Death Blow to the "Knock Out"
Death Blow to the "Knock Out" is an article published in the Weekly Dispatch on 19 november 1911.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's view about the boxing fight between Owen Moran and Jim Driscoll stopped by the police.
Death Blow to the "Knock Out"
Below is the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle opinion only:
VIEWS ON THE DECISION.
Sir. A. CONAN DOYLE.
"I think the decision is thoroughly bad in every way,"
was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's verdict. The author of the famous boxing drama. "The House of Temperley," "Rodney Stone, and many other stories of the ring, is sure that the present agitation will never put a term to boxing in this country.
"The only success that the enemies of the sport can hope for is to drive boxing down — to force it into the interior of our national life. At the present moment boxing is on the surface. It is more popular than over — look at the recent Army Championship, when there were something like 250 entries — and boxing contests are given the widest publicity.
"Boxing — the love of boxing — is in the blood of the people; it is part of our national character; and so long as that character remains as it is at present, you will have boxing contests.
"You will never stop these 'prize-fights' in England, although the action at Birmingham would seem to be an avowed attempt to prevent the best boxers meeting each other; and the only question the law has got to consider is whether such contests shall take place, as now, with the Press and the police present as well as the public, or whether, on the other hand, it is preferable to have such contests taking place at the back of a wayside public-house.
"The attempt to make boxing secret may be successful; but, as I have said, you will never succeed in exterminating it. If such an attempt were successful it would be bad for the manhood of the couutry — bad for the nation at large."
