Some wicked photos of Gene Tunney here, I get a real "Bride of Frankenstein" vibe every time I look at these, Dr. Septimus Pretorius with his collection of bottled, miniature people.
Up next, Pancho Villa, the great flyweight champion from the Philippines, one of the greatest flyweights of all-time, also one of the greatest Asian and Filipino boxers, right alongside Manny Pacquiao and Gabriel Elorde. Pancho Villa fought as a relentless, volume-punching swarmer who utilized non-stop aggression, hard punching, and blinding speed to overwhelm his opponents, he gave them little to no room to breathe. Despite employing an open, hands-down style, Villa was incredibly elusive and possessed an elite defensive instinct. He had a granite chin, he was famously never knocked down or knocked out in his entire professional career. He frequently utilized a cross-guard, an old-school defensive technique (later popularized by boxers like Archie Moore) where he kept his lead arm low and his back arm tight against his chin/face to deflect punches. Even when fighting in the pocket, he showcased incredible chin durability and resilience—famously going ten rounds using only one hand to protect his broken jaw in his final bout. On June 18, 1923, Pancho Villa captured the World Flyweight Championship by knocking out the legendary Jimmy Wilde in the 7th round at the Polo Grounds in New York. This historic victory made Villa the first Asian and Filipino world boxing champion and subsequently ended Wilde's mythical career. These are two of my favorite cards in the entire hobby, and they are quite pricey, the 1924 V137 - Willard Chocolate - Pancho Villa.
1924 V122 - Willard Chocolate - Pancho Villa. You can see that Willard Chocolate wants to get cute and flip the image of Villa around on this card, so we'll oblige.
Leaving this here in case I ever run across the photo that matches up with it, an awesome premium. Police Gazette - Gallery of Champions - Pancho Villa.
We got a real pound-for-pound monster here, a real "giant killer." Barbados Joe Walcott stood at just 5-foot-1 and weighed roughly 140 to 142 pounds during his prime. Despite his natural size, the "Barbados Demon" frequently challenged top-tier fighters across multple weight classes, stepping into the ring with lightweights and heavyweights alike. He was a devastatingly hard puncher. Despite his size, he possessed immense natural power and frequently knocked out much larger opponents. Renowned boxing historian and "The Ring" magazine founder Nat Fleischer described him as a "sawed-off Hercules" due to his incredible physical gifts, including an 18-inch neck and heavily muscled upper body. The National Police Gazette of the era reported that a single clean strike from Walcott was equivalent to five from his opponents. His power was so legendary that he fought and defeated formidable heavyweights, including knocking out contenders who outweighed him by 60 to 70 pounds. A fellow all-time great famously stated that Walcott was the hardest puncher he ever fought, and that fellow all-time great just so happens to be named Sam Langford. Before we get started on the Barbados Joe Walcott cards, I want to post this photo of Walcott squaring off with "The Brown Panther" Harry Wills, a heavyweight. Look at the size of Walcott here, and he legit knocked down and knocked out heavyweights. You can see why he was nicknamed "Barbados Demon", the guy could crack, we're talking serious, serious power. Just a fascinating specimen is Barbados Joe Walcott.
This is an extremely rare card, the 1910 V153 - Robertson Candy Co. - Joe Walcott. I'm thinking they used this photo of Walcott for the image on this card, the arms match up almost perfectly. I'll tell you what, it's brutal trying to find the images of Walcott to match up with his cards, he boxed so long ago, in the 1890s and early 1900s, that photos of him are scarce.
Can't find the photo to match up with this treasure, so I'm just going to leave it here in case I run across the photo in the future. 1938 NX5 - American Sweets Knockout Bubble Gum - Joe Walcott.
I actually own the 2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions - Black Printing Plate 1/1 - Barbados Joe Walcott. It was used for the production of the mini cards from the series. I'll include a scan of a mini with a Green Lady Luck Back above my printing plate.
