Charles Francis Pilkington (September 22, 1897 - May 20, 1974), known as Charlie Pilkington and The Meriden Flash, was an American professional
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
*Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
* Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
in the
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling.
Boxing
Professional boxing
History
A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...
division.
Background
Pilkington was born on September 22, 1897, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
to
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...
parents. He was a descendant of Jacobite members of the Pilkington Family of
Lancashire, England
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, who fled to Ireland after the Battle of Preston in 1716.
Growing up in a
tenement
A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, E ...
in
East Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the eas ...
, Pilkington was advised by a doctor to pursue exercise to improve his health and took up boxing at the
Union Settlement Association
Union Settlement is one of the oldest Settlement movement, settlement houses in New York City, providing community-based services and programs that support the immigrant and low-income residents of East Harlem since 1895. It is East Harlem's large ...
.
Professional career
Pilkington learned to box by watching
Benny Leonard
Benny Leonard (born Benjamin Leiner; April 7, 1896 – April 18, 1947) was an American professional boxer who held the world lightweight championship for eight years, from 1917 to 1925. Widely considered one of the all-time greats, he was ranked ...
,
Harlem Tommy Murphy
Harlem Tommy Murphy (April 13, 1885 – November 26, 1958) was an American boxer whose career lasted from 1903 to 1917. He was a contender in three different divisions; being ranked in the bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight weight classe ...
, and Irish Patsy Cline at his neighborhood gym and based much of his early technique off of what he observed. Beginning his boxing career with a win in an amateur match at the
Union Settlement Association
Union Settlement is one of the oldest Settlement movement, settlement houses in New York City, providing community-based services and programs that support the immigrant and low-income residents of East Harlem since 1895. It is East Harlem's large ...
Athletic Club in 1915, Pilkington would spend four years in the amateur leagues, earning the name the "Harlem Flash". When he later moved to
Meriden, Connecticut
Meriden ( ) is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planni ...
, this early nickname morphed into the "Meriden Flash." During this time, Pilkington lost only 4 out of 150 matches; winning the New York State and Metropolitan Crown boxing titles in the
featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling.
Boxing
Professional boxing
History
A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...
division. During his early career, he was the first professional boxer to be coached and managed by famed manager
Al Weill
Armand "Al" Weill (December 28, 1893 – October 20, 1969) was an American boxing manager born in France.
Background
Weill moved to the United States from his birthplace of France at the age of 13. In his early years, he began working as a pro ...
.
Turning pro to support his family in 1919, he began professional boxing in New Jersey and Connecticut. During his first professional fight, he knocked out Joe Welling in four rounds. Later, he boxed against well known boxer Sammy Waltz, knocking him down with his first punch.
At the height of his career, Pilkington was so popular in the greater New York area that after a victory over Johnny Shugrue was proclaimed a draw,
New Haven
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...
police officers had to escort the referee out of the arena to prevent a riot by Pilkington's fans.
Pilkington fought
Jack Bernstein
Jack Bernstein (November 5, 1899 – December 26, 1945) was an American boxer given the birthname John Dodick. He became World Junior lightweight Champion, on May 30, 1923, against Johnny Dundee at the Coney Island Velodrome in Brooklyn. When he ...
at the Commonwealth Sporting Club in New York in December 1923, where he repetitively held Bernstein's arms and "head butted" him, losing the match after being disqualified. In 1924, he traveled to Australia for his last professional matches - a five fight bout, winning three matches, losing one, and boxing a draw in the other.
By the end of his career, Pilkington was New York State champion for the 108,115, and 125 pound class.
Later in his life, Pilkington became a noted referee, matchmaker, trainer, and promoter. As a mentor and sparring partner, he is largely credited with helping mold the career of famed boxer
Kid Kaplan
Louis "Kid" Kaplan (born October 15, 1901, in Kyiv, Ukraine – October 26, 1970), known as the Meridan Buzzsaw, was a professional boxer and a 1925 world featherweight champion.
Early life
Kaplan and his family emigrated to the United States ...
. While working as a promoter in the 1930s, Pilkington publicly spoke out against Kaplan, then a referee, resulting in a large public dispute that ended in Pilkington's license being revoked. Known as "The Boxing Master," he trained many future boxing stars, including Eddie Campagnuolo.
Personal life
Pilkington's younger brother, "Irish" Jackie Pilkington, was also a professional boxer.