Saturday 6 December 2014

Punching Below The Weight






Looking for something else entirely, came across this report in the Yorkshire Telegraph and Star, of the evening of 9 July 1912 about "Iron Hague", a Yorkshire Heavyweight Champion boxer of the time.

There is a Wikipedia page, William Hague (boxer), to look at, a stub with some but not a great deal of information.  Also, he features in books about boxing.

It is very likely that this has been noticed before but not by me, but can he be, is he, related to our pugnacious Foreign Secretary, William Hague?  "Iron" was named  John William, but as was common in that period chose a variation in the preferred name.

Apparently, he was from Mexborough, one of the tangle of mining, iron and steel townships in the Rotherham area of the then West Riding of Yorkshire, now South Yorkshire.

A quick look at the background did not reveal much, only that the name Hague is a local one with a number of families among whom William was a popular option for a name.

Perhaps it might better inform the voters if our political leaders were asked to joust against each other in the boxing ring instead of these boring debates.  Who would be the best match for the present Hague?

Ed Balls or Yvette Cooper (watch out for her Leftie hook), or perhaps Harriet Harman or Andy Burnham (watch out for the below the belt).

Seconds out.
                                                                                               

1 comment:

  1. One advantage of the pugilistic selection process is that a PPE degree is absolutely useless.

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