History

39. The boxers take on the jockeys

Boxers v Jockeys

Boxers v Jockeys fixtures raise money in the 1950s

The Boxers v Jockeys fixture was an important part of the Arsenal calendar during the 1950s.

The idea came from boxing referee Sam Russell who hoped to raise funds for the Sportsman’s Aid charity. He arranged the boxers’ team then Arsenal players Jimmy Logie and Arthur Shaw did the same for the jockeys.

The fixture on April 2, 1951 was the first game held under floodlights at Highbury with the boxers wearing the red and white of Arsenal and the jockeys taking Tottenham colours.

The games, which featured notable pugilists such as Henry Cooper and Brian London, got crowds as big as 15,000 but by 1960 a combined boxers/jockeys team were taking on a Showbiz XI and the fixture died out.