By Joseph R. Svinth, with Curtis Narimatsu, Paul Lou, and Charles Johnston

Copyright © EJMAS 2003. All rights reserved.
 
 

On January 17, 1893, American settlers led by Sanford B. Dole overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy. Dole and his friends then offered the Hawaiian Islands to the United States. The US Congress wanted to accept Dole’s offer, but President, Grover Cleveland was an isolationist who disliked filibustering, as causing insurrection for purposes of advancing American economic interests was then known. Consequently, the US government rejected Dole’s offer. Nonplused, on July 4, 1894, Dole and his friends established the Republic of Hawaii, with Dole as its president.

Three years later, William McKinley became President of the United States. McKinley. McKinley was an expansionist, as imperialism was then known, and so, in June 1898, the US government voted to annex Hawaii. The US Navy landed troops at Honolulu in August 1898, and Hawaiian sovereignty transferred to the United States.

From August 1898 until December 1941, the Territory of Hawaii was under joint military and civilian administration. However, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the US Army put the Territory of Hawaii under martial law. Because the Army’s leadership did not trust people of Japanese ancestry, martial law did not end until October 24, 1944. To reduce the risk of undergoing extended martial law in future, Hawaii’s civilian leaders, many of whom were of Japanese ancestry, began pushing hard for statehood, which was achieved on August 20, 1959.

Because of the confluence of social and political factors, the history of Western boxing in Hawaii has three separate eras.

• The first is the Bootleg Era. From 1893-1929, boxing was legal in Hawaii only if sponsored by the military. In town, the police rarely tried to enforce anti-boxing legislation, but the threat was always there. This severely restricted civilian boxing.
• The second is the Territorial Era. From 1929 to 1959, boxing was legal throughout the Territory of Hawaii. A territorial commission supervised bouts in town, but the US military continued to exert considerable control over life in and around Honolulu. The YMCA, the Catholic Youth Organization, and the Honolulu newspapers all supported boxing, and through their patronage, the Territorial Era became the Golden Age of Hawaiian boxing.
• The third is the Statehood Era. From 1959 to the present, boxing has been legal in the State of Hawaii. The state boxing commission continued to supervise bouts in town, but the military, church groups, and newspapers gradually withdrew their patronage. Meanwhile, jet planes made it unnecessary for boxers heading for Australia or Asia to spend a few days in Honolulu en route, and network television broadcasts hurt local fight clubs by introducing televised boxing from the Mainland. The professional market withered, and so, since statehood, most Hawaiian boxers either have been amateurs or made their reputations outside the state.

In 1893, the US Navy began stationing warships at Honolulu, where their sailors and Marines were used to prop up the Dole administration. There were boxers aboard these warships. For example, during the winter of 1893-1894, the future heavyweight champion Tom Sharkey, then serving aboard USS Philadelphia, fought at least 14 bouts in Honolulu.

The First New York Volunteer Infantry established the first Army camps in Honolulu during the summer of 1898, and the Regular Army established its first permanent post, Fort Shafter, in 1907. In January 1913, the War Department transferred a black regiment, the 25th Infantry, to Fort Shafter. Some of these soldiers were boxers. Thus, the Honolulu Advertiser wrote, "The Twenty-fifth is proud of its colored ringmasters and particularly of Hollie Giles, a welterweight of 155 pounds, who is described by the men as a ‘whirlwind’ fighter; Morgan, a heavyweight at 190 pounds; Carson, a light heavyweight, and Ananias Harris, a light heavyweight."

In those days, military boxing was subject to Sections 320 and 321 of the US Code. These statutes stated that exchanging blows for money or a thing of any value, or for a championship, or for which admission was charged, or for which money was wagered, was illegal. In 1915, the Army circumvented these laws by ruling that soldiers could box in garrison if there were no admission charges, no challenges from the ring, no decisions announced at the end of fights, and no obvious gambling. The first smoker following this decision took place at Schofield Barracks on October 9, 1915, and subsequently, boxing exhibitions were common on holidays such as Thanksgiving, New Year’s, and the Fourth of July.

