Latest Forum Posts:
Issue 2 > Casebook > Boxing Legends
When Your Family History reader Michael Frain set out to research his family tree, he didn't expect to find a sporting legend of such distinction.
Reader comments
Comment on this article:
Saving Comment...Shopping Basket empty
Regarding the item on Jim Coffey, 'The Roscommon Giant', by Michael Frain (June 2010), there were two inaccuracies. Firstly, that Jim Coffey won the European Heavyweight Title by beating Otto Flint on 12 July 1919 in Hamburg. This bout never happened. This title was held by the famous Frenchman Georges Carpentier from 1 June 1913 until 22 September 1922. Secondly, that Coffey 'lost the title' on 21 May 1922 at the White City Stadium to Jim Scott - there never was a heavyweight boxer by the name of Jim Scott or a boxing show held at White City on that date. There was a Phil Scott, who did win the British Heavyweight title on 18 March 1926.
Unfortunately Michael Frain has been hoaxed. The list of WICB European Title Fights he found online was a spoof, given away in the heading 'What If Championship Boxing' (WICB). None of the bouts listed ever took place, and the so-called commentaries given as if they were broadcast on radio are pure fiction, as are the officials' names. Although the first fight broadcast was in America in 1919, broadcast didn't really take off, even in America, until later, and the first British radio broadcast of a boxing match was 29 March 1926.
I don't believe the WICB website lasted long, but one must marvel at the time and effort that must have gone into preparing these false title bouts and reports - I wonder just how many people they conned. It would be interesting to find out just who it was who dreamed up the site.
The British Boxing Yearbook published annually by the British Boxing Board of Control and the old Boxing News annuals 1946-1985 are a great help to anyone researching boxing.
We are very grateful to Harold Alderman for his time in investigating this for us. Michael Frain is looking into any other reports of spoof boxing records online and inaccuracies regarding Jim Coffey. This is certainly a bizarre example of how uncorroborated transcriptions on the internet can enable inaccuracies to creep into research. If anyone has any further information on this, do get in touch. The WICB website, which is no longer available online, was not actually mentioned within the article, though information from it regarding Coffey's career was included, as Harold has pointed out. There is no evidence as yet to suggest that the other online sources described in the article for tracing information about former boxers are unreliable.