Jack Palmer (boxer)

John Liddell (31 March 1879 – 20 February 1928), better known as Jack Palmer, was an English heavyweight boxer. He was British champion from 1905 to 1906 and challenged Tommy Burns for the world title.

Jack Palmer
Statistics
Real name	John Liddell
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Height	5' 10"
Nationality	British
Born	(1879-03-31)31 March 1879 Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Died	20 February 1928(1928-02-20) (aged 48) Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	42
Wins	23
Wins by KO	16
Losses	11
Draws	3
No contests	6

Career

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Palmer was a miner before taking up boxing professionally.[1] His first recorded professional fight took place in 1896, a win over George Bell. He challenged Jack Scales for the English title in 1901, losing by a 10th round knockout. In April 1902 he beat Joe White to take the English 158 lbs middleweight title. He successfully defended the title against Dave Peters, and Tom Smith, and beat Ben Taylor in May 1903 in an English heavyweight title fight. He fought Jack Twin Sullivan later that month in a bout billed as a 158 lbs world heavyweight title fight, drawing over 15 rounds. He travelled to South Africa in 1904, beating Jack Lalor to take the South African middleweight title and Mike Williams to take the South African heavyweight title. He returned to England in 1905, and beat Geoff Thorne by a first round knockout to become the first holder of the National Sporting Club British heavyweight title, the forerunner of the BBBofC heavyweight title.[2] He lost that title the following year to Gunner Moir.[3] In February 1908 he fought Tommy Burns for the World Heavyweight title, losing to a fourth round knockout.[4][5] It was over a year before his next fight, a draw with Bartley Connolly, and a further seven years before his next and final fight, a defeat to Fank Ray.

Jack Palmer died in a Newcastle nursing home on 20 February 1928.[1]

References

1. "Death of Jack Palmer". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 21 February 1928. Retrieved 27 September 2014 – via British Newspaper Archive.
2. "news item". Gloucester Citizen. 19 December 1905. Retrieved 27 September 2014 – via British Newspaper Archive.
3. "Moir Wins the Championship of England". Western Gazette. 2 November 1906. Retrieved 27 September 2014 – via British Newspaper Archive.
4. Jones, Ken (1999) "Boxing: Heavy history of undisputed woe", The Independent, 27 February 1999. Retrieved 27 September 2014
5. "Jack Palmer Outclassed". Dundee Courier. 11 February 1908. Retrieved 27 September 2014 – via British Newspaper Archive.

External links

• Boxing record for Jack Palmer from BoxRec