The Tacoma Fight and the Rumors of a Fix
A boxing match at the Tacoma Athletic Association turns into a local scandal as accusations of a 'fake' emerge following a quick knockout.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
On February 22, three hundred people saw Jimmy Whalen defeat Billy Armstrong in four rounds at the Tacoma Athletic Association. Whalen, in much better condition than in previous outings, was the heavy favorite for local backers, while Seattle sporting men supported Armstrong. The fight proceeded under Marquis of Queensberry rules, though Dempsey, serving as referee, insisted on a 'glove contest' with pivot blows barred. Whalen dominated the second round, landing hard blows to the heart that visibly dazed Armstrong. In the fourth round, Whalen knocked Armstrong down three times before a final blow ended the match. Following the event, gossip circulated that the fight was a 'fake,' with critics claiming Armstrong succumbed too easily and that Whalen needed the win to remain relevant in the sporting world. Whalen's backers denied these rumors, maintaining the heart blows were legitimate.
“The fight is being gossiped about as a fake late tonight. It is claimed that Armstrong succumbed entirely too easily.”
Accusations of match-fixing in professional sports have dogged the industry for over a century. The skepticism surrounding this 1893 bout mirrors modern discourse regarding suspicious betting patterns in combat sports.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.