Up next, Charlie Mitchell. He was a 19th-century English boxer who primarily competed as a middleweight and welterweight, though he built his legendary reputation fighting in the heavyweight division. Weighing between 150 to 160 pounds, he regularly gave up 30 to 50 pounds to much larger opponents. Despite this massive size disadvantage, he is celebrated for drawing with legendary heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan in 1888 and challenging "Gentleman" Jim Corbett for the World Heavyweight Title in 1894. He was also a big-time jerk, and that's putting it nicely. This is a great post on Reddit describing Mitchell, I can't help but chuckle every time I read it:
Mitchell was a little shit, there’s no real other way of describing him. I am yet to read a single contemporary piece describing him in a positive light. He was a button-pusher to the fullest degree, enraging John L. Sullivan and Gentleman Jim Corbett in the buildup to their encounters. When they met to discuss the terms of their rematch, Sullivan claimed that Mitchell bombarded him with insults for hours on end. Corbett said that Mitchell was the only opponent that he genuinely wanted to murder in the ring.
Still though, for as much of an ass as the man may have been, there’s no doubt he was talented. He very well may have been the number 2 guy behind Sullivan himself throughout the 1880s, and was constantly at a size disadvantage against fighters up to who were 215 pounds. This didn’t stop Mitchell from standing out compared to the rest of his peers of similar size, as Charlie had notably dangerous power and the “speed of a bantamweight” despite being around 165 lbs. This, along with his skill and heart, caused him to become the champion of England. He was also criticized as a runner in the ring, in his rematch with Sullivan especially.
Mitchell was also Jake Kilrain’s primary trainer for the Sullivan fight, though it appeared to be purely out of spite for Sullivan and ego rather than for Kilrain’s own benefit. Professor Mike Donovan was Kilrain’s other second, and was highly critical of Mitchell himself;
“Mitchell was a very aggressive personality, and continually kept putting himself to the front. It got on my nerve to see him everlastingly forcing himself into the limelight. He would do all the talking for Kilrain, and lorded it over him at every opportunity.”
“Mitchell was a very big talker, and was fond of the lime-light. To keep himself in the public eye, he didn’t care what he said.“
Charlie perhaps never received more criticism than for when he forced Kilrain to fight when it was clear he had no chance of winning just to not concede to John L. Sullivan;
“Time was called, and Mitchell, grabbing the almost senseless body of Kilrain, took him staggering to the scratch. Kilrain was game, and Mitchell thought of nothing but winning regardless of the danger and the suffering. Kilrain stood at the scratch perfectly helpless, Mitchell yelling to Sullivan to come on. I rushed for Mitchell and grabbing Kilrain, brought him back to his corner. It would have been murder. Mitchell and I had a few words that would not look well in print.”
After the fight, Mitchell called Kilrain a coward for quitting.
His personal flaws aside, fighters like Mitchell have always made the fight game more entertaining with their brashness and overall assholery. At the very least he can say that he had the skills to back it up.
1910 T223 - Dixie Queen - Charlie Mitchell. I have to say, it's insane how many Charlie Mitchell cards featured the same poses, you would think they would use some other images of him.
Gennady Golovkin, aka "GGG", aka "The God of War." One of the greatest middleweights in history. He captured his first world title (the IBO belt) in 2010 and went on to unify the WBA, WBC, and IBF belts. His dominant streak lasted for 8 years, during which he successfully defended his titles a record-tying 20 consecutive times. Golovkin’s boxing style was relentless forward pressure combined with explosive power and elite fundamentals. A ruthless body puncher with a chin fashioned from Tungsten, he was never knocked down during his career. This is the 2016 Topps Allen and Ginter - Gennady Golovkin.
I actually own the Magenta Printing Plate 1/1 for the 2016 Allen and Ginter - Gennady Golovkin. I love Magenta, it's one of the most beautiful colors in nature.
Oscar "Battling" Nelson, aka "The Durable Dane", legendary lightweight champion. He was a quintessential swarmer and pressure fighter, his style was built on relentless aggression, unparalleled endurance, and sheer attrition to overwhelm opponents, relying on a volcano of punching to break through his opponents guard. Famous for being able to take sickening amounts of punishment, he was notoriously difficult to knock out.
1909 Jeffries' Playing Cards - Two of Diamonds - Jimmy Britt vs. Battling Nelson.
My goodness, it's just brutal trying to find decent scans, or scans at all, of some of these cards. This is the 1909 Jeffries Playing Cards - Three of Spades - Battling Nelson vs Joe Gans.
1910 T226 - Red Sun Cigarettes - Battling Nelson. This image of Battling Nelson was used on a couple of his cards and I actually own the original type 1 photo of this image of Nelson.
