At the beginning of the 20th century professional boxers were allowed to strip to the waist but women spectators were excluded from watching. When the 1908 World Heavyweight Title was fought at Sydney Stadium, the wife of novelist Jack London, Charmian Kittredge, disguised herself in men’s clothing and snuck in.
image of Charmian found here
From Jack London’s wikipedia page:
Finding that the prim and genteel lady was lustful and sexually vigorous in private was like discovering a secret treasure;” and according to Kershaw —”At last, here was a woman who adored fornication, expected Jack to make her climax, and to do so frequently.
image of Jack and Charmian found here
Jack Johnson knew the effect he had on women and exploited it fully. There were rumours that he padded his tights and he created a scandal by inviting female admirers to visit him in his room at Watson’s Bay Hotel. According to folklore they formed an orderly queue.
There is no evidence Charmian was part of that queue. After Jack London’s death, however, she continued her lustful ways with several other lucky men, including Harry Houdini whom she called her “Magic Man”.
image of Houdini and Jack Dempsey found here
Any woman with a grin that wide must be insatiable.
Are women turned on by pugilism?
I’m going out to punch someone…
Surely you could have fit Jack Kennedy in this post.
Ha ha…. if he’d fucked Charmian I might have….
being a kennedy, anything is possible…
i’m disappointed to read jack johnson padded his tights. so why did women form an orderly queue? perhaps mr. johnson had a sweet voice and he read them bedtime stories.
Now if women were allowed to strip to the waist and box would men be excluded?
Jack Johnson was the reason the phrase ‘great white hope’ was coined wasn’t he. Can’t remember who the fighter was that went up against him with that name though…
Yes you’re right alex! But I don’t know who the white boxer who eventually beat him was either
the first “Great White Hope” was James J. Jeffries
Jeffries lost
funny enough, it was Jack London who publicly called for a GWH to step up and beat Johnson
Johnson eventually lost his title to Jess Willard, in 1915 (in 26 rounds!) who was then heralded as the GWH
(outstanding stuff, as usual – that Houdini/Dempsey photo will be duly appropriated upon my return!)
Thanks John. Enjoy your break and hurry back refreshed xx
What women won’t do in order to get themselves to that higher state of arousal…..
An orderly queue?
Like size didn’t really matter with this women?
Every man needs a Charmaine in his past.
Well, no wonder women weren’t allowed. Look at those boxing shorts…at first glance I thought Jack was boxing in the buff. With those tight things on, the slightest distraction would surely be noticed.
Go Charmian! Fight, fight, fight for those orgasms!
hahaha…. good one daisyfae
Having ‘had’ to be the doctor present at a few RAF boxing matches in the early 1980’s, it is a vicious stupid ‘sport’ and if somebody got their rocks off to it, sad…
Dave, your blog is only set up for gooogle accounts to comment. You need to tweak it so wordpress bloggers can also comment
Thankyou, consider it done!!
(Sh2te, what does she want to say?)
swallow hard, dave
I just wanted to say “Congratulations” 🙂
Thankyou so very much!
Wiping sweat from forehead.
dave
I think I might give Harry Houdini one. The pillow conversation would be interesting.
I always tell the ladies to form an orderly line to my room, but they never listen.
Would the queue have been so orderly if you’d been in it nurse?
I would have used my whip to move myself to the top of the line
Doesn’t that Jack Johnson know that women make the knees weak? Had he never seen Rocky? Oh yea; Rocky was a little beyond his time.
I feel as though I’ve been left hanging ……
That’s my kind of lady but I’m no boxer.
Gentle sex? Little did they know women’s boxing would become common one day.
Do you watch women’s boxing matches live Ricardo? Or televised?
Televised once and a blue moon. Those women would crush me and a lot of guys. I prefer the stagged madness of women’s wrestling instead. there is also a women’s movement gaining ground in Ultimate Fighting. Even more brutal. I’d be afraid of those women.
with good cause no doubt
I’ll stick with women wrestlers. Just the right combo beauty, force and performer.
The Belfast poet Gordon Hewiit wrote and performs a great poem about this 1908 fight which took place in Sydney.
It’s annoying how ‘great’ and ‘white’ are constantly married, just because there’s a murderous big shark out there that’s a little on the pasty side.
I’m sympathetic to the good doctor who medicated at fights, but I must step into this little ring and defend one of my favourite sports (I have so few – please don’t take my boxing away!)
Welcome to the gimcrack mitzi – I have so few fellow Sydney readers, always good to see another one
In my own experience, I found that a group of particuar ladies in the audience used to become damp in secret little places the more the blood was spilled.
Sometimes it takes me more than three jacks to get to the prestidigitation. But rest assured, I always get there eventually.
My granddad, according to family tittle tattle, took part in bare knuckle fighting .. later called boxing.. in the East End of London. 1908 was about the time he would have been waving his fists before he set sail to South America …. wow he may have punched Jack London’s wife .. surely not, but maybe that is why I cry at Call of the Wild… there are some synergies!!!
Heck, I don’t even need a ring to enjoy some good boxing!
😉
Also being, like Jack London, a former journalist, I can attest to the fact that many of our former profession do encounter interesting women.
FFE – can’t tell you how delighted I am to see your face again!
Glad you are. I looked in the mirror this morning and damn near died.
You sure you were looking at the right head?
Ba da DUM!
I have a picture book, NurseMyra, from childhood called “Doctor Duck and Nurse Swan”. To this day I’m convinced it was that book which sent me on the madness-laden path which is Finnegans Wake. These crazy talking poultry drank all the drugs and started operating. It’s by Bernard Wiseman. Online description: “Doctor Duck and Nurse Swan have a busy day treating the various animals that come into their office.” Consider me checked in and wristbanded, yeeha!