Early boxing promoters at Schofield Barracks included Major Edmund Butts, whose publications included books and magazine articles touting the benefits of boxing as a pastime for soldiers, and the regimental chaplain. During the early 1920s, local promoters included Tommy Marlowe and Lieutenant Barnard of the 5th US Cavalry, and Sergeant John Stone of the Ordnance Department. At Fort_Derussy, promoters included Sergeant Anthony Biddle of the 17th US Cavalry. Boxers assigned to Army units in Hawaii during the late 1910s included the 25th Infantry’s Henry Polk ("Rufus Williams") and Private Settles ("the Kentucky Chap"), and the Signal Corps’ Joseph Podimik ("Joe Potts").

According to the Advertiser (November 27, 1915), the Schofield ring was "set up on the cavalry parade and an abundance of chairs at the ringside, an amphitheatre of bleachers, and seats on the adjoining troop quarters [gave] better accommodations than [did] the seating arrangement of any hall on post." Unfortunately, the Schofield bleachers provided no protection from the afternoon rains, and without electric lights to illuminate the twilight, the audience had a hard time seeing the last rounds of the main event.

During the 1910s, Pearl Harbor became a major US naval base, and in 1921, Sub Base Pearl Harbor’s Sharkey Theater became the first covered boxing arena in Hawaii. [EN1] From 1918-1924, civilians often attended Pearl Harbor bouts. However, this ended in 1924, when Rear Admiral John McDonald decided to close Pearl Harbor boxing matches to civilians and soldiers. The reason was that McDonald felt that it was ungentlemanly for the audience to boo and make disparaging remarks about the contestants and referees.

Once Pearl Harbor closed to civilians, the Hawaii National Guard began patronizing boxing. Guard boxing coaches included Jim Hoao and Bill Huihui, both of whom had boxed professionally in Hawaii during the early 1900s. Boxers trained by these men included Patsy Fukuda, Hiram Naipo, and Gus Sproat. The Honolulu Armory was the usual venue for these fights.

Hawaii’s most acclaimed military boxer of the bootleg era was probably Sergeant Peniel R. "Sammy" Baker. Baker began his amateur career at Schofield Barracks in 1922. At the time, he was 20 years old, and serving in the 21st Infantry. Baker was the Hawaiian military welterweight champion in 1923 and 1924, and a runner-up in the selection for the US Olympic team in May 1924. Following the Olympic tryouts, Baker transferred to Mitchel Field, on Long Island. Baker obtained his discharge in September 1924, and by 1928, he was ranked the fifth best welterweight in the world.
 
 

Bill Huihui was among the earliest Hawaiian-born boxers. Born at Pauoa, Oahu, in 1875, Huihui went to sea as a young man, and learned to box in San Francisco. In 1902, he started boxing for Honolulu’s Kapiolani Athletic Club, and his first Hawaiian professional bout took place soon afterwards, at the Orpheum Theater. This was a 4-round semi-main event, and the opponent was Jack Latham. Subsequent opponents included Nelson Tavares, Jack Weedy, Dick Sullivan, Kid De Lyle, and Tim Murphy. Huihui retired from the ring around 1909, but continued coaching boxers until at least 1924. Because he worked as a policeman, Huihui’s local trainers may have included the Honolulu Police Department boxing instructor, R.A. Wood, a Scot who settled in Honolulu in the early 1900s.

Another early Hawaii-born boxer was Nelson Tavares, "the Punchbowl Demon." Tavares claimed the Territorial lightweight championship from 1905 until 1908, and his opponents included the middleweights Cyclone Kelly, Dick Sullivan, Tim Murphy, and Mike Patton, and the lightweights Charlie Riley, Frankie Smith, Frank Rafferty, and Joe Leahy. After retiring from the ring, Tavares became a garage owner on Bishop Street.

During the 1910s, a few Hawaii-born boxers began establishing reputations on the Mainland. For example, in October 1912, the Advertiser mentioned that Manuel "Battling" Viera of Hilo was boxing in San Francisco. Viera was still fighting in San Francisco in 1919, when he fought a four-round draw with Joe "Young" Azevedo. Originally from Honolulu. Azevedo began boxing in Oakland around January 1913, at which time he was aged 17. Azevedo’s wins included at least two victories over Tommy McFarland and another over former lightweight champion Ad Wolgast. After a ring injury caused him to go blind in one eye, Azevedo settled in Sacramento, where he died of a heart attack on February 19, 1934.
 