Yet another pound-for-pound monster up next. Mickey Walker was nicknamed "The Toy Bulldog" because of his compact, stocky stature combined with his ferocious, non-stop aggressiveness in the boxing ring. Standing at just 5 feet 7 inches tall, he fought fearlessly against much larger opponents, relying on incredible toughness and forward pressure to dominate his bouts. The sporting press of the era gave him the moniker to reflect this duality: the "toy" referenced his small size, while the "bulldog" highlighted his relentless grit and fighting spirit. It's one of the coolest nicknames I've ever heard. Throughout the 1920s and early 1930s, Walker—who held both the world welterweight and middleweight championships—earned a reputation as a "giant killer". Despite his smaller size, he routinely moved up to the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, taking on men who outweighed him by dozens of pounds. Great, great fighter. This is the 1927 Lambert & Butler - The World of Sport - Mickey Walker.
I'm having a rough go at finding the photos to match up with Mickey Walker cards, this is brutal, you would think more photos would be available of him, the guy was World Welterweight champion from 1922–1926 and the World Middleweight Champion from 1926–1931. Like I said, great, great fighter.
1948 Leaf Gum - Mickey Walker. I know, it's a piss-poor scan of the photo. Believe me, I'm doing the best I can here, I want the clearest images and it's just not available. I found this image on Biblio and the seller uploaded a crappy scan and when I tried to upload it here it came out small and barely visible, I had to run it through a meme generator to blow the photo up. Sometimes you just have to take what life absolutely insists on giving you.
Leaving this beauty here in case I ever find the photo that matches with it, 1926-29 Exhibit Supply Company - Red Tint - Coupon Back - Mickey Walker. Wicked looking card.
Mickey Walker's Ring Magazine middleweight championship belt, issued to him in 1931 after defeating Tiger Flowers for the middleweight title. Each section is adorned with an eagle at the top and the center plate has 3-D bulldogs and boxing gloves in honor of Mickey Walker. It is a total of 23 inches long intact, including the chains connecting the various plates.
Up next, Freddie Welsh, aka "The Welsh Wizard", the best lightweight in the world between 1909 and 1917. He got his nickname because he was just that, a wizard, a true boxing scientist, a very clever fighter. Hall of Famers Benny Leonard, Abe Attell, Jim Driscoll, Willie Ritchie, Johnny Dundee, Ad Wolgast, Charley White, and Battling Nelson all fell victim to Welsh during their careers, that's eight fire-breathing dragons he slayed, one hell of a resume. This is the 1910 T223 Dixie Queen - Prizefighters Past & Present - Freddie Welsh.
Quite a few boxing legends got their start this way, going without food will do that to you.
“It was cold and snowy, and I walked all day and couldn't get a job or a meal. So that night I was standing there at the lunch counter when my friends came in again. "Billy Elmer will give you five dollars to fight tonight," they said. I was too hungry to stand it any longer. Five dollars meant a thick steak and some browned potatoes and a piece of pie and a cup of real coffee. I stood there and thought with my mouth watering. And then I went upstairs and I won my fight.”
– Freddie Welsh - describing the moment he took his first paid fight.
Up next Jimmy Wilde, arguably the greatest flyweight ever. He held the world flyweight championship for exactly 6 years and 6 months, reigning from December 1916 to June 1923. He is the owner of the longest unbeaten streak in boxing history, going 93-0-1 before being handed a loss, insane. He was nicknamed "The Indian Famine" because of his emaciated and frail physical appearance. Weighing around 100 pounds, his gaunt look and visible ribs led to the nickname, which contrasted sharply with his devastating punching power. Which brings us to his other nicknames,"The Ghost with the Hammer in his Hand", and "The Mighty Atom", he earned those nicknames because of his devastating punching power, one of the most murderous punchers in boxing history, he was famous for knocking out opponents much larger than himself. Ring Magazine has him ranked number 3 on their 100 greatest punchers of all-time list, number 3. That should tell you how hard this flyweight could punch. His final career mark stands at 131-3-2, of those 131 wins, he knocked out 99 of his opponents. He's a legend and one of the greatest fighters the sport has ever seen. Before we get started on the Jimmy Wilde cards, I have a quote around here somewhere, ah yes, here it is.
"Up comes a mountain fighter about 30 years of age and weighing about 12 stone who was supposed to be the cock of the walk in the Pentyrch, Tongwynlais and Taff’s Well area. I said, “I’ll give you £1 if you’ll stand three rounds against this little nipper.” The people started shouting “Shame” because this chap looked big enough to eat Jimmy, but in the second round Jimmy caught him with a right on the chin and laid him dead out. It took us nearly ten minutes to get him round…."
