A lot of you younger guys won’t remember ‘Cast-Iron’ Casey, but I saw him a few times around Sunderland. He would often have a drink with his mates in the Grand Hotel bar on Bridge Street. A nice, quiet-spoken man. But Jack was once described as “the toughest man on the planet” - and when a former World Champion said it, you didn’t argue. Jack Casey was born in Southwick in 1908. At seventeen, he worked as an Attendant at the Holmside Stadium (later the Regal cinema, and still later, The Odeon). He’d never boxed before, but was thrown into a flyweight tournament as a last minute replacement. He knocked his opponent out in the first round, and went on to draw in the final. That was the start of a very impressive career. In 1931, after he’d moved up through welterweight to the middleweight division, Casey fought the French Middleweight Champion (and future World Middleweight Champion) Marcel Thil. Thil won on points over ten rounds, but had his eyebrow split open in the opening round and was hurt numerous times. After the fight, Thil called him ‘the toughest man on the planet’. Soon after that, Jack was offered a non-title fight with British middleweight champion, Len Harvey. Harvey won it on points, but that heralded the beginning of a long winning streak during which Casey beat Jock MacAvoy for the northern area title. Harvey couldn’t avoid a title shot now. The fight took place at New St. James’ Hall, Newcastle, and produced the most tragic decision of Jack Casey’s life. Harvey was a brainy fighter, who, often in the past, had feined injury to lure opponents in unguarded, and then nailed them. In round six, Casey hit him with a corker right to the chin. Harvey slumped against the ropes, his arms hanging down by his sides. But Jack didn’t follow up, figuring that Harvey was acting. He wasn’t. For a few seconds, Harvey was out on his feet! Casey had the champion in trouble again in round 12, but Harvey hung on to win on points. In the meantime, however, Harvey had cracked his right fist on Casey’s jaw, and later claimed that it was never the same again. Jack Casey was one hard cookie! it was around that time that Jack Casey’s career took a downward turn. Negotiations for a Harvey return fell through. Negotiations for a fight with new World Champion, Marcel Thil fell through, and so on. I don’t know the facts behind these issues, but doubt that it’s unreasonable to assume these champions had had enough of Casey. Both of them later claimed that Casey was their hardest fight(s). Towards the end of Jack’s career, he fought and beat the British Light-Heavyweight Champion, Tommy Farr - a man who would later give World Heavyweight Champion, Joe Louis more problems than he ever gave to Casey. Later still, Jack knocked out Dick Bartlett, and Dick summed it up best of all - “... give me no more of Casey. I’d sooner fight Primo Carnera”. Carnera, of course, had been the 6‘-7“ Heavyweight Champion of the World in 1933! The last I heard of Jack Casey was in the Sunderland Echo. He’d had a few drinks and was walking towards the bus station on Park Lane when an ex-army champion spotted him. The man approached Jack and said he was going to be the first to ever knock Jack Casey out. He raised his hand ... but it never landed. Casey downed him in one! I think the courts fined Jack something suitably ‘understanding’. He had, after all, been provoked and threatened. Jack Casey died in January, 1980, aged 71. His health had been deteriorating for the last 20 years. He remains one of the great characters of 20th century Sunderland. For further information see an excellent article in Punchline Magazine at : http://www.punchlineboxing.co.uk/read_news.php?news=16
Obviously wasnt the hardest man on the planet. But love stories like this. Never heard of him. But now i have. Topper.
should have been put in the "back in the gold old days" thread Good story all the same, i enjoy reading snippet's like that.
I bought him a drink once in the mid 60,s he used to drink in the back room of a pub in Bridge Street across the road from the mentioned Grand Hotel he was a bit run down then as was the pub, but he was a well known and respected figure. Another character was Sampson Besford you didnt mess with him either.
I used to love watching the boxing with my dad mate. Sometimes just on the radio. He would regail me with stories like this. He'd have loved reading that if the poor bugger was still alive.
Did you not used to watch the wrestling on ITV with your nana? Billy Two Rivers, Johnny Kwango, Adrian Street etc. Was all real like.
I had a couple of uncles who were pro boxers. One who fought for the British title under the name of Bob Rowlands..He had a proper collie flower lug which I used to pull when I was a kid. He was a cantankerous old bugger but he took a shine to me as I was alawys asking him questions about his boxing.
We were talking about this the other day. I used to watch it on World Of Sport with my Granda. He used to sit in a rocky chair & many a time he almost cowpt his creels. Kendo Nagasaki, Mick McManus, Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, Rollerball Rocco. Happy days fella, part of my childhood.
