Posts Tagged ‘Adam Pollack’
In the Ring with Marvin Hart
February 16th, 2011 | 
Author: Review of Adam Pollack’s In the Ring with Marvin Hart
By Zachary Q. Daniels - Perhaps even more than the earlier installments of his excellent series on the heavyweightchampions, Adam Pollack’s In the Ring with Marvin Hart fills a gap in the boxing literature. For while his well-researched works on Sullivan, Corbett, Fitzsimmons and Jeffries undoubtedly provided additional understanding of the boxing careers of these men, as a result of his unique reliance on local primary source accounts to cover events, these were also boxers whose lives and careers had been the subject of some attention before. Not so with Marvin Hart.
Hart is not only, as Pollack notes “one of the least known heavyweight champions,” he is probably the least-written about of the many men who have held the title in the past. No biographies have ever been published, nor did Hart himself write an autobiography. This may be unique among heavyweight champions, the more famous of whom are among the most written-about of all athletes. As surprising as it seems, this is actually the first biography of Hart that has been published. Clearly, then, Pollack’s book fills a gaping void.
As usual, he applies his thorough research techniques, relying on primary source accounts to trace Hart’s career from its beginnings in 1900 to its termination in 1910. Hart’s early fights in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky with such men as William Schiller, Hugh ”Kid Hubert” McGann, Pete Traynor, Tommy West, Dan Creedon and others are all covered. Most of these fights ended in KO, establishing Hart as a thunderous puncher who could “hit as hard as mule’s kick.
In perhaps his first important step up in competition, he took on Chicago’s Billy Stift in 1902, and knocked him out in the 3rd. This was followed by an even more significant step up against Eddie “Kid” Carter of Brooklyn, NY, which Hart won by KO in the 9th round. This fight was the one that really first established Hart as an up and coming contender, initially as a light heavyweight. After a decision victory in his rematch with Stift in Chicago - Hart’s first fight outside of Louisville - he took a second fight against Carter in Philadelphia. Although this fight officially ended in a “no decision,” most observers felt Hart had won.
In another important fight, Hart took on light heavyweight contender Jack Root in Chicago, which he lost by six round decision. This setback did not deter Hart from pressing forward, and as Pollack reports, he fought only nine days later against top contender (and later light heavyweight champion) “Philadelphia” Jack O’Brien, in O’Brien’s hometown of Philadelphia. It was a very competitive fight in which both men were hurt, ending in a no decision. Although O’Brien landed more punches, Hart had O’Brien clearly hurt and “ready to go” as the bell rang to end the fight. A rematch had similar results, with O’Brien down and almost out at the end of six rounds.
Hart then took an important fight with light heavyweight contender George Gardiner in May, which he lost by retirement, due to a broken hand. After the hand healed, he took on longtime heavyweight contender Joe Choynski in another no decision fight, which most observers believed to be a draw. Hart’s performance in these various six round fights leads Pollack to observe that he “was a fighter ideal for the finish fight, but also one whom the cleverest…. Please Click below for the rest of this article…
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