2004 Rockwell Publishing - Mighty Atoms - The All Time Greats - Jimmy Wilde. I can't find the photo to match up with this card, but I had to get it in here since one of his nicknames is "The Mighty Atom."
Can't find the photo for this one either, but got to get it in here as well, I love this series, the infamous 1978 Sportscaster - Finnish Printing - Jimmy Wilde.
I have to show this off, I own this, it's a 1991 W.R. Priddy Antiques - 80 Famous Boxers - Hand Colored Test Card 1/1 - Jimmy Wilde. Only one that exists!
Comments
1920-30 Chocolat Mirault - Gene Tunney.
1928-30 Eckstein - Halpaus - Olympia Karten - J. Dempsey/G. Tunney.
1927 Fro-Joy Ice Cream - Champions Series - Front View - Gene Tunney.
1927 Fro-Joy Ice Cream - Champions Series - Side View - Gene Tunney.
1928-29 Tabacalera La Morena & Fabrica Morazan - Gene Tunney. This is a ridiculous rare card.
Some wicked photos of Gene Tunney here, I get a real "Bride of Frankenstein" vibe every time I look at these, Dr. Septimus Pretorius with his collection of bottled, miniature people.
"There is nothing more dangerous for a boxer than to underestimate his opponent."
Up next, Pancho Villa, the great flyweight champion from the Philippines, one of the greatest flyweights of all-time, also one of the greatest Asian and Filipino boxers, right alongside Manny Pacquiao and Gabriel Elorde. Pancho Villa fought as a relentless, volume-punching swarmer who utilized non-stop aggression, hard punching, and blinding speed to overwhelm his opponents, he gave them little to no room to breathe. Despite employing an open, hands-down style, Villa was incredibly elusive and possessed an elite defensive instinct. He had a granite chin, he was famously never knocked down or knocked out in his entire professional career. He frequently utilized a cross-guard, an old-school defensive technique (later popularized by boxers like Archie Moore) where he kept his lead arm low and his back arm tight against his chin/face to deflect punches. Even when fighting in the pocket, he showcased incredible chin durability and resilience—famously going ten rounds using only one hand to protect his broken jaw in his final bout. On June 18, 1923, Pancho Villa captured the World Flyweight Championship by knocking out the legendary Jimmy Wilde in the 7th round at the Polo Grounds in New York. This historic victory made Villa the first Asian and Filipino world boxing champion and subsequently ended Wilde's mythical career. These are two of my favorite cards in the entire hobby, and they are quite pricey, the 1924 V137 - Willard Chocolate - Pancho Villa.
1924 V122 - Willard Chocolate - Pancho Villa. You can see that Willard Chocolate wants to get cute and flip the image of Villa around on this card, so we'll oblige.
1923 Exhibit Supply Company - Postcard Back - Pancho Villa.
1996-99 Japan World Boxing - Pancho Villa (Bottom left).
Leaving this here in case I ever run across the photo that matches up with it, an awesome premium. Police Gazette - Gallery of Champions - Pancho Villa.
Leaving this here as well, the 1920s Romeo Y Julieta - Pancho Villa.
We got a real pound-for-pound monster here, a real "giant killer." Barbados Joe Walcott stood at just 5-foot-1 and weighed roughly 140 to 142 pounds during his prime. Despite his natural size, the "Barbados Demon" frequently challenged top-tier fighters across multple weight classes, stepping into the ring with lightweights and heavyweights alike. He was a devastatingly hard puncher. Despite his size, he possessed immense natural power and frequently knocked out much larger opponents. Renowned boxing historian and "The Ring" magazine founder Nat Fleischer described him as a "sawed-off Hercules" due to his incredible physical gifts, including an 18-inch neck and heavily muscled upper body. The National Police Gazette of the era reported that a single clean strike from Walcott was equivalent to five from his opponents. His power was so legendary that he fought and defeated formidable heavyweights, including knocking out contenders who outweighed him by 60 to 70 pounds. A fellow all-time great famously stated that Walcott was the hardest puncher he ever fought, and that fellow all-time great just so happens to be named Sam Langford. Before we get started on the Barbados Joe Walcott cards, I want to post this photo of Walcott squaring off with "The Brown Panther" Harry Wills, a heavyweight. Look at the size of Walcott here, and he legit knocked down and knocked out heavyweights. You can see why he was nicknamed "Barbados Demon", the guy could crack, we're talking serious, serious power. Just a fascinating specimen is Barbados Joe Walcott.
