๐๐ฆ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฑ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฏ ~ ๐ญ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฐ๐๐ค๐ฆ๐ซ๐ค ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ช๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ด๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ฑAny Sydneysiders born in or prior to the 1890s would have been aware of the opening of Sydney Stadium. 1908 was the year this iconic boxing arena on the eastern outskirts of the cityโs CBD first saw the light of day…literally saw the light of day as it was originally built as an open air stadium. The brainchild of promoter Hugh D McIntosh who constructed a ‘temporary’ outdoor boxing ring on the site of a former Chinese market garden in Rushcutters Bay to hold the world heavyweight boxing contest featuring Canadian title-holder Tommy Burns and Australian challenger โBoshter Billโ Squires. The fight was however just a warm-up for a legendary pugilistic bout in the same arena four months later between Burns and African-American fighter Jack Johnson. The fight garnered a lot of attention in Australia and internationally as Johnson was the first black boxer to contest (and win) a world title… and the heavyweight title at that!
โ๏ธ ๐ฎ๐ธ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐ ๐ป๐พ๐๐ ๐๐ป ๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ (๐ฉ๐น๐ฎ๐/๐๐ฎ๐ช ๐๐๐ท๐พ๐๐) โ๏ธThe Australian press of the day predictably invoked the race card in the lead-up to the fight, racist descriptions of Johnson abounded, โcoloured pugilistโ was one of the few politer characterisations of Johnson (Bush Advocate, 28th December 1908). Burnsโs thrashing at the hands of his much bigger black opponentโphysically it was a real โDavid and Goliathโ mismatchโprompted a backlash from white supremacists. Writer Jack London (ringside at the fight) put out the call for a โGreat White Hopeโ to restore the white man to his โrightfulโ place atop the professional boxing tree. The decisiveness of Jack Johnsonโs triumph tapped into the prevailing currents of eugenic belief of the day, doing nothing to soothe anxieties about the โmoral decay and declineโ of the white race.
๐๐ถ๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ถ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ก๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ช (๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ฌ: ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ซ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฏ๐ถ ๐ฌ๐ฃ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฏ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐)Stadiums Ltd
For almost its entire lifespan (from 1915 to its closure) Sydney Stadium was owned by Melbourne entrepreneur and gambling identity John Wrenโs Stadiums Ltd…during that epoch the company enticed most of the top Australian professional boxers including Vic Patrick, Fred Henneberry, Dave Sands, Jimmy Carruthers and Tommy Burns (not the Canadian heavyweight champion) as well as renowned international prize-fighters such as Emile Griffith, Freddie Dawson and โFightingโ Harada, to Sydney Stadium (โThe Wild Ones: Sydney Stadium 1908-1970โ, Sydney Living Museums, www.sydneylivingmuseums.com).
๐๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ซ๐ซ๐ถ โ๐๐ถ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฑ ๐๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข ๐๐ฑ๐๐ก๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ช, 1957 (๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ฌ: ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฃ๐๐ต ๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ฐ)โThe old tin shedโ
In 1912 the stadium was given a lid, an octagonal shaped roof of corrugated iron, and equiped for a capacity of 12,000 seated patrons. As the decades passed, hosting countless boxing and wrestling matches (in operation several nights a week at one point), it acquired the affectionate sobriquet โthe old tin shedโโ. From the 1950s while boxing was still its core entertainment, the Sydney Stadium became a venue for popular music entertainers and television stars (eg, Frank Sinatra, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Walt Disneyโs Mouseketeers, and so onโ. This continued into the Sixties with โThe Samuraiโ star Koichi Ose, and perhaps its pinnacle, the Beatles performing there on their 1964 Australian tour (โSydney Stadiumโ, Milesago โ Venues, www.milesago.com; โWorld Heavyweight Boxing Championship Title Fight 1908โ, Woollahra Municipal Council), www.woollahra.nsw.gov.au).
