The Biting Boxer of Aberdeen
A middleweight bout at the local theater turns ugly when a local fighter resorts to cannibalistic tactics.
A good sized crowd of Aberdeen's sporting element was present at an early hour Sunday morning when the match between R. Robinson, champion middleweight of Montana, and Charles Welver, a hitter with something of a local reputation, came on at the Elk theatre. The fight was characterized from the start by a great deal of untutored ferocity on the part of the local celebrity, offset by scientific sparring by Robinson. While it lasted, the fight was rather exciting, as Welver would clinch at every opportunity, and, finding himself being rapidly worsted, would resort to biting his opponent on the breast and arms until the latter was covered with black and blue spots. In the fourth round, Welver clinched and bit a piece out of Robinson's cheek. The fight was awarded to Robinson on a foul.
“Welver would clinch at every opportunity, and, finding himself being rapidly worsted, would resort to biting his opponent on the breast and arms.”
While boxing remains a fixture of American nightlife, the transition from unlicensed 'scrapping' in local theaters to modern, regulated athletic commissions illustrates the steady, if sometimes slow, sanitization of civic violence. The Elk Theatre, once a hub for this raw, unrefined entertainment, would eventually vanish, leaving behind only these scattered, colorful accounts of early Aberdeen’s rough-and-tumble social fabric.
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