This is a list of the great fighters said to have gypsy blood, from the 18th century to the present day. Again, it has been difficult to compile because of the lack of written records but I have tried my best to include as many of the very best men as possible. Apologies if I have unknowingly left out anyone who deserves to be in.
Early 1700s
Prince Boswell
1780s–90s
William Hooper (Hooper the Tinman)
Arthur Smith
The ‘Slashing Gypsy’ Jack Cooper
1810s
George Cooper
1820–40s
Harry Lee
Thomas Britton
Arthur M’Ginnis, King of the Tinkers
Jem Ward, the ‘Black Diamond’
Nick Ward
Ambrose Smith
Farden Smith, ‘King of the Gypsies’
1850–70s
Jem Mace. The champion of England at several different weights, Mace beat Tom Allen for the world title in Louisiana in 1870 and later toured America, Australia and New Zealand showing his skills. He became known as the Father of Modern Boxing. Other top gypsy fighters of his day were his cousin Pooley, Louis Gray and Posh Price. Jem Mace died in 1910 and lies in an unmarked grave in Anfield Cemetery, Liverpool.
Bareknuckle fighting became strictly illegal in Great Britain from the middle of the 1800s but survived underground among the ‘mountain fighters’ of the Welsh mining valleys and, more importantly, the English gypsies and the Irish, Welsh and Scottish travellers and tinkers. No records exist of their contests and the list below is the first that anyone has ever attempted of the great fighters of the past 150 years. It is by no means exhaustive and many may dispute its findings. All I can say is that this is how things have been handed down to me by personal recollection and reminiscence.
| Champion | Contenders |
Mid to late 1800s
Bartley Gorman I |
Jack Ward, King of the Tinkers (Ireland)
Caleb Wenman (Somerset)
Moe Smith (Cheshire)
Jack Hearn (Wales) |
1900s–1920s
Bartley Gorman II |
Black Martin Fury (Ireland)
Billy Elliott (Scotland)
Wiggy Lee
Matt Carroll (Ireland)
Chasey Price, ‘the Blackbird’ (Wales)
Tom Daley (Ireland)
Andy Riley (Ireland)
Ben Smith (Midlands)
Zachariah Lee (Wales) |
1920s–30s
Disputed |
Jimmy O’Neill (Lancashire)
Benny Marshall (South Wales)
John Ward, ‘King of the Tinkers’ (Ireland)
Strong John Small (South-east coast)
Leonard Smith (Cornwall)
Edmond Penfold (Cornwall)
‘Isle of White’ Jimmy Willett
Lofty Cooper (Hampshire) |
1930s–40s
Disputed |
Ticker ‘Tiger’ Gorman (West Midlands)
Reilly Smith (Leicestershire)
Johnny Winters (Nottinghamshire)
‘Whiteface’ Tommy Allen (Midlands)
Chris Wriles/Royals (Worcestershire)
Billy Turnbull (Newcastle upon Tyne)
‘Battling’ Bartley Gorman III (Wales)
Sam Price (Wales)
Billy Rogers (Cheshire) |
1940s–50s
Disputed |
Big Jim Nielson, the Black Panther
Oathy Burton
‘Atom Bomb’ Tom Lee (Lancashire)
Sam Ward (Darlington)
Jim Crow (Darlington)
Bob Braddock
Black Bob Evans (Wales)
Lawrence Ward, ‘King of the Tinkers’ (Ireland) |
1950s–60s
‘Big Just’ Uriah Burton |
Barney Docherty (Ireland)
Big Tom Roberts
Caley Botton, ‘Big Chuck’
Wisdom Smith (Warwickshire)
Willie Biddle (Coventry)
Tucker Dunn (London)
Levi Silks (East Anglia)
Billy Welch (Darlington)
Oliver Ayres
‘Big Daddy’ Walter Harrison (Cheshire)
Old Bobby MacPhee (Scotland)
Ludlum Gaskin |
1972–92
Bartley Gorman V |
1970s
Mark Ripley (Kent)
Simon Docherty (Ireland)
John-John Stanley (New Forest)
Boxer Tom Taylor, Sam Gorman
Johnny Frankham (London)
Jack Fletcher (London)
Les Stevens (Reading)
Bobby and Jackie Lowe (Scotland)
‘Cutthroat’ Bob Gaskin (Yorkshire)
Eric Boswell (Lancashire)
Nigger Smith (Yorkshire)
1980s
Dan Rooney (Ireland)
John Rooney (Ireland)
Ernie McGinley (Ireland)
Joe Joyce, the Hulk (Ireland)
Bobby and Jamesy MacPhee (Scotland)
Joe-Boy Botton (London)
Big Philip Reilly (Selby)
Charlie Cooper (New Forest)
Henry Arab, ‘the Dentist’ |
1992–date
Unclaimed |
Big John Fury
Outlaw Henry Francis (Notts)
Terry ‘JCB’ Ward (Darlington)
Lewis Welch (Darlington)
Ivan Botton (Notts)
Bernie Ward (Ireland)
Jimmy ‘the Boxer’ McDonagh (Ireland)
Dick Smith (Barnsley)
Charlie Moore (Darlington)
Jimmy ‘the Bull’ Ayres
John Nevin (Ireland)
Joe-Boy Gaskin (Yorkshire)
Eli Frankham (London) |