 

Until the 1910s, many Honolulu boxing matches took place inside vaudeville theaters. To circumvent laws prohibiting prizefighting, these matches were called exhibitions. For example, on May 28, 1904, Paddy Ryan organized a boxing card at the New Chinese Theater on Hotel Street. The main event featured Frank Nichols of Honolulu versus USS New York’s Sailor Robinson. Likewise, on June 22, 1911, the Honolulu Eagles hosted a show at the Bijou Theater that featured "fun in boxing land." The main event featured Mike Patton, who claimed to be the champion of the Far East. Finally, on June 11, 1913, Jim Hoao lost a 15-round decision to Private Morris Kilsner during a bout held at Honolulu’s Ye Liberty Theater. [EN2]

Famous champions sometimes took part in these exhibitions. For example, during July 1894, John L. Sullivan was on a trip to Australia, and while in Honolulu, he gave an exhibition at the Opera House. His opponent was a sparring partner named Fitzsimmons (not Bob). Similarly, during November 1907, the visiting lightweight champion Jimmy Britt gave a demonstration to the "sport-loving people of Honolulu." The Advertiser noted that the latter exhibition was "of such character that women can safely attend." (In those days, society discouraged women from attending fights, but some went anyway, usually watching from backstage.)

Another way that vaudeville managers circumvented the law was by advertising the boxing as part of a novelty act. For example, in December 1915, the Welsh welterweight Fred Dyer, who advertised himself as "the singing boxer," appeared at the Popular Theater in Honolulu. Dyer was en route to California from Australia, where his opponents included Fritz Holland and Les Darcy.

The vaudeville promoters generally arranged these fights without asking the consent of either boxer. Instead, they simply told the men that they had a fight lined up. Then the boxers either showed up or they didn’t.
 
 

During the early 1910s, boxing was sometimes part of the festivities associated with public holidays such as Fleet Week, New Year’s, and the Fourth of July. For instance, on July 9, 1910, Jim Hoao fought a military boxer at Aloha Park in Honolulu.

However, because of opposition from the US District Attorney, Jefferson McCarn, there was no off-post boxing in Hawaii between July 4, 1913 (Young Johnson versus Kaina Opo at Wailuku) and December 31, 1918.

The bout that got things started again was part of the New Year’s celebration at the Iolani Palace, and it featured a Chinese ("Happy-Go-Lucky", originally from Macao) against a Filipino (Raphael Carpenterio, "the Manila Demon"). Although no admission was charged, the Advertiser still called it "the first real stage affair of its kind held in Honolulu since ‘Old Rose’ Jeff McCarn assassinated the sport in Hawaii." On August 21, 1919, there were also boxing matches between soldiers and sailors at Moili’ili Park. Non-military participants included Carpenterio, Young Johnson, Akana, and En You Kau.

YMCA patronage was probably involved in this post-World War renaissance, as on March 4, 1919, the Central YMCA of Honolulu organized a "stunt night" that featured boxing, wrestling, sumo, and judo. The boxers included Jimmie Flynn versus Jimmie White, Price versus Wilkinson; and the Wright brothers against each other. All the boxers on this card were welterweights except Wilkinson, who was a middleweight. Similarly, in September 1928, the Oahu County YMCA organized a camp at which boys boxed. The athletic director at the Y, Charles Pease, was a former soldier who based his program on World War-era military training.

Additionally, veterans and fraternal groups sometimes organized smokers as fund-raisers. For example, on May 13, 1922, the Veterans of Foreign Wars hosted a bout featuring Dynamite Tommy Short and Kid Oba (Jack Osoi). Short tried for the knockout, but ended up with a draw. Similarly, on August 29, 1925, the American Legion staged a smoker at the Hilo Armory.
 
 

During the 1920s, boxing left the vaudeville houses and public parks for fight clubs.

On Big Island, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union was strongly opposed to boxing. Consequently, efforts to promote boxing in Hilo led to legal action. To the disgust of the temperance leaguers, the court actions eventually led to the legalization of boxing in the Territory, but meanwhile, there was little organized boxing on the Big Island.

However, on Oahu, the Honolulu business community generally supported organized boxing. For example, fans attending the fight between Battling Bolo (Elias Cantere) and Alky Dawson at the Honolulu Armory on March 18, 1927 included the territorial governor (Star-Bulletin publisher Wallace Farrington) and the Honolulu mayor (Charles Arnold). According to the Advertiser (April 15, 1928), their official stance was that these bouts were legal as long as admission was not charged at the gate and the fighters received payment in private.

