Any Nottingham boxing fans ?

[greyingrey]

VERY much of a long shot, but you never know. Anyone out there who knows anyone who's interested in the history of boxing in Nottingham ? I've got a James Bingley Asher from Nottingham who emigrated to the US as a young man towards the end of the nineteenth century. According to family folklore he was a prizefighter (& a womaniser),in Nottingham but I've not been able to find out anything.

Not a very nice character at all....another story that's been passed down is that he used to chew tobacco & spit it out down people's clothes (sorry, chaps)

Probably made up the prizefighting & womanising stories to sound macho

[Barbara Dodds]

I've just googled and found four references, all tying back to family history so I'm guessing they are your posts.

Just a thought, but there is a large fair every year in Nottingham known as the Goose Fair. I'm not too sure, but I seem to remember that a frequent pastime at country fairs in the past was a boxing ring. (Mentioned in various Thomas Hardy type novels).

Would it be possible that your relative was one of those people who got up in an improvised ring in days gone by against "all comers"

[naomiatt]

Have you seen this site http://www.famous-fights.com/ looks like you might be able to do a post on him..prize fights were big business (still are but I think they're illegal now)..and as Barbara mentioned, no doubt that they would have been held at major Fairs.
There's quite a lot of sites around about pugilists/prize fighters e.g http://www.historytoday.com/john-str...oets-pugilists

[greyingrey]

Yes, they were by me, Barbara (I should think....I've done a few elsewhere) It probably would have been at something like Goose Fair....they were still doing that there when I was a nipper....it wasn't his "job"...he's just supposed to have done it as a paying hobby.

Thanks for the sites, naomi.....I'll check them out