A
huge Dublin welcome was given to the Irish boxing heroes when they arrived
at Kingsbridge Station at two in the morning. A fleet of waiting taxis carried
the team and officials to their homes.When Jimmy arrived in Bath Avenue he was astounded to find thousands of revellers cramming the surrounding streets, to welcome him home. Carrying him shoulder high into Margaret Place, he found it festooned with flags and coloured bunting.
Kegs and bottles of beer were soon opened and the party began. The festivities carried on until dawn with music and singing from the enthusiastic throng. The times may have been difficult for everyone then, yet their young hero had
given his community a reason to be cheerful;
he had helped bring home the cup.
There was also a telegram from Broadribb congratulating him and telling him he would be over soon to finalise their handshake agreement.
With so much to look forward to, all of his hopes and dreams were shattered in September of 1939, when World War Two broke out and the prospect of London and the professional fight game there was lost to him forever.
With youthful optimism he faced the future with bright determination. He continued to train and in October returned to the National Stadium to fight his great friend Miley Doyle, who had swapped weights with him in America.
Jimmy won on points and an ‘Irish Press’ correspondent wrote that: “It was Ingle’s toughest fight yet.” They were inevitably matched again for the following January and four thousand spectators stood and cheered throughout the six round bout.
Jimmy won again and they walked from the ring together with arms around each other’s shoulders, to thunderous applause from the appreciative crowd. As he grew into manhood his weight began to increase, but not his height, forcing him to move up the weights.
A month or so before the National Championships were held, a serious accident at work prevented him from defending his title. His thumb and forefinger were almost severed in his job as a sawyer. Doctors managed to repair the damage and told him that no lasting harm was done, allowing him to return to training in a month.
He moved up to feather and then middleweight. In his penultimate fight he was paired to fight Paddy Dowdall and it was billed as the clash of two European Champions. ‘Irish Independent’ reporter Arthur McWeeney later wrote in his article headed ‘Ingle a Wonder Boxer’: “Not since the European titles have they performed so gloriously.”
Before he bade farewell to the amateurs, he fought his last bout against Spike McCormack on October 2nd in the National Stadium. Corinthians boxing club was putting on a show and Jimmy was offered £10 to fight him.
The fight ended in the third round when Spike suddenly collapsed on the canvas without a punch being landed. He was writhing on the floor in agony and Jimmy along with the referee helped carry him to his corner. It was later revealed that Spike’s hip had been shattered, in his time as a commando with the British Army during a raid on Dieppe in France.
Emergency surgery was performed after the fight correcting the injury, which invalided him from the army. Spike’s only reason for fighting was the purse of £30.
Walking from the stadium Jimmy looked back on his career. He had fought one hundred and seven times and never been stopped once; Irish Junior, Senior and European Champion and all before the tender age of twenty-one.
Jimmy and his manager Davie Stewart were invited to meet George Fleming, President of the Irish Boxing Board in his office at La Scala (The Capitol). The offer placed on the table was a £100 signing on fee and a guaranteed four fights at £25 a bout. Jimmy signed on the dotted line there and then.
He made his professional debut on October 9th in a packed Rotunda cinema, stopping his opponent Chuck Flannigan in two rounds. This led to an offer from a Belfast fight promoter of six fights at £15 each, but he would have to pay his own expenses.
Six fights in less than two months brought six victories and the Belfast and Dublin crowds enjoyed his performances tremendously. The promoter then offered Jimmy £25 if he would be prepared to fight Tommy Armour, then reigning welterweight champion of Northern Ireland.
Armour’s record was more than impressive, having had eighty-five bouts, winning forty-three by knockout and twenty-five on points. This was a huge step up in class for Jimmy and his manager Davie suggested that he get another few fights under his belt. Two were held in the Rialto cinema less than a week before Christmas of 1941. Each went the full distance with Jimmy winning both.
On March 20th, 1942, he stepped into the ring for his bout with Armour. Over ten long, punishing rounds, Armour hit him with all he had, almost taking the skin of Jimmy’s ribs. How he remained standing on his feet must have seemed a miracle to the baying crowd.
In Dublin the following day a doctor in Sir Patrick Dun’s Hospital helped repair some of the damage, telling him that under no circumstances was he to fight again for a least a month or longer. Despite the severe pounding by Armour, precious lessons were learned by Jimmy and his manager Davie. They would not repeat the same mistakes again.
Photo: Spike McCormack, on right, is pictured signing for a fight with Jimmy Ingle.