23rd of February 1945, Nel was 39 years old, against a much younger opponent who had a fiery reputation. Nel boxed rings round the young Al after an early scare to another fifteen round points win. As you can gather by now this type of result became highly associated with Nel.

He was never seen in a boxing ring again.

Nel showed sheer class throughout his career, he was unorthodox, tall, gangly, thin everything you wouldn’t expect a boxer to be but he showed every one that in a time where boxing was all about displaying heart, aggression and that killer instinct there was room for skill. People forget that boxing is an art and most definitely Nel was an artist. Nel’s sister Lily said at the end of his career there were more marks on his back than on his face this was referring to his style and the way he used the ropes to launch attacks and dictate his opponent.

After boxing Nel was always fighting a battle with his health, he later died just short of his fiftieth birthday in 1956.

The Daily Mirror

London Edition

2 October 1931

BOXING TITLE

LOST BY CUTHBERT

Champion Beaten by Cleverer Boxer

Johnny Cuthbert, the feather-weight champion, was beaten at Liverpool last night on points for the title and Lonsdale Belt by Nel Tarleton, who was always the cleverer boxer.

When the pair met on a previous occasion the result was a draw, but many good judges thought Tarleton had won then. There were 30,000 people on the Liverpool football club's ground at Anfield last night and they were delighted at the success of the local boy.

TARLETON THE MASTER

All through Tarleton was master of tactics Cuthbert tried to force the lighting but found the Liverpool man's defence superb, and a flashing left hand stabbed him mercilessly in his rushes. Tarleton's body blows worried Cuthbert a lot and he was also troubled by the speed of his opponent.

Cuthbert was down to a great right to the head in the third round but was not hurt, and checked Tarleton with a fine left to the mouth when he rose. There was a dramatic incident in the sixth round, Cuthbert going down from a left to the body. He claimed a foul but Mr. Jack Smith the referee, counted nine before the champion jumped up.

He was on the defensive in the seventh round, but Tarleton did not make the mistake of rushing in. He feinted with the left and kept on crashing the right to the body. It was the work of the master hand. Using left and right with telling advantage, but particularly the left, Tarleton continued to outbox the champion and sent him to the floor in the eleventh with a left to the ribs and a right to the body.

This time the gong saved Cuthbert, as he collapsed just as the bell went,

Tarleton was still the aggressor in the next round, but was kept at bay in the thirteenth by a magnificent exhibition of generalship, but all the same Tarleton scored freely at close quarters. Cuthbert was also made to miss a lot, and when he did so Tarleton rapped a left to the body.

The same may be said of the last two rounds. It always seemed that Tarleton might win by a knockout , but Cuthbert, although well beaten, was dead game. Still he could not stave off defeat, and at the close Tarleton was an easy winner on points.

The Daily Mirror

13 June 1935

British Champion's Heroism

Was Not Enough

10,000 CROWD INVADES RINGSIDE — AMERICAN

PUNCHES HARD BUT FAILS WITH K.O.

By STANLEY LONGSTAFF

Remarkable scenes marred the world's boxing' championship at the Stanley Greyhound Stadium, Liverpool, last night, when Freddie Miller, America's South-Paw featherweight. successfully defended his title against Nel Tarleton, of Liverpool, The decision was on points,

As the champion and his English challenger entered the arena 10,000 spectators in the cheap enclosure, more t h a n fifty yards from the ring, broke through a strong cordon of police and rushed across the stadium. Stewards were brushed aside, helpless, and forced to retire before the onrush. Within the space of a few moments the ring-side was swarming.

The surprising part of an astonishing exhibition of unsporting behaviour was that the greater part of a flood of abuse was aimed at Tarleton.

HEROIC TARLETON

There seemed to be no explanation for the amazing scene other than that the onlookers in the distant enclosures had held a feeling of resentment that row on row of ringside seats should remain vacant. Appeals through the microphone for order had no more effect than the efforts of a score of officials.

The crowd had its way and the contest went on amid uproarious scenes. Tarleton's battle to wrest for England a world title was heroic. The British champion was, courageous, willing and always a great trier, but it just happened that he lacked the boxing knowledge and punching, power of the American.

