The champion who fought with one lung

Nel Tarleton won the British featherweight title three times and lost only 20 fights in a 20-year ring career - and he did so with one sound lung.

Tarleton, born in Liverpool on 14 January 1906, was the eldest of eight children. He contracted TB as a child but boxed as an amateur even though his parents were against his choice of sport.

“Nella”, as he became known by his fans in Liverpool, turned professional in 1926, just before his 20h birthday, and soon became a favourite at the Liverpool Stadium.

Those days there was no period of easing a fighter into his professional career with some four and six-rounders. Tarleton’s first two fights were over ten rounds and in his sixth fight he lost on points over 15 rounds to Arthur Boddington.

From old reports, it seems Tarleton knew the “rope-a-dope” long before Muhammad Ali used the technique of going back on the ropes. At end of his career, the only scars Tarleton had were the marks of old rope burns.

Tarleton regularly fought in Liverpool but had the odd fight in London, before deciding to try his luck in America, after losing two out of eight fights.

He lacked a knockout punch and did not excite the American fans, so he returned to Britain to challenge Johnny Cuthbert for the British featherweight title - after 68 professional fights. The fight ended in a draw.

In a return match on 1 October 1931, some 11 months later, he relied on his left hand for most of the fight because of an injury to his right but he won the British title.

For the next 12 months, Tarleton took on the best fighters around, beating Al Foreman and holding Panama Al Brown, the world bantamweight champion, to a draw in a non-title fight.

Surprisingly, only two fights later, in November 1932, he lost the British featherweight title to Seaman Tommy Watson.

In 1933, he accepted an offer to fight in Australia but the climate over there did not agree with him. He had only three fights, recording a win over Jimmy Kelso, a draw with former world junior lightweight champion Tod Morgan and a loss to Young Llew Edwards.

On his return to Britain, Tarleton regained the British crown with a points win over Watson in July 1934. Later that year he outpointed Dave Crowley in London to win his first Lonsdale belt outright.

Between the Watson and Crawley bouts, Tarleton gave the tough American southpaw Freddie Miller a hard fight in a challenge for the National Boxing Association featherweight crown. They met at Anfield before 30 000 fans.

Even in those years titles were disputed. Nat Fleischer wrote in the November 1934 issue of the The Ring: “The ownership of the world featherweight title has definitely been decided with the victory of Freddie Miller over Nel Tarleton in Liverpool.

“Miller, the NBA champion and the recognised American title holder in all states except New York, decided to risk his laurels in an attempt to clinch world honours by facing the British champion on foreign soil and he made good at the end of 15 rounds. That victory should settle once and for all time the objection of the New York moguls, that Freddie is not entitled to head the class”.

Nine monthsa later, on 12 June 1935, Tarleton and Miller met again. That was at the Stanley Greyhound track in Liverpool before another packed house. Once again, Miller just edged him.

In May 1936, Tarleton won a second Lonsdale belt when he beat Manchester’s Johnny King but he lost his title about four months later to Johnny McGory.

His bad luck continued when, early in 1937, he caught pneumonia. Soon after recovering, he was involved in a motorcar accident that threatened to end his career.

After an absence of 18 months from the ring, Tarleton won five of his next six fights before challenging Johnny Cusick for the British featherweight title. Very few gave the 34-year-old Nel a chance, but once again he captured his old crown and also won the Empire title.

Taking a new lease on life, he put a second notch on his second Lonsdale belt when he outpointed Tom Smith.

In the next four years, Tarleton had another 15 fights. At the age of 39, he was considering retirement when he was offered a fight against the Al Phillips, a tough London East ender. They met at Belle Vue Manchester on 23 February 1945.

The odds were stacked against the old champion, but he fought superbly for 12 rounds and managed to hold on over the last three rounds to take the decision and retain his title.

This was to be his last fight, but he had the satisfaction of winning a second Lonsdale belt outright, becoming the first British fighter to win two Lonsdale belts.

Tarleton, who was never beaten inside the distance, had 145 fights, won 117, lost 20 and drew eight.

He died on 12 January 1956, two days before his 50th birthday.

By today’s standards, he never earned big money and five years after his death his wife had one of his belts auctioned by Christies.