Cleveland, Ohio: November 7, 1901 (Central Armory) ... Tom Jenkins b. Dan McLeod and "successfully defended the title of champion of America" (2/3) (McLeod won the first fall in 36:00, Jenkins won the second in 19:00 and the third in 22:00) (catch-as-catch-can) ... Butch Saar b. Clarence Bouldin (8:30) ... (referee: Charles Wittmer) ... (5,000 fans) Notes: The Cleveland Plain Dealer (11/8/01) stated that Jenkins-McLeod was the "greatest bout ever witnessed." It was "without a doubt, the greatest wrestling match ever witnessed in this country." Bouldin was said to be a Cuban wrestler. James Parr, the catch-as-catch-can champion of England, issued challenges to McLeod and Jenkins. *Jenkins captured whatever claim McLeod had to the American championship. *The November 9, 1901 edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer talked about rumors circulating that the Jenkins-McLeod match was "not on the level." According to the newspaper: "Some persons claimed that McLeod sold out and allowed Tom to throw him the last two falls, while others claimed that Jenkins lay down in the first round in order to get a few bets down on the final outcome." Jenkins explained that he had "been wrestling for six years and he has never been guilty of crooked work and he never will be." It was said that Jenkins was working on his Graeco-Roman skills because he wanted to also be the champion of that style. Cleveland, Ohio: February 11, 1903 (Grays' Armory) ... Heavyweight Champion Dan McLeod b. Tom Sharkey with three wins in 60:00 (handicap match) ... (900 fans) Notes: The Cleveland Plain Dealer said that this was "one of the hardest struggles he had ever taken part in." McLeod was the catch-as-catch-can champion. Cleveland, Ohio: February 26, 1903 (Grays Armory) ... Tom Jenkins b. Frank Gotch (2-0) (Jenkins won the first fall in 1:55:00 with a bar-Nelson and crotch hold, Jenkins won the second in 13:00 with a half-Nelson and arm lock) ... Clarence Bouldin b. P.T. Beeman and Charley Widemyer within 60:00 (Beeman was defeated in 14:00 and Widemyer was beat in 13:00) (handicap match) ... (referee: Edwards) ... (1,200 fans) Notes: In attendance was Farmer Burns, the trainer of Gotch. Jenkins was managed by Harry Pollok and Gotch was managed by Professor Atlas of Bridgeport. Atlas had previously managed Ernest Roeber for a match in Cleveland around 1900. Atlas believed Gotch was the future champion. The Cleveland Plain Dealer said that Jenkins was the "first of the topnotchers Gotch has met in five years." Gotch trained for the match at the Marquette Club with Burns. Jenkins trained at Mark Lamb's gymnasium with Clarence Bouldin. The match was said to be a "disappointment from a spectacular point of view," but that it had a "popular finish." Gotch remained on his feet throughout, on the defensive, appearing to be looking for a draw finish. After nearly 90-minutes, there had only been "ten minutes of actual wrestling," according to the Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio: February 2, 1905 (Grays' Armory) ... American Heavyweight Champion Frank Gotch b. Tom Jenkins (2/3) (Jenkins won the first fall in 28:00, but Gotch took the second in 48 seconds and third in 11 minutes) ... Tommy Hoy and Peter Schumacher drew (30:00) Notes: The winner of the match was said to be in line for a match against George Hackenschmidt at Madison Square Garden. Gotch was billed as the "present" world's champion catch-as-catch-can wrestler, yet another report called him the American champion. Hackenschmidt was managed by Charles B. Cochran and the "Russian Lion" would agree to meet the winner in a "mixed contest" in April 1905 in New York. Hackenschmidt was also billed as the "world" champion. On February 1, a big meetin gwas held at the Hollenden Hotel between Gotch, Jenkins, Tom Scanlon, and Mark Lamb regarding a referee for the big match. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Gotch made Jenkins "look like a second rater." The paper noted that Clarence Bouldin "put up a better exhibition" against Gotch than Jenkins did. Gotch was said to be the "superior throughout," and that Jenkins was "no match" for him. Harvey Parker issued a challenge to Bouldin, wanting to wrestle him in a private match at John Lavack's gymnasium before sportswriters and friends. Young Ross of East End also issued a challenge to Phil Plunkett. *The February 5, 1905 issue of the Cleveland Plain Dealer explained that many people were saying that the Gotch-Jenkins match was a "fake." The writer wrote: "There is no doubt that there was something peculiar about the betting, but the writer believes that the match as a whole was no more a fake than hundreds of horse races every year in which the favorite, who ultimately wins out, lays up in the first heat." It was said that it was a "favorite trick" of Ed Geers and Vance Nuckols," but that he didn't know if there was a deal between the two wrestlers beforehand. Jenkins "realized that he had shot his bolt and was not the equal of his antagonist," the Plain Dealer writer explained. He told his friends "that Gotch could not help but win, and that they had better 'get down' right in their betting." Then it became clear that many people who'd backed Jenkins in the past were now betting agains thim. The odds were 2 to 1 that Gotch would win, but gamblers became suspicious "that some 'inside' information was afloat." At that point, these same betters began offering money that Jenkins would take the initial fall. "This looked mighty suspicious, and subsequent developments showed that there was an understanding somewhere." The writer noted that "if the match in toto was a fake, it was a new kind." he noted that the last two falls were fake, and Jenkins was losing on purpose, "the fake was very amateurish." Instead of it being a dramatic affair with back and forth action, "Gotch gave the Clevelander no chance to make even a credible showing in those last two falls." Finally, the sportswriter claimed that: "Any one will admit that had Jenkins won the match, the alleged fakirs would have won considerablely more money than was won, for the Gotch men were offering odds - without takers." Research by Tim Hornbaker February 12, 2011 |
Cleveland Wrestling Results - 1900s |