Only Tarleton himself knows how he survived fifteen rounds. His revival after severe punishment in the first minute — when he was floored by a body blow was the feature of the fight. He carried on in miraculous fashion until regaining full control of his senses, when he gave Miller something to think about.

This is how I read the contest — Miller won the first five rounds, Tarleton the next four and Miller the remaining six. It was a comfortable victory, but I cannot help nursing the impression that Miller did not quite display the workmanship of a world's champion,

He had Tarleton so reduced in stamina during the last three rounds that ringside Americans were offering the fantastic odds of 10 to 1 on a knock-out. Tarleton just lasted out, although it seemed that another minute would have put him out of the boxing game for many a month.

After the thirteenth round, when Tarleton was put through the ropes and fell across t he Press table, he was so mentally dazed and so groggy on his feet that he was unable to return to his corner unassisted. When the fight was over Miller put through a 3,000-miie telephone call to his manager, Pete Reilly, in New York. " I won, Pete," were his first words, and then he settled down to half an hour's conversation. In a statement to t h e Press Miller said: " I t was one of my best fights, and I am sure I won." Tarleton said: " I am disappointed, I thought I had done sufficient to earn the referee's decision, I would like to meet Miller

in a third fight.

The Daily Mirror

11 December 1934

TARLETON KEEPS HIS TITLE-AND BELT

But Crowley Nearly Had Him "Out" in Round 9

BOXER TAKES SEVEN COUNTS

By STANLEY LONGSTAFF

Nel Tarleton, the Liverpool holder of the British feather-weight championship, made a Lonsdale belt his own property at Wembley Arena last night when 2,000 people saw him out-point Dave Crowley, his rugged London challenger.

It must have been by a slender margin of points that Tarleton clung to his crown while there was a time when he came perilously near a knock-out defeat. The big thrill in a fast and eventful fight came in the ninth round, when Crowley, rushing in furiously, threw a vicious right hand punch which sent Tarleton staggering to the ropes.

There the champion's knees sagged instinct alone steered him out of danger. With his arms and gloves cleverly covering the vulnerable spots, he swayed this way and that from dozens of punches flung at him from all angles.

Crowley saw the chance that had come his way and tried desperately hard to turn it to the fullest advantage. He just could not land the all-important blow, and when the round ended he threw his hands across his body in an expression of disgust at his own failure and disappointment.

It looked all Lombard street to a china orange on the title changing hands at this stage, but Tarleton—thanks in no small measure to the tactful handling of Ted Broadribb in his corner during the interval quickly regained his composure.

The chance slipped further from Crowley in the tenth round when there were two stoppages. First the lace on Tarleton's right glove slipped loose, and then Crowley was sent back to his corner to have an abundance of grease wiped from his body.

These were welcome respites for Tarleton. Just how they benefited him could have been seen in the spirited manner in which he resisted Crowley's aggressiveness.

NON-STOP ATTACK

There was Tarleton's defensive cleverness and superior ringcraft, allied to the accurate use of his left hand, pitted against the fiery non-stop attack set up by Crowley. Crowley forced the fight throughout, and, allowing for the fact that many of his punches were parried by Tarleton, I still think he went as near to victory as any other defeated boxer has been.

One had to admire his persistence. With his teeth gritted and his body weaving and bobbing, he set up a continuous attack, What is more, he put infinitely more " pep " into his hitting, and I thought that this effectively countered the often innocuous left hand work of the champion.

The fight was close enough not to permit any quibbling with the decision whichever way it went. I thought at the final gong that he had just about sneaked the title from Tarleton

In the eleventh round the men came out of a clinch, Tarleton with blood streaming from a gash over his left ear and Crowley with an injury to his forehead. They had collided rather heavily, but fortunately no serious damage was done. Tarleton pulled out his most convincing

work after this and made Crowley flounder a great deal.

The champion gave the impression that he was capable of more than a persistent retreat by his flashes of brilliance in which he rained blows on his bewildered challenger. So the title remains in Liverpool but Crowley can take what consolation he likes from the fact that he emerged from the battle with a vast amount of credit.

THEY ENJOYED IT !

I am very happy to have won the Lonsdale belt outright and am not retiring from the ring, I enjoyed the fight because there was so much good, clean punching," said Nel Tarleton after his victory. Crowley said; " I am sure there was not a lot between us. It was a, fine contest.

End

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