Articles and media mentions of Torpedo Billy Murphy
omeuppance for boxer who hit woman
By Johnny Lloyd
Sunday Star Times. Published February 7th, 1999.
A women's boxing match last weekend attracted some publicity, but it was by no means a first. Female fisticuffs were flourishing in Auckland in 1881.
IN INNER Auckland in those days, English-born Jem - Mace – regarded as the father of scientific boxing - would challenge one and all at the old City Hall, in the vicinity of where Victoria St now runs, to last three rounds with him.
If the challenger did, he was rewarded with the good sum of £5 5s, and £5 was a healthy amount of money in those days - no tax.
There is no record of anyone making much money that way, although. Mace was getting on in years. The 18 year old "Torpedo" Billy Murphy - a featherweight and later world champion – was the star pupil of Mace's stable and he too took on all comers with little regard to weight or reach.
[Murphy became the only New Zealand- born world champion in 1890, when he knocked out Ike Weir in the 14th round of their title bout in San Francisco.]
Also on the stage was a woman - boxer - sadly, the sporting sheets don't list her name - who would offer £5 to any female from 18 to 80 who could last three stanzas.
One night when no women challenges were forthcoming old Jem opened the offers to any males in the audience and Barney Donovan urged a friend of his to accept the challenge. On with the 6oz gloves and the woman boxer stylishly tapped the startled challenger – who look like he might be going to treat it as a spar - twice on the nose, drawing "claret".
Then the embarrassed male let fly with a haymaker and knocked her as cold as a killed Eskimo's kiss. What followed, especially when it was revealed the challenger was none other than Billy Dawson, a well-known knuckleman from Freeman's Bay; was a near riot in the old hall.
The crowd wanted to lynch the startled victor. Women spectators were particularly voracious, screaming for his gore.
Sensing the demolition of the building and the end of a good little earner, Mace quickly urged Murphy to challenge Dawson to fight at the Auckland Domain the following Sunday morning.
In those days the domain was the venue of regular Sunday morning bouts where the contestants would – receive glove and glory and maybe a purse of £5 in gold. Dawson readily accepted, thus quelling the crowd's blood lust. However, as the day of battle approached it soon became known around the clubs and pubs that Murphy - who lived just up the way from Dawson in Ponsonby - had got their heads' together and a “stew” -was- imminent.
Hearing of this, a well-known boxing character - I could say it was Barney Donovan, but many of his relations still live in the city - decided to engineer a real fight.
So he went to Dawson: "Young Murph's going to knock your block off, Billy. Reckons you're nothing but a mug. Not going to take that lying down are you?"
Then he went to Murphy: ''Hell, Billy, what old Dawson's saying he's going to do to yon.'Says you won't go three rounds with him!"
Hell bath no fury like that contained in the two Billy’s when they came together the following Sunday at the domain.
A big crowd gathered to "see the wretch who smote the woman boxer get his comeuppance".
While Dawson was not without support, a powerful lobby of the Bay boys were in attendance and backing Torpedo Billy.'
At the gong many of the crowd looked around for somewhere to sit, to enjoy the upcoming rounds - and when they looked up the battle was over. For Billy Dawson was no match for the Torpedo, it proved.
Hardly bad the gong stopped sounding than. Murphy bad shot from his comer, uncorked a whiplash right- hander that Dawson blocked with his maxillary bone, and that was definitely that.
So Dawson's brother - the phrase "We wuz robbed," not being universal in those days - yelled "Foul!"
Then, according to the sporting sheets: "All hands celebrated that Sabbath morn by leaping into the ring and flailing about like gaffed salmon."
Happy days.
- JOHNNY LLOYD