1890 Mayo's Cut Plug - Prizefighters - Barbados Joe Walcott.
This is an extremely rare card, the 1910 V153 - Robertson Candy Co. - Joe Walcott. I'm thinking they used this photo of Walcott for the image on this card, the arms match up almost perfectly. I'll tell you what, it's brutal trying to find the images of Walcott to match up with his cards, he boxed so long ago, in the 1890s and early 1900s, that photos of him are scarce.
1996-98 Japan World Boxing - Joe Walcott (bottom left).
Can't find the photo to match up with this treasure, so I'm just going to leave it here in case I run across the photo in the future. 1938 NX5 - American Sweets Knockout Bubble Gum - Joe Walcott.
2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions - Base - Barbados Joe Walcott.
I actually own the 2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions - Black Printing Plate 1/1 - Barbados Joe Walcott. It was used for the production of the mini cards from the series. I'll include a scan of a mini with a Green Lady Luck Back above my printing plate.
2026 Starpop - Ring Master #/20 - Barbados Joe Walcott.
Music break. It doesn't get much better than this, Rob Thomas with another guy that can play the ever living crap out of a guitar.
Yet another pound-for-pound monster up next. Mickey Walker was nicknamed "The Toy Bulldog" because of his compact, stocky stature combined with his ferocious, non-stop aggressiveness in the boxing ring. Standing at just 5 feet 7 inches tall, he fought fearlessly against much larger opponents, relying on incredible toughness and forward pressure to dominate his bouts. The sporting press of the era gave him the moniker to reflect this duality: the "toy" referenced his small size, while the "bulldog" highlighted his relentless grit and fighting spirit. It's one of the coolest nicknames I've ever heard. Throughout the 1920s and early 1930s, Walker—who held both the world welterweight and middleweight championships—earned a reputation as a "giant killer". Despite his smaller size, he routinely moved up to the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, taking on men who outweighed him by dozens of pounds. Great, great fighter. This is the 1927 Lambert & Butler - The World of Sport - Mickey Walker.
It's honestly one of my favorite nickname in sports, "The Toy Bulldog." This is really cool, a Mickey Walker business card with a bulldog on it.
This is the photo of Mickey Walker used on that business card.
1991 All World - Mickey Walker.
I'm having a rough go at finding the photos to match up with Mickey Walker cards, this is brutal, you would think more photos would be available of him, the guy was World Welterweight champion from 1922–1926 and the World Middleweight Champion from 1926–1931. Like I said, great, great fighter.
1948 Leaf Gum - Mickey Walker. I know, it's a piss-poor scan of the photo. Believe me, I'm doing the best I can here, I want the clearest images and it's just not available. I found this image on Biblio and the seller uploaded a crappy scan and when I tried to upload it here it came out small and barely visible, I had to run it through a meme generator to blow the photo up. Sometimes you just have to take what life absolutely insists on giving you.
1929-30 Exhibit Supply Company - Blue Boxers - Postcard Back - Mickey Walker.
Police Gazette Gallery of Champions - Mickey Walker.
Leaving this beauty here in case I ever find the photo that matches with it, 1926-29 Exhibit Supply Company - Red Tint - Coupon Back - Mickey Walker. Wicked looking card.
Leaving this one here as well, it's my favorite Mickey Walker card. 1928 Ogden's LTD. - Pugilists in Action - Mickey Walker.
Mickey Walker's Ring Magazine middleweight championship belt, issued to him in 1931 after defeating Tiger Flowers for the middleweight title. Each section is adorned with an eagle at the top and the center plate has 3-D bulldogs and boxing gloves in honor of Mickey Walker. It is a total of 23 inches long intact, including the chains connecting the various plates.
Awesome nickname.