Battling Nelson has some other really cool and rare cards, but it's a shame that the photos that were used for the cards just aren't available anywhere, lost to history and time, unless they surface sometime in the future. It's frustrating because I'd like to showcase every card of every fighter, and the photos that were used for the images on the cards, but a lot of the photos just haven't survived over time.
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien is up next. He won the world light heavyweight championship in 1905 by defeating Bob Fitzsimmons. A highly skilled and scientific fighter, he was renowned for his elite footwork, defensive prowess, and an excellent left jab. After capturing the light heavyweight crown, he famously vacated it to fight in higher weight classes rather than defend it. In 1906, he earned a 20-round draw against the legendary Jack Johnson, despite weighing roughly 40 pounds less than the heavyweight champion. Standing at 5 feet 10 inches and weighing around 165 pounds, O'Brien fought as a middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight. He was often compared to a ballet dancer in the ring for his pivots and footwork. He compiled a massive professional record of nearly 200 fights, finishing with about 147 wins (55 by knockout), 16 losses, and 24 draws. I guess we'll go with this little rare gem, the 1910 T219 - Red Cross Tobacco - Jack O'Brien.
Check this out, this is a photo of "The Bayonne Bleeder" Chuck Wepner, taken by Sports Illustrated photographer Neil Leifer in 1975 at the Granite Hotel in the Catskill Mountains. Wepner was there training for his upcoming fight with Muhammad Ali at the time and had just gotten finished sparring when Leifer took a couple of photos of him. One of the photos would become one of the most famous and iconic Sports Illustrated covers ever. Speaking of granite, Chuck Wepner certainly had a chin made out of rock, you couldn't put the guy down for the 10-count to save your life, he could take ungodly amounts of punishment.
Up next, Owen Moran, aka "The Fearless", bantamweight and featherweight in the early 1900s. Really great fighter, he could box from the outside and fight on the inside. He could also hit, he has the distinction of being the only man in boxing history to knockout the insanely durable Battling Nelson. This is the 1910 E77 - American Caramel - Owen Moran.
Philadelphia Pal Moore, a clever lightweight out of Philly who fought the best the sport had to offer during the no-decision era in the early 1900s, Benny Leonard, Johnny Dundee, Freddie Welsh, Battling Nelson, Abe Attell, Jim Driscoll, Dick Hyland, Jack Britton, George "K.O. Chaney, he fought em' all. Did I mention that this guy began his boxing career in 1907 at the age of 12 and peaked as a teenager. That's insane. He was just a kid, mixing it up with the hardest men in the most brutal sport on the planet. This is the 1910 T220 - Champion Athlete and Prize Fighters - Silver Border - Pal Moore.
Up next, Mike O'Dowd, aka "The St. Paul Cyclone", tough Irishman that held the World Middleweight Championship from 1917 to 1920, also had a separate regional title win (the NYSAC World Middleweight Championship) in 1922. O'Dowd is the only world's champion to fight at the front during World War I (1918, while serving in the U.S. Army). A terrific infighter with good power and a granite-chin, he holds wins over Mike Gibbons, Jeff Smith, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Jack Britton, fought on even terms with a prime Harry Greb in 1918, great fighter. This is the 1925 W529 Strip Card - Mike O’Dowd.
Comments
1920s Romeo Y Julieta - Billy Miske.
Great book about "The St. Paul Thunderbolt", the legendary Billy Miske.
Music break. Let's go with another classic from Huey Lewis and the News, great band.
Up next, Charlie Mitchell. He was a 19th-century English boxer who primarily competed as a middleweight and welterweight, though he built his legendary reputation fighting in the heavyweight division. Weighing between 150 to 160 pounds, he regularly gave up 30 to 50 pounds to much larger opponents. Despite this massive size disadvantage, he is celebrated for drawing with legendary heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan in 1888 and challenging "Gentleman" Jim Corbett for the World Heavyweight Title in 1894. He was also a big-time jerk, and that's putting it nicely. This is a great post on Reddit describing Mitchell, I can't help but chuckle every time I read it:
Mitchell was a little shit, there’s no real other way of describing him. I am yet to read a single contemporary piece describing him in a positive light. He was a button-pusher to the fullest degree, enraging John L. Sullivan and Gentleman Jim Corbett in the buildup to their encounters. When they met to discuss the terms of their rematch, Sullivan claimed that Mitchell bombarded him with insults for hours on end. Corbett said that Mitchell was the only opponent that he genuinely wanted to murder in the ring.
Still though, for as much of an ass as the man may have been, there’s no doubt he was talented. He very well may have been the number 2 guy behind Sullivan himself throughout the 1880s, and was constantly at a size disadvantage against fighters up to who were 215 pounds. This didn’t stop Mitchell from standing out compared to the rest of his peers of similar size, as Charlie had notably dangerous power and the “speed of a bantamweight” despite being around 165 lbs. This, along with his skill and heart, caused him to become the champion of England. He was also criticized as a runner in the ring, in his rematch with Sullivan especially.