๐ ๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฎ “๐๐ช๐ซ ๐๐ธ๐พ๐ป” ๐ช๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ต๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ญ 1964 
Leichhardt Stadium in Sydneyโs inner west never managed to capture the limelight of Rushcutters Bay but was still very popular in its time, itโs Thursday night boxing events regularly โpacked to capacityโ (โPacking a punchโ, James Cockington, 01-Jul-2009, SMH, www.smh.com.au). Leichhardt was Sydney pro boxingโs โMedinaโ to Sydney Stadiumsโ โMeccaโ, together, this brace of stadiums was the home of professional pugilism in Sydney in the early to middle part of the 20th century. The suburban stadium on Balmain Road, Leichhardt, first opened its doors in 1922. The two Sydney stadiums featured many of the popular active Aboriginal fighters, typically stepping up from the touring boxing tents to try to earn their livelihoods inside their square rings, including Ron Richards, Jack Hassen, George Bracken, the Sands brothers and many more. Other names regularly featuring on Leichhardt Stadiumโs draw cards included Jack Carroll, Jimmy Kelso, โKidโ Rooney and Hockey Bennell.
แ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐น๐๐๐พ๐๐๐ + ๐ถ ๐ฎ๐พ๐๐–๐ผ๐๐พ๐๐ฝ ๐น๐๐ถ๐ ๐ธ๐ถ๐๐น? 
โBloodโ sports and โshow bizโ mash-up
Like itโs older relative at Rushcutters Bay, Leichhardt Stadiumโs โbread-and-butterโ remained pro-boxing and wrestling. However, during the Depression, the suburban stadium, perhaps anticipating Lee Gordon, innovated by incorporating the prevailing popular form of stage entertainment…Saturday night featured a program of boxing contests intermixed with โVaudeville entertainmentโ acts (โLeichhardt Stadium. 1922.โ, Sydney Morning Herald, 08-Dec-1930 (Trove); Milesago).
๐๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ ๐ข: ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ
By the mid to late 1960s Australian professional boxing was in the doldrums and the stadium itself at Rushcutters Bay closed in 1970. Three years later the complex was demolished to make way for the Eastern Suburbs Railway. Leichhardt Stadiumโs demise as a boxing venue occurred not long after in 1975.
๐นo๐๐๐๐ ๐ทo๐๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐พ๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐o๐น๐๐ธ๐๐น o๐ ๐ฎ๐๐น๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐น๐พ๐๐โ๐ ๐ป๐พ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐พ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐พ๐๐ฝ๐, ๐ซth June ๐ฃ๐ซ๐ฉ0 (๐ซ๐ฝo๐o: ๐ฎ๐๐ป) 
โฅ ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฏ๐พ๐ท ๐น๐ช๐ป๐ด (๐ข๐ธ๐พ๐ป๐ฌ๐ฎ: ๐ฆ๐ธ๐ธ๐ต๐ต๐ช๐ฑ๐ป๐ช ๐๐พ๐ท. ๐๐ธ๐พ๐ท๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ต)
Footnote: White Cityโs fleeting existence
In 1913 another landmark was erected in Rushcutters Bay, a 9-ironโs distance from Sydney Stadium. The White City Amusement Park, also built on former Chinese market gardens, was a precursor of Sydneyโs better known Luna Park. White City offered pleasure-seekers a smorgasbord of lakes, canals, river caves, โpleasure palacesโ, โfun factoriesโ, the city’s first roller coaster and itโs piรจce de rรฉsistance, a gigantic (Pennsylvanian-constructed) carousel. White City lasted less than four years before being burnt to the ground after a lightning strike in 1917 (โLost Sydney : White City Amusement Parkโ, Pocket Oz, www.visitsydneyaustralia.com.au). In the early 1920โs the White City tennis complex was erected on the site.
๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ
โ also known as ” the old barn”
โ expat American promoter Lee Gordon was the brains behind this move into pop music, bringing out big US bands, singers and duos for concerts at Rushcutters Bay, backed by Australian support acts