The Hawaiian fight clubs of the 1920s were usually warehouses with a ring in one corner. To avoid legal problems, police got in free and boxing fans bought daily memberships rather than tickets. Prices for daily memberships ranged from 50¢ in the gallery to $2.00 in stage seating, and these memberships had to be purchased in advance.

Ethnicity played an important role in these fight clubs. For example, many Filipinos were inspired to become boxers by the victories of Pancho Villa, the first Filipino to become a world boxing champion. Meanwhile, K. Oki, a Honolulu businessman of Japanese descent, was inspired to provide financial support to Honolulu boxing clubs after seeing Japanese college students boxing at Tokyo’s Hibiya Park during 1926.

For Filipinos living on Oahu, Honolulu’s Rizal Athletic Club was an important fight club. Rizal held its first smoker on July 8, 1922, and in the main event, Kid Parco defeated Alky Dawson in six. The preliminaries were supposed to feature Jackie Wright versus Cabayon, Hayward Wright versus Pedro Suerta, Tommy Dawson versus Moniz, and Tommy Short versus Kid Oba. Unfortunately, Kid Oba was a no-show, as he died of lockjaw on June 28, 1922. He was aged 17. Other boxers associated with Rizal Athletic Club smokers include Patsy Fernandez, Battling Bolo, Young Malicio, Clever Feder, Pedro Suerta, Moniz Santiago, and Cabayon.

For Portuguese, an important club was the Kewalo Athletic Club, managed by A.K. Vierra. Portuguese boxing idols included Don "Lefty" Freitas and Jack Silva.

For Chinese, it was the Chinese American Athletic Association, managed by Chang Kau. Chang’s brother Dick boxed professionally in California, and later became a well-known Honolulu coach. Other Chinese boxers of the 1920s included Jackie Young, Young Loo, Ah Bing, Smiling Ching, Lanky Lau, K.H. Young, and Lefty Long.

In addition, there were fight clubs for Koreans such as Walter Cho, and for Japanese such as Patsy Fukuda, Henry Kudo, and the brothers Spud and "K.O." Kuratsu. Cho went on to become a well-known referee, while Fukuda became coach of Hawaii’s 1949 AAU boxing team.

Regardless of ethnicity, bootleg boxers used similar methods during training. As a rule, they began hard training about three weeks before a scheduled match. A typical training day included sparring 6-10 rounds before work in the morning. In the afternoon, after work, the boxers ran about ten miles uphill, and then walked back.

The gloves most boxers wore during both sparring and fighting weighed just 6 ounces. In addition, they did not wear headgear, as it had only just been introduced. Thus, during sparring, boxers generally tried to avoid hurting one another.

During contests, things could get heated. For example, Nelson Tavares recalled Jack McFadden forcing him into clinches and then spitting in his face (Advertiser, April 9, 1949).

As a rule, however, the goal was simply to give the crowd a lot of action. For example, here is how William Peet (Advertiser, January 6, 1941) recalled a Kewalo Athletic Club fight of the late 1920s:

The following lists are incomplete, and people with additional information are invited to contact the author at jsvinth@ejmas.com.
 
 