Mitchell was also Jake Kilrain’s primary trainer for the Sullivan fight, though it appeared to be purely out of spite for Sullivan and ego rather than for Kilrain’s own benefit. Professor Mike Donovan was Kilrain’s other second, and was highly critical of Mitchell himself;
“Mitchell was a very aggressive personality, and continually kept putting himself to the front. It got on my nerve to see him everlastingly forcing himself into the limelight. He would do all the talking for Kilrain, and lorded it over him at every opportunity.”
“Mitchell was a very big talker, and was fond of the lime-light. To keep himself in the public eye, he didn’t care what he said.“
Charlie perhaps never received more criticism than for when he forced Kilrain to fight when it was clear he had no chance of winning just to not concede to John L. Sullivan;
“Time was called, and Mitchell, grabbing the almost senseless body of Kilrain, took him staggering to the scratch. Kilrain was game, and Mitchell thought of nothing but winning regardless of the danger and the suffering. Kilrain stood at the scratch perfectly helpless, Mitchell yelling to Sullivan to come on. I rushed for Mitchell and grabbing Kilrain, brought him back to his corner. It would have been murder. Mitchell and I had a few words that would not look well in print.”
After the fight, Mitchell called Kilrain a coward for quitting.
His personal flaws aside, fighters like Mitchell have always made the fight game more entertaining with their brashness and overall assholery. At the very least he can say that he had the skills to back it up.
This is the 1887-90 N174 - Old Judge Cigarettes - Charley Mitchell. Both variations are pictured.
-
1887 N174 - Gypsy Queen - Charlie Mitchell.
1910 T220 - Champions - Charlie Mitchell.
1888 N162 - Goodwin Champions - Charlie Mitchell.
1901 Ogden's Cigarettes - Heroes of the Ring - British Labour - Charlie Mitchell. Very rare card.
1901 Ogden's Cigarettes - Series A - Charlie Mitchell.
1901 Ogden's Cigarettes - Series F - Charlie Mitchell.
1887 N174 - Old Judge Cigarettes - Charlie Mitchell.
1910 T223 - Dixie Queen - Charlie Mitchell. I have to say, it's insane how many Charlie Mitchell cards featured the same poses, you would think they would use some other images of him.
This is a wicked photo of Charlie Mitchell, with the dirt country road behind him going over a little wooden bridge.
Another awesome image of Charlie Mitchell, standing on the ruins of a brick castle overlooking the ocean.
Check out this advertising card for the Charlie Mitchell vs James Corbett fight in 1894, both fighters have the bodies of Alligators.
Music break.
Gennady Golovkin, aka "GGG", aka "The God of War." One of the greatest middleweights in history. He captured his first world title (the IBO belt) in 2010 and went on to unify the WBA, WBC, and IBF belts. His dominant streak lasted for 8 years, during which he successfully defended his titles a record-tying 20 consecutive times. Golovkin’s boxing style was relentless forward pressure combined with explosive power and elite fundamentals. A ruthless body puncher with a chin fashioned from Tungsten, he was never knocked down during his career. This is the 2016 Topps Allen and Ginter - Gennady Golovkin.
This is the 2016 Topps Allen and Ginter - Mini - Gennady Golovkin.
I actually own the Magenta Printing Plate 1/1 for the 2016 Allen and Ginter - Gennady Golovkin. I love Magenta, it's one of the most beautiful colors in nature.
Oscar "Battling" Nelson, aka "The Durable Dane", legendary lightweight champion. He was a quintessential swarmer and pressure fighter, his style was built on relentless aggression, unparalleled endurance, and sheer attrition to overwhelm opponents, relying on a volcano of punching to break through his opponents guard. Famous for being able to take sickening amounts of punishment, he was notoriously difficult to knock out.
1909 Jeffries' Playing Cards - Two of Diamonds - Jimmy Britt vs. Battling Nelson.
1909 Jeffries Playing Cards - Ace of Diamonds - Battling Nelson.
1909 Jeffries Playing Cards - Four of Spades - Battling Nelson / Joe Gans.
My goodness, it's just brutal trying to find decent scans, or scans at all, of some of these cards. This is the 1909 Jeffries Playing Cards - Three of Spades - Battling Nelson vs Joe Gans.
1910 T226 - Red Sun Cigarettes - Battling Nelson. This image of Battling Nelson was used on a couple of his cards and I actually own the original type 1 photo of this image of Nelson.