Up next, Freddie Welsh, aka "The Welsh Wizard", the best lightweight in the world between 1909 and 1917. He got his nickname because he was just that, a wizard, a true boxing scientist, a very clever fighter. Hall of Famers Benny Leonard, Abe Attell, Jim Driscoll, Willie Ritchie, Johnny Dundee, Ad Wolgast, Charley White, and Battling Nelson all fell victim to Welsh during their careers, that's eight fire-breathing dragons he slayed, one hell of a resume. This is the 1910 T223 Dixie Queen - Prizefighters Past & Present - Freddie Welsh.
1910 T219 Red Cross Tobacco - Fred. Welsh.
1920s Romeo Y Julieta - Freddie Welsh.
Quite a few boxing legends got their start this way, going without food will do that to you.
“It was cold and snowy, and I walked all day and couldn't get a job or a meal. So that night I was standing there at the lunch counter when my friends came in again. "Billy Elmer will give you five dollars to fight tonight," they said. I was too hungry to stand it any longer. Five dollars meant a thick steak and some browned potatoes and a piece of pie and a cup of real coffee. I stood there and thought with my mouth watering. And then I went upstairs and I won my fight.”
– Freddie Welsh - describing the moment he took his first paid fight.
Up next Jimmy Wilde, arguably the greatest flyweight ever. He held the world flyweight championship for exactly 6 years and 6 months, reigning from December 1916 to June 1923. He is the owner of the longest unbeaten streak in boxing history, going 93-0-1 before being handed a loss, insane. He was nicknamed "The Indian Famine" because of his emaciated and frail physical appearance. Weighing around 100 pounds, his gaunt look and visible ribs led to the nickname, which contrasted sharply with his devastating punching power. Which brings us to his other nicknames,"The Ghost with the Hammer in his Hand", and "The Mighty Atom", he earned those nicknames because of his devastating punching power, one of the most murderous punchers in boxing history, he was famous for knocking out opponents much larger than himself. Ring Magazine has him ranked number 3 on their 100 greatest punchers of all-time list, number 3. That should tell you how hard this flyweight could punch. His final career mark stands at 131-3-2, of those 131 wins, he knocked out 99 of his opponents. He's a legend and one of the greatest fighters the sport has ever seen. Before we get started on the Jimmy Wilde cards, I have a quote around here somewhere, ah yes, here it is.
"Up comes a mountain fighter about 30 years of age and weighing about 12 stone who was supposed to be the cock of the walk in the Pentyrch, Tongwynlais and Taff’s Well area. I said, “I’ll give you £1 if you’ll stand three rounds against this little nipper.” The people started shouting “Shame” because this chap looked big enough to eat Jimmy, but in the second round Jimmy caught him with a right on the chin and laid him dead out. It took us nearly ten minutes to get him round…."
-Jack Scarrott speaking about his life in 1936
This is the book that quote about Jimmy Wilde came from, Jack Scarrott witnessed firsthand the destruction that Jimmy Wilde was capable of.
1925 Bunsen Confectionery Co. - Famous Figures - Jimmy Wilde. I actually own a copy of this card, this series is extremely rare.
1938 Churchman's Cigarettes - Boxing Personalities - Jimmy Wilde. This is my favorite Jimmy Wilde card.
2024 Top Trumps - Boxing Icons - Jimmy Wilde. I love these little game cards.
1935 United Tobacco Co. - World Famous Boxers - Jimmy Wilde.
1998 Futera Platinum - Promotional Card - Boxing Legends - Jimmy Wilde.
1988 Japan World Boxing Premiums - Jimmy Wilde.
2004 Rockwell Publishing - Mighty Atoms - The All Time Greats - Jimmy Wilde. I can't find the photo to match up with this card, but I had to get it in here since one of his nicknames is "The Mighty Atom."
Can't find the photo for this one either, but got to get it in here as well, I love this series, the infamous 1978 Sportscaster - Finnish Printing - Jimmy Wilde.
1920s Romeo Y Julieta - Jimmy Wilde.
I have to show this off, I own this, it's a 1991 W.R. Priddy Antiques - 80 Famous Boxers - Hand Colored Test Card 1/1 - Jimmy Wilde. Only one that exists!