South Yorkshire Times, September 1st, 1951
“You Should Ha’ Told Him to Play Light – Not Me”
Some 1909 Reminiscences of a British Heavyweight Champion
Mr. H. Heptinsall, “Field Cottage”, Barnburgh, has been good enough to bring in this week several issues of “Boxing” of 1909, 10 and 11, each of which contains much about Mexborough’s “Iron” Hague who died last week at the age of 65.
A note in an accompanying “Health and Strength” entitled “A Youthful Terror” will no doubt interest old Mexbronians.
Mr. ‘Billy’ Biggs, Hague’s manager and trainer, in explaining how he ‘found’ the new champion, tells this anecdote. “This was how Hague came out as a fighter. He was about 16 and was employed at Barron’s gasworks. Tommy Stokes, one of the best middleweights in Yorkshire, was our local champion, and he reckoned that he could knock the stuffing out of anyone in the town inside six rounds. Mr. Biggs said that he could find a lad that Stokes couldn’t knock out in six rounds and offered to wager a sovereign. Stokes accepted the offer so Mr. Biggs went down to the glassworks, pulled Ian out, got hold of a man to take his place for the time, and the two men met in a room. At the end of six rounds things were pretty level so Mr Biggs won his money and he felt so confident in his judgement that he put up a stake of 50s. for an eight-round contest in public, and Hague knocked his opponent out in the sixth round. Both weighed about 11st. at the time. Stokes now acts as trainer and second to his old opponent. While Hague, then quite a lad, has filled out into a decided heavyweight, Stokes has remained among the middles.
I know You
The writer goes on to tell how “Iron” once found himself outside a boxing booth at Wombwell Feast while the “Professor” was introducing his collection of ‘star artists’ and soliciting work for them. When he came to the big man, who was Bill Somebody, the 11st. champion of somewhere, and held up the gloves invitingly. “Iron” cried out “chuck ‘em over here.”
The “Professor” said “I know you young fellow and if you come in here, you’ll have to play light, d’ye hear?”!
“All right” replied “Iron”, “I won’t hurt him. Chuck us the gloves.”
All apparently went well for two rounds, “Iron” sparring good-humouredly and playing light but Bill Somebody, who did not know him, made the mistake of fancying the youngster was one to take liberties with and landed him a heavy right “just to put a bit of life into the spar.” It did! Bill Somebody found himself on his back in the next moment when he regained his feet it was only to retreat rapidly from the ring, Iron disregarding the “Professors” frenzied calls of “Time!”
“Iron” Followed Up
Apparently, the booth boxer finally ducked under the ropes and tried to lose himself among the spectators but Iron followed him up and literally knocked him out of the show. In reply to the “Professor” he said, “You should ‘ha told him to play light, not me!”
Hague’s sportsmanship (“I’ve always tried my level best and that has a lot to do with it,” he once told a Mexborough crowd) was never more clearly shown than in his statement after losing the British heavyweight title to Bombardier Billy Wells. “Wells was too long for me. I never felt better in my life and fought as well as I knew how, but he outreached me. They think his blows do not sting but I have felt them – but I have no excuses to offer and I only hope I will be given another chance at the belt. Maybe the second time I’ll do better.”
FOOTNOTE: Hague got his “Iron” from his hardiness as a boy. “Health and Strength” records that a sports writer, believing that it was Mexborough’s way of pronouncing “Ian”, called him Ian and others followed suit until Hague, himself, at one time came to believe that it was the approved way of spelling “Iron” and adopted it.