By Miles Templeton
THERE ARE certain British title fights that really stand out in memory, both for the quality of the matchup and the excitement that the action produced. When the British title meant much more than it seems today, some clear examples are the Eric Boon-Arthur Danahar lightweight contest in 1938, the great Alan Minter-Kevin Finnegan trilogy in the mid-1970s and the three fights between Jackie Brown. and Bert Kirby between 1929 and 1931. Another, which has always interested me a lot, is the one between Stan Hawthorne and Billy Thompson at lightweight in 1947.
Thompson came from Hickleton Main, a village near Thurnscoe in West Yorkshire. The area had a tradition of producing tough men, and Hickleton Main ABC was a top amateur club that turned out champions, including Thompson, who won the ABA lightweight championship in 1945, and Ronnie Latham, who won the same title five years later.
Hawthorne, meanwhile, was a hard-hitting fighter from North Shields, a fishing port 10 miles north of the Tyne from Newcastle. North Shields also produced its fair share of tough wrestlers, most notably Spike Robson and Paul Charters. Hawthorne’s father, who also fought in the Great War, was rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk, his brother Ronnie took part in the D-Day landings and Stan, who was born in 1923, spent 17 months in the army himself.
Hawthorne fought Thompson seven times as an amateur, all fights taking place in 1944 and 1945, losing six of them but winning the last one by knockout at Hickleton Main. After being discharged from the army, he wasted no time in turning professional, quickly gaining a great reputation in the Liverpool and Blackpool rings, where Stan had been based.
Thompson also turned professional in 1945, but when manager Benny Huntman signed him after his ABA victory, Billy settled in London. The following year, he had won 20 in a row and faced Hawthorne for the Northern Area lightweight title.
At the time, the northern zone encompassed Lancashire and Yorkshire, as well as the north-east, but it is still astonishing to see 18,000 people turn out to watch a zone title fight at Anfield, home of Liverpool FC. The fight also received official recognition as an eliminator for the British title, held by Ronnie James. Hawthorne overcame the odds that night, beating the Yorkshireman in a fight that BN described as “an ongoing thrill”.
James retired after his 1946 loss to Ike Williams for the world title, so Thompson and Hawthorne had a rematch for the vacant British title in October 1947, again at Anfield. Since the 1946 contest, each of them had participated in many contests with only two defeats; Thompson lost to Andre Famechon and Hawthorne to Josef Preys. With many more victories under his belt, there was great expectation for his return.
BN remained undecided stating that “There is no doubt that these two young men will provide another spectacular and exciting battle that, if it goes all the way, will once again be very close.”
Both men knew how to hit and a close range victory was expected, one way or another. This time, 20,000 people showed up and Thompson was in no mood to give Hawthorne time to settle. He took on the North Shields man from the start and the two exchanged heavy blows in a sensational first round, with the honors going to Thompson. In the second, Billy threw Hawthorne to the canvas three times with the bell saving him from a knockout at the count of eight. The third proved to be the last with a dazed, completely outmatched and badly battered Hawthorne being rescued by the referee. Hawthorne continued to fight, with varying success, until 1951, while Thompson retired in 1953 having added the European title to his British crown.