1910 T229 - Kopec Cigarettes - Battling Nelson and 1910 T229 - Pet Cigarettes - Battling Nelson.
1921 Exhibit Wrestling Cards - Battling Nelson.
1950 Joe Palooka Candy - Battling Nelson.
2005 Helmar Brewing Co. - Famous Athletes - Battling Nelson.
2010 Ringside Boxing Round One - Battling Nelson.
2012 Panini Golden Age - Battling Nelson.
2012 Panini Golden Age - Ferguson Bakery Pennants - Blue and Yellow variations - Battling Nelson.
Battling Nelson has some other really cool and rare cards, but it's a shame that the photos that were used for the cards just aren't available anywhere, lost to history and time, unless they surface sometime in the future. It's frustrating because I'd like to showcase every card of every fighter, and the photos that were used for the images on the cards, but a lot of the photos just haven't survived over time.
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien is up next. He won the world light heavyweight championship in 1905 by defeating Bob Fitzsimmons. A highly skilled and scientific fighter, he was renowned for his elite footwork, defensive prowess, and an excellent left jab. After capturing the light heavyweight crown, he famously vacated it to fight in higher weight classes rather than defend it. In 1906, he earned a 20-round draw against the legendary Jack Johnson, despite weighing roughly 40 pounds less than the heavyweight champion. Standing at 5 feet 10 inches and weighing around 165 pounds, O'Brien fought as a middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight. He was often compared to a ballet dancer in the ring for his pivots and footwork. He compiled a massive professional record of nearly 200 fights, finishing with about 147 wins (55 by knockout), 16 losses, and 24 draws. I guess we'll go with this little rare gem, the 1910 T219 - Red Cross Tobacco - Jack O'Brien.
1910 E76 - American Caramel - Jack O'Brien. It's one of these two photos, you be the judge.
1911 T9 - Turkey Red Cabinets - Philadelphia Jack O'Brien.
1910 T220 - Tolstoi Cigarettes - Jack O'Brien.
1910 T225 - Khedival / Surbrug Prize Fight Series - Jack O'Brien. Sorry for the poor scan, this card is pretty rare and it's the best I could find.
1910 T226 - Red Sun Cigarettes - Philadelphia Jack O'Brien.
Check this out, this is a photo of "The Bayonne Bleeder" Chuck Wepner, taken by Sports Illustrated photographer Neil Leifer in 1975 at the Granite Hotel in the Catskill Mountains. Wepner was there training for his upcoming fight with Muhammad Ali at the time and had just gotten finished sparring when Leifer took a couple of photos of him. One of the photos would become one of the most famous and iconic Sports Illustrated covers ever. Speaking of granite, Chuck Wepner certainly had a chin made out of rock, you couldn't put the guy down for the 10-count to save your life, he could take ungodly amounts of punishment.
Another iconic photo of "The Bayonne Bleeder."
Up next, Owen Moran, aka "The Fearless", bantamweight and featherweight in the early 1900s. Really great fighter, he could box from the outside and fight on the inside. He could also hit, he has the distinction of being the only man in boxing history to knockout the insanely durable Battling Nelson. This is the 1910 E77 - American Caramel - Owen Moran.
2022 WndiGo - Black Friday 1/1 - Gennady Golovkin. I own this card and it's one of my favorite cards in my collection.
Philadelphia Pal Moore, a clever lightweight out of Philly who fought the best the sport had to offer during the no-decision era in the early 1900s, Benny Leonard, Johnny Dundee, Freddie Welsh, Battling Nelson, Abe Attell, Jim Driscoll, Dick Hyland, Jack Britton, George "K.O. Chaney, he fought em' all. Did I mention that this guy began his boxing career in 1907 at the age of 12 and peaked as a teenager. That's insane. He was just a kid, mixing it up with the hardest men in the most brutal sport on the planet. This is the 1910 T220 - Champion Athlete and Prize Fighters - Silver Border - Pal Moore.
1920s Romeo Y Julieta - Philadelphia Pal Moore.
Up next, Mike O'Dowd, aka "The St. Paul Cyclone", tough Irishman that held the World Middleweight Championship from 1917 to 1920, also had a separate regional title win (the NYSAC World Middleweight Championship) in 1922. O'Dowd is the only world's champion to fight at the front during World War I (1918, while serving in the U.S. Army). A terrific infighter with good power and a granite-chin, he holds wins over Mike Gibbons, Jeff Smith, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Jack Britton, fought on even terms with a prime Harry Greb in 1918, great fighter. This is the 1925 W529 Strip Card - Mike O’Dowd.
1925 W529 Strip Card - Reverse Image - Mike O'Dowd.
1923 W580 Strip Card - Mike O’Dowd.
1920s Romeo Y Julieta - Mike O'Dowd.
Music break. One of the greatest songs ever made by one of the greatest bands of all-time.