12-Mar-13	Red Robinson	Oakland, CA	W6
6-Apr-13	Harry Baker	Oakland, CA	Exh4
16-Apr-13	Frankie Burns	Oakland, CA	L10
13-Aug-13	Tommy McFarland	Oakland, CA	W10
1-Sep-13	Adolph "Ad" Wolgast	Oakland, CA	W10
14-Oct-13	Johnny Dundee (Giuseppe Carrora)	Vernon, CA	L20
16-Dec-13	Owen Moran	Oakland, CA	WF6
10-Feb-14	Grover Hayes	Oakland, CA	D10
20-Oct-14	Johnny Dundee	Oakland, CA	L10
23-Mar-14	Charley White (Charles Anschowitz)	Racine, WI	L10
7-May-14	Joe Bayley	Oakland, CA	D10
7-Aug-14	Charley White	San Francisco	L by KO18
20-Oct-14	Johnny Dundee	Oakland, CA	L15
24-Nov-14	Frankie Burns	Oakland, CA	L15
18-Dec-14	Sally Salvadore (Salvadore Michel)	Sacramento	W20
22-Mar-15	Johnny Dundee	Memphis, TN	L8
5-Apr-15	Frank Russell		W15
6-Jul-15	Joe Welling	Memphis, TN	D
14-Jul-15	Ralph Grunan	New York, NY	L
28-Jul-15	Saylor Shades	Boston	L
9-Oct-15	Rob Peau		D
18-Oct-15	Richie Mitchell	Milwaukee, WI	NoDec10
19-Nov-15	Benny Leonard	New York, NY	NoDec10
1-Jan-16	Johnny Dundee	Philadelphia, PA	NoDec6
11-Mar-16	Johnny O'Leary	Philadelphia, PA	NoDec6
14-Apr-16	Willie Hoppe	San Francisco	L4
18-Aug-16	Benny Leonard	New York, NY	NoDec10
18-May-17	Al Young	Sacramento	?
30-Jan-19	Manuel "Battling" Viera	San Francisco	D4
22-Feb-19	Oakland Jimmy Duffy (Hyman Gold)	Oakland, CA	L4
9-Apr-19	Joe Miller	Oakland, CA	D4
9-Jan-20	Joe Miller	San Francisco	D4
6-Feb-20	Alex Trambitas	San Francisco	D4
8-Oct-20	Joe McIvor	Fresno	W4
5-Dec-20	Frankie Farren	San Francisco	W4
12-Dec-20	Joe Miller	San Francisco	D4
23-Jan-20	Fred Murphy	San Francisco	D4
13-Feb-20	Billy Wright	Seattle	L4
17-Mar-20	Frankie Burns	Oakland, CA	D4
22-Apr-20	Johnny McCarthy	San Francisco	L4
3-Sep-20	Johnny McCarthy	San Francisco	L4
27-Oct-20	Willie Robinson	Oakland, CA	D4
17-Nov-20	Young France	Oakland, CA	L4
30-Aug-22	Johnny Cline	Oakland, CA	D4
6-Sep-22	Johnny Cline	Oakland, CA	L4
26-Sep-22	Bud Soules	Oakland, CA	D4
11-Oct-22	Eddie Landon	Oakland, CA	W4
25-Oct-22	George Lavigne	Oakland, CA	W4
20-Dec-22	Eddie Mahoney	Oakland, CA	D4

 

21-Aug-19	Kid Ave	Moili’ili Park	KO3
1919	Young Pangelina	Honolulu	KO3
1919	Kid Carbalho	Honolulu	KO1
1919	Battling Campton, USS New York	Honolulu	D6
1919	Macdonal	Honolulu	D6
1919	Young Poloc	Honolulu	W4
1920	Big Bebing	Honolulu	L8
1920	Francisco Valdes	Honolulu	WF2
1920	Iron Jaw Fontana	Honolulu	D4
1920	Iron Jaw Fontana	Honolulu	W6
1920	Iron Jaw Fontana	Honolulu	LF2
1920	Iron Jaw Fontana	Honolulu	W6
1921	Vense More	Honolulu	TKO3
17-Mar-21	Young Joe River (Burpee)	HNG Armory	D6
7-May-21	Iron Jaw Fontana	HNG Armory	?
1922	Sailor Moffett	Honolulu	KO2
1922	Red Boyce	Honolulu	KO3
1922	Alky Dawson	Honolulu	TKO7
1922	Alky Dawson	Honolulu	W6
16-May-22	Kid Korea	Pan Pacific AC	?
8-Jul-22	Pedro "Kid" Ray	Kewalo AC	L6
1922	Alky Dawson		KO5
1923	Alky Dawson		LF3
1923	Sgt. Sammy Baker	Schofield Barracks	LF3
25-Jan-23	Sgt. Sammy Baker	Schofield Barracks	L6
1924	Patsy Fernandez		D6
1924	Patsy Fernandez		D6
1925	Patsy Fernandez		KO1
1925	Sharkey Wright		Exh4
1925	Battling Pontes		KO1
1925	Valinten Galit		TKO4
1925	Kid Burpee		D6
8-Apr-25	Patsy Fernandez	Maui Fairgrounds	D6
10-Nov-25	Patsy Fernandez	Honolulu Native Sons	?
6-Dec-25	Young Denny	Kewalo AC	KO1
30-Dec-25	Johnny Priston	Kewalo AC	W6
1-Apr-26	Frankie Marshall	Stockton, CA	W4
15-Apr-26	Billy Reyes (a.k.a. Billy Raye?)	Stockton, CA	D6
29-Apr-26	Red Robinson	Stockton, CA	W6
5-Oct-26	Young Corbett III (Raffaele Capabianca Giordano)	Fresno, CA	KO by 6
22-Oct-26	King Tut (Henry Tuttle)	Sacramento, CA	L by TKO4

 

26-Feb-27	Kid Topaz	Honolulu	L4
Mar-27	Young Borong	Honolulu	D
18-Mar-27	Kid Villa	Honolulu	W4
11-Apr-27	Fred Hayashi	Honolulu	L3
12-Aug-27	Johnny Lopez	Compton, CA	KO3
Aug-27	ND	California	W
Aug-27	ND	California	W
Sep-27	ND	California	W
Sep-27	ND	California	L
19-Sep-27	Kid Martin	Los Angeles	KO2
4-Oct-27	Madison Grover	San Diego	W6
16-Oct-27	George Prieto	Los Angeles	W6
21-Oct-27	Yama Soko	San Diego	W6
22-Oct-27	Yama Soko	Los Angeles	W4
15-Nov-27	Pegino Palimini	Los Angeles	W4
30-Nov-27	Benny Flores	Los Angeles	L4
4-Dec-27	Presecto Mendoza	Los Angeles	L4
6-Dec-27	Louie Contreras	Los Angeles	Stopped 2
20-Dec-27	Young Pancho Villa (Lou B. Compasanos)	Los Angeles	W4
16-Feb-28	Robert Rodriguez	Ocean Park, CA	L4
16-Feb-28	Dick Lucero	Pasadena	L4
26-Feb-28	Bobby Mars	Los Angeles	D6
1928	Joe Garcia	California	D4
11-Jul-28	Joe Garcia	El Rio, CA	KO2
1929	Al Sampson	Ocean Park, CA	KO2
1929	Johnny Ryan	Wilmington, CA	W6
1929	Peewee Nolan	Los Angeles	W4
1929	Freddie Imperial	Calexico	D10
1-May-29	Kewpie Hernandez	Los Angeles	D
8-May-29	Peppy Pat O'Shea	Wilmington, CA	W6
10-May-29	Manolo	El Centro, CA	W6
14-May-29	Yama Soko	Pasadena	W4

Oct-25	ND	Maui
6-Dec-25	Frank Villa	Honolulu	W4
30-Dec-25	Don Cabelleiro	Honolulu	D3
5-Feb-26	Kid Josephs	Honolulu	W4
Apr-26	Johnny McCoy	Honolulu	KO2
31-Jul-26	Don Cabelleiro	Honolulu	Sched; DNF
4-Sep-26	Kid Olds	Honolulu	D6
29-Sep-26	Don Cabelleiro	Honolulu	D4
22-Dec-26	Jack Griff	Honolulu	KO5
26-Feb-27	Kid Samar	Honolulu	W6
18-Mar-27	Kid Samar	Honolulu	Sched; DNF
Apr-27	Jimmy Tatto	Honolulu	?
Apr 1927	Freddie Iloilo	Honolulu	?
13-Aug-29	Don "Lefty" Freitas	Honolulu	W6
21-Dec-29	Don "Lefty" Freitas	Honolulu	KO by 3
29-Dec-29	Don "Lefty" Freitas	Honolulu	KO by 9
24-Mar-34	Andriano "Kid" Respicio	Honolulu	TKO2

 

Endnotes

EN1. In 1921, Commander Chester Nimitz was in charge of the submarine base at Pearl Harbor, and Lt. Harley Cope was responsible for most Sub Base smokers. Nimitz was of course commander of the Pacific Fleet during World War II, while Cope’s subsequent accomplishments included publishing a book on submarine warfare, writing the chapter on leadership that appeared in the 1951 edition of the Navy Officers Manual, and retiring as a rear admiral.

EN2. Following his separation from the service, Kilsner fought professionally under the name Jack Kelsey, and by 1916, he was fighting 10-round